Universal Access in the Information Society https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-01069-9 LONG PAPER Towards sustainable and accessible events: an exploratory research perspective Marta Brescia‑Zapata1 Accepted: 13 November 2023 © The Author(s) 2023 Abstract In recent years, there has been a noticeable drive towards promoting sustainability at events. Nevertheless, sustainable events often overlook the topic of accessibility. In an effort to fill this gap and gather data towards possible solutions, two co-creation workshops were conducted that focussed on the practical elements of organising and coordinating an accessible and sustainable event that caters to people with diverse access needs. Through the use of practical examples taken from the work carried out as part of different EU projects, workshop participants gained insights into the logistics of creating an acces- sible event that is user-centric, collaborative, and sustainable. The workshops’ main aim was to settle a discussion on how to prepare guidelines and recommendations to organise a sustainable and fully accessible event. All lessons learned during the workshops were then used to organise the Green Digital Accessibility conference, which took place on 2 December 2022 in a hybrid format in Barcelona. This paper begins by outlining existing guidelines on accessibility and sustainability, before moving on to present the methodology and findings from both workshops. Subsequently, we will delve into the guidelines that were developed during the workshop. The goal of this study is to integrate universal accessibility guidelines into the ISO 20121 standard with the ultimate aim of establishing a template that ensures academic and scientific events are acces- sible and sustainable from their inception. This work concludes by considering some possible research avenues that combine sustainability and accessibility in event planning. Keywords Event organisation · Accessibility · Sustainability 1 Introduction regenerative growth [3]. The EU also acknowledges acces- sibility as a cornerstone in the green transition by provid- Sustainability and accessibility have become increasingly ing inclusive environments and equal opportunities for important topics in Europe as policymakers, businesses, and all individuals, regardless of their abilities. The EU has citizens seek to address environmental and social challenges implemented various policies and directives aimed at pro- [1]. The concept of sustainability was defined by the United moting accessibility, including the European Accessibility Nations in 1987 [2] as “meeting the needs of the present Act (2019), which aims to improve the functioning of the without compromising the ability of future generations to internal market for accessible products and services. Fur- meet their own needs”. The European Green Deal has ele- thermore, the EU promotes accessibility through funding vated the topic across Europe by establishing a regulatory for projects that support accessible infrastructure, transpor- and legislative framework to drive positive climate action tation, and information and communication technologies. by moving the European economy away from an economic In the field of standardisation, EN301459 recommends model based on the consumption of finite resources towards a Universal Design approach when developing any system a more sustainable development model that prioritises or product. This requirement is gaining traction as a main- stream concept, driven by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and now car- Communicated by Green Digital Accessibility. ries significant political and moral weight. The ISO 20121 * Marta Brescia‑Zapata standard [4] establishes criteria for implementing an event marta.brescia@uab.cat sustainability management system applicable to all types of 1 events or related activities, as well as offering guidance on Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain 13 Vol.:(0123456789) Universal Access in the Information Society adhering to such criteria. Currently, there are no guidelines for individuals with disabilities also foster inclusivity for or standards that combine sustainability and accessibility; diverse audiences, including those with different learning therefore, there is a need to build synergies between the two styles or language fluency. Moreover, the W3C highlights fields. that accessible sessions offer additional benefits to both One effective way to adhere to standards is by co-creat- organisations and individuals, including increased partici- ing guidelines and recommendations, which can serve as a pation, improved learning outcomes, a positive reputation, framework for decision-making and action when organising and legal compliance. accessible and sustainable events. Co-creation, which can On the topic of sustainability, the EU has developed be defined as the active involvement of end-users in various a range of policies and initiatives aimed at reducing the stages of the production process [5, 6], is aligned with the environmental impact of events and promoting sustainable European Commission’s definition of social innovation as a practices. Some examples are the EU Ecolabel, the Circu- process that mobilises each citizen to become an active part lar Economy Action Plan, the Energy Efficiency Directive, of the innovation process [7]. Co-created guidelines can also and the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) [10]. foster ownership and accountability, as they reflect the col- The EMAS is a program established by the European Com- lective voice and values of participants. mission that provides a framework for companies to assess, In this paper, the methodology and results of two co-cre- improve, and report their environmental performance. The ation workshops carried out in Barcelona and Brussels will EMAS steering committee approved in 2018 the ‘Guideline be presented. Participants were introduced to the concepts on Organising Sustainable Meetings and Events at the Com- of sustainability and accessibility and were later asked to mission’. This document provides a checklist organised into apply this knowledge in the context of events organisation. seven steps or topics that should be addressed to guarantee The section begins by giving examples of existing guide- that an event is sustainable. For each step, there are two lines on sustainability and accessibility. This is followed categories of actions: minimum requirements and advanced by a discussion of the methodology and results from the options. Although the document emphasises the impor- workshops. The insight gained from both workshops were tance of easy access to the venue, the term “accessibility” is later applied in the organisation of the Green Digital Acces- noticeably absent in the text. sibility conference, which took place on 2 December 2022 in The EU also supports sustainable event certification Barcelona. Section 4 details the conference organisation as schemes such as the ISO 20121 standard for sustainable well as participants' feedback obtained through a post-event event management, which covers all aspects of event plan- questionnaire. Finally, Sect. 5 provides some preliminary ning, including sustainability. First published in 2012, the conclusions and potential avenues for future research. standard applies to all types of events, from small local gatherings to large international conferences. It also covers a range of areas in event management, including but not 2 Background: existing sustainability limited to, sustainable procurement, waste management, and accessibility guidelines energy and water conservation, community engagement, and transport management. Although it does not explicitly Sustainability and accessibility both feature in the United mention accessibility, it addresses social responsibility and Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals. More specifi- stakeholder engagement, which could encompass accessibil- cally, Goals 4, 8, 10, 11, and 17 (Quality Education, Decent ity considerations. Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequality, Sustain- Regarding accessibility, in 2010, the W3C Web Acces- able Cities, and Partnership for Goals, respectively) all sibility Initiative (WAI) published a checklist for accessi- mention sustainability and accessibility. Indeed, the UN has ble events, conferences, training, and presentations that are identified the need to ensure that the transition to net-zero is remote/virtual, in-person, or hybrid. The checklist helps pre- inclusive to everyone, irrespective of age, sex, disability, eth- senters, participants, and organisers make events inclusive, nicity, origin, religion, economic or social status [8]. Never- particularly to people with disabilities. It provides links to theless, most of the existing guidelines on event organisation additional resources, including tutorials, checklists, and tools only focus on one of them, sometimes not even mentioning for creating accessible presentations, as well as a section on the other. The UN’s Environment Programme defines a sus- how to test the accessibility of presentations. However, the tainable or ‘green’ event as one that is designed, organised topic of sustainability is not covered within this checklist. and implemented in a way that minimises potential nega- In the absence of guidelines, many universities across the tive impacts and leaves a beneficial legacy for the host com- USA, such as Cornell University [11], University of Kan- munity and all involved. The World Wide Web Consortium sas [12] or Oregon State University [13], have created their (W3C) [9] recommends that event accessibility should be own checklists to organise accessible events. Similarly, in prioritised, as sessions that are designed to be accessible Europe, Inclusion Europe, a European movement of people 13 Universal Access in the Information Society with intellectual disabilities and their families co-funded by and architecture. The workshop attracted a total of 5 volun- the EU, published a set of guidelines on accessible events tary participants between the ages of 20 and 40 who were [14]. Similarly, the European Disability Forum (EDF) cre- digitally savvy and expressed a keen interest in research, ated ‘Guide for accessible meetings for all’ [15]. Neither of science, new technologies, sustainability, and accessibility these guidelines and recommendations deal with sustain- matters. ability, nor do they differentiate between rules for speakers The second workshop, named “Go green! Cómo organizar and rules for organisers. Instead, both guidelines provide un evento sostenible y accesible” (“Go green! How to organ- speakers with information on how to prepare and deliver an ise a green and accessible event”), took place in Barcelona as accessible presentation. They also offer guidance on address- part of the European Science Night [17]. This public event, ing accessibility issues before, during, and after the event. held annually in over 300 cities in 30 European countries, aims to bring research closer to audiences of all ages and promote research and innovation through clear and engag- 3 Workshops ing means. Our workshop consisted of 4 participants, all of whom voluntarily signed up. Similar to the first work- This section describes the two co-creation workshops in shop, the participants were aged between 20 and 40, digi- Brussels and Barcelona. It reports on the procedure and tally savvy, and demonstrated a strong interest in research, participants involved and discusses the ideas that emerged science, new technologies, sustainability, and accessibility during the sessions. The final goal of these workshops was matters. to apply all lessons learned in the organisation of the Green Digital Accessibility conference, which took place on 2 3.2 Methodology December 2022 in Barcelona. Each workshop followed a similar procedure and was 3.1 Workshops outline divided into two parts: a theoretical one and a practical one. The first part was structured around several activities to raise The first workshop, titled “Accessibility meets sustainability: awareness of sustainability and accessibility when organis- How to organise a green and accessible event”, took place ing and attending events. These concepts were later applied in Brussels as part of the first edition of The New European during the practical part (see Fig. 1 below). The main dif- Bauhaus fair [16]. This event was celebrated from 9 to 12 ference was the language in which the workshops were held June 2022 in a hybrid format. The main themes of the fes- (English in Brussels and Spanish in Barcelona). tival were beauty, sustainability, and inclusion always with Participants were first introduced to the facilitators and a focus on the European Green Deal. It aimed to establish their backgrounds. Subsequently, the participants were connections across various domains, including research, sci- prompted to respond with three words to the inquiry “What ence, technology, education, civic engagement, art, culture does accessibility mean to you?” using the web-based tool Fig. 1  Steps followed during the workshops 13 Universal Access in the Information Society Mentimeter. Figure 2 (left) displays the responses provided put together on a whiteboard and some new thoughts came during the workshop. The distinctions between the medi- out. cal and social models were explored by leveraging the par- Before debriefing the session, some tips on how to com- ticipants’ responses as a foundation. Then, the subject of municate in an accessible way on social media platforms sustainability was introduced, and participants were asked were shared with the participants. Specifically, the tips were to answer with three words to the question “What does sus- tailored towards two widely used platforms for professional tainability mean to you?” via Mentimeter. The answers are engagement, namely Twitter and LinkedIn. By implement- shown in Fig. 2 (right). The participants’ responses were ing these strategies, participants can ensure that their posts discussed, and the carbon footprint calculator developed by reach a wider audience and contribute to a more inclusive World Wildlife Fun (WWF) [18] was presented. The objec- community. The list of strategies shared with the workshop tive was to foster awareness about the impact of daily activi- participants was inspired by the ‘List of Resources on Digital ties on ­CO2 emissions. Accessibility’ created as part of the Erasmus + project Youn- After this theory-oriented part, the participants were gArcHers (2021–1-FR01-KA220-SCH-000034341) and by presented with the hands-on session. The objective of this the ‘Accessibility Checklist’ created as part of the Eras- second part of the workshop was for the participants to work mus + project IMPACT (2019–1-FR01-KA204-062381). together to develop a series of sustainable and accessible To provide an overview of these tips, they are summarised recommendations to take into account before, during and in Table 1 below. after an event. As a help, they were offered five categories taken from the sustainability guides mentioned in Sect. 2— 3.3 Results namely: venue, waste, providers, catering, and communica- tion. Accessibility was addressed as a transversal theme in After the completion of the two workshops, the ideas that all categories. After a 20-min discussion, all the ideas were arose during the hands-on session were compiled and Fig. 2  Mentimeter results during the workshop that took place in Brussels Table 1  What to do and what to avoid for accessible social media communication What to do What not to do Skip the fancy font generator Do not use fancy font generator Be thoughtful about using emojis Do not overuse emojis Use alternative text for all images. Be descriptive yet concise describing Do not fill the alternative text with useless keywords them Describe images in context Do not use automatic alternative text Limit the use of animated GIFs Do not use animated GIFs in signatures, presentations, or comments Use one blank line between paragraphs Do not omit blank lines or use a lot of them between paragraphs Use sentence case Do not use capital letters all time because it has no visual shape Capitalise the first letter of each word in hashtags and usernames Do not use all lowercase in hashtags Check the colour contrast on your images Do not assume an image that looks clear is accessible for everyone (e.g. Orange and white have a low colour contrast ratio) Subtitle your videos accurately Do not let automatic subtitling tools do all the work. Edit the result Provide transcripts for podcasts and videos with short paragraphs and Do not publish transcripts with big blocks of text speaker ID 13 Universal Access in the Information Society compared with existing guidelines on organising sustainable In addition to all these ideas, participants highlighted or accessible events. Based on the five categories provided, the importance of getting feedback after the event in order participants put forward the following ideas: to evaluate the success of the event and to identify areas of improvement. Feedback also provides an opportunity • Venue Choose a venue that is easily accessible by public to communicate with attendees and address any concerns transportation or that provides adequate parking spaces or issues that arose during the event. Finally, in order to for attendees. Ensure that the event is accessible for peo- summarise all these ideas, we designed a figure that illus- ple with different needs, including accessible parking, trates the path that must be followed to organise an event ramps, and elevators. Moreover, it is important to con- accessible and sustainable (see Fig. 3). sider locations that have a green certification and offer The figure portrays a comprehensive roadmap consist- eco-friendly options for lighting and energy usage. ing of six steps. The first step is “Attitude and legislation”, • Waste Implement a waste reduction plan that includes the which emphasises the importance of fostering an inclusive use of recyclable and compostable materials, reduction mindset and complying with accessibility and sustainabil- in paper usage, and proper waste disposal. If the venue is ity laws and regulations. The second step, “Communica- not offering fountains, it would be good to provide water tion”, highlights the importance of ensuring that the event refill stations and minimise the use of single-use plastics. information is being disseminate in an accessible and sus- • Providers Work with providers that have experience with tainable way. Moving forward, the third step, “Accessibil- accessible technology—such as closed captioning—and ity and Sustainability of the venue” focuses on the need to choose equipment that is energy-efficient and has a low select event venues that are accessible and eco-friendly, environmental impact. It would also be interesting to integrating elements such as ramps, elevators, and energy- consider partnering with organisations that provide dis- efficient technologies. The fourth step, “Accessibility and ability and environmental services. sustainability of the content”, focuses on creating event • Catering Offer sustainable food options, such as vegetar- materials, presentations, and digital content that cater to ian and Km 0 meals, prioritising the use of ingredients individuals with diverse abilities and align with sustain- and products that are produced or grown nearby, reducing able practices. The fifth step, “Good practices exchange”, transportation emissions, and supporting local farmers encourages sharing successful accessibility and sustain- and producers. It would be also desirable to reduce food ability strategies to foster continuous improvement. Lastly, waste by accurately estimating the number of attendees. the sixth step, “Audience feedback”, stresses the signifi- It would be desirable to ask attendees in advance for cance of gathering feedback from attendees to assess the dietary restrictions. effectiveness of the implemented measures and make • Communication Promote the event using eco-friendly necessary improvements for future events. Together, these methods—such as recycled paper and digital media—and steps form a framework that helps organising events that provide accessibility information on the event website are both accessible and environmentally responsible. and in promotional materials. Fig. 3  Accessibility and sustainability chain 13 Universal Access in the Information Society 4 From theory to practice: the green digital locations throughout the building. A copy of the agenda accessibility conference was settled on the main door of the conference room so that those who do not use a QR code scanner could still The first edition of the GDA international conference took view it. The physical welcome pack included a bag and a place on 2 December 2022 in Barcelona. This conference notepad that were made from recycled materials. These was organised by the Transmedia Catalonia research notepads were created by the local association Fundació group as part of the H2020 European project GreenS- Fupar, which supports people with disabilities. The pack CENT (Smart Citizen Education for a greeN fuTure, ref. also included a pencil with seeds at the top, which when code 101,036,480), which aims at engaging people with planted grow into a basil plant. Participants were also environmental issues. Through a series of talks and dis- asked to return their name badges after the conference so cussions with experts in media, media accessibility, web that they can be reused for future events. design, environmental education, and tourism, the GDA Also, taking into consideration step 3 in the accessibility conference aimed to establish new connections between and sustainability chain (see Fig. 3), both the catering for sustainability and accessibility—step 1 in the accessibility the conference and conference dinner were provided by local and sustainability chain, see Fig. 3. suppliers in the Barcelona area. Lunch was supplied by a Following step 2 in the accessibility and sustainability local provider who offers vegan and vegetarian options that chain (see Fig. 3), the event was promoted both online were available in compatible packaging. Tea and coffee were (LinkedIn, Twitter, and the Transmedia Catalonia website) available during the coffee breaks. The conference dinner and in-person (during the workshops in Brussels and Bar- took place in a local restaurant located five minutes walking celona). Also, to reduce paper waste and increase acces- distance from the conference venue. Regarding the waste sibility, communication with potential participants was policy, a series of waste and recycling bins were located in done via email. The organising committee conducted all different areas of the building. The bins were colour-coordi- its meetings through the online platform Microsoft Teams, nated to help with sorting. After the conference, these bins thereby eliminating the need for physical travel and reduc- were emptied, following proper waste disposal. ing associated carbon emissions. The minutes and other pertinent documents were then securely stored in a des- 4.1 Post‑event questionnaire ignated folder on Google Drive, promoting efficient and sustainable digital record-keeping practices. In order to gather feedback from participants, an online In total, 31 people from different countries attended the questionnaire was sent after the event via email—step 5 and conference. In order to increase the attendance rate whilst 6 in the accessibility and sustainability chain, see Fig. 3. reducing environmental and travel costs, the conference The design of this evaluation form drew inspiration from the was held in a hybrid format. Online participants joined model proposed by Inclusion Europe [14] and was imple- the conference via Microsoft Teams. This choice was mented using Google Forms. The questionnaire consisted made due to the availability of various accessibility fea- of 11 questions that encompassed three types: five Likert- tures, including closed captions, live transcriptions, screen scale questions (e.g. ‘The information prior to the GDA was reader support, and voice control. The venue chosen to adequate’), five open-ended questions (e.g. ‘Which topics celebrate the event was the Residència d’Investigadors, a would you like to be covered in future editions of the GDA place located in the city centre that is also well-connected conference?’), and one single choice questions (e.g. ‘I will with other neighbourhoods by metro and accessible with come back to the GDA conference next year’). The Likert- wheelchairs—step 3 in the accessibility and sustainabil- scale questions (1, 2, 3, 4, and 8) generated qualitative data ity chain, see Fig. 3. In preparation for the conference, as they measured on a numerical scale. The open-ended all in-person attendees received an online welcome pack questions (5, 6, 9, 10, and 11) generated qualitative data as document via email. This 2-page PDF outlined the steps they allowed participants to provide descriptive responses. followed by organisers to minimise the carbon footprint of The single choice question (7) provided categorical data, the event. The document categorized the information into offering a clear picture of participants' intention to attend five key categories: conference materials, catering, waste the conference in the future. policy, transport, and the hybrid event format. In total, 13 participants voluntarily completed the ques- Regarding conference materials (step 4 in the accessi- tionnaire, contributing valuable insights from diverse per- bility and sustainability chain, see Fig. 3), to cut down on spectives. Amongst the respondents, 4 attended the event waste, organisers created a PDF version of the conference online (30.8%), whilst 9 attended in-person (69.2%). This proceedings, which can be accessed using a QR code. The distribution of responses reflects the hybrid nature of the QR code was printed and available in a range of different conference, which enables a better evaluation of the event’s success, as it accounts for both modes of engagement. 13 Universal Access in the Information Society The first question, “The information prior to the GDA Questions 3 and 4 focussed on assessing the sustainability was adequate”, was assessed using a Likert-scale question and accessibility of the conference. In general, the responses with a 5-point scale (1 meaning “Strongly disagree” and indicated positive evaluations from participants, as depicted 5 meaning “Strongly agree”). Most participants (92.3%) in Fig. 4. The event was rated as very sustainable by 7 par- rated the information as completely adequate, giving it the ticipants (53.8%). Similarly, in terms of accessibility, 5 par- highest score. One participant (7.7%) perceived the infor- ticipants (38.5%) expressed that the conference was very mation as mostly adequate, giving it a score of 4 out of 5. accessible. Only two participants rated the conference as Moving on to the second question, “The conference met my mostly sustainable and accessible (15.4%), a score of 3 out expectations,” which also used a Likert-scale question with of 5 in both cases. a 5-point scale, the responses shed light on the participants’ The responses to question 5, “How did this conference overall satisfaction with the event. Ten participants (76.9%) influence your perspective of sustainability?” and question expressed complete satisfaction, assigning the highest score 6, “How did this conference influence your perspective of of 5 out of 5. Two participants (15.4%) rated the conference accessibility?” showed how the conference influenced on as mostly meeting their expectations, rating it with a score participants’ understanding of sustainability and accessi- of 4 out of 5. Only three participants (23.1%) considered the bility. Regarding sustainability, participants noted that the conference to have partially met their expectations, with a conference was eye-opening, highlighting the unexpected score of 3 out of 5. connection between accessibility and sustainability. They Fig. 4  Answers to questions ‘How would you rate the sustainability of the GDA?’ and ‘How would you rate the accessibility of the GDA?’ 1 means ‘not sustainable/accessible at all’ and 5 means ‘very accessible’ 13 Universal Access in the Information Society highlighted the importance of planning and considering line with the feedback received in question 9, it was sug- sustainability in all aspects of event management, including gested the incorporation of more workshop-style sessions. supply chain and web design. The conference also raised Other suggestions included improving promotion efforts and interesting questions about connecting sustainability with addressing challenges related to online participation, such social justice. Participants also manifested an interest in as providing better communication between online and in- continuing the exchange of ideas at an international level. person attendees. Another issue highlighted by responders In terms of accessibility, participants realised the need to was the duration of the event, as it was a too-long day and by prioritise accessibility from the beginning of an event to the afternoon attendees were too tired to follow the presenta- meet attendees’ needs. The conference revealed accessibility tions. In terms of accessibility, some participants mentioned problems and solutions, challenging pre-conceived notions live captioning as a feature that can be improved. Microsoft and highlighting the broader understanding of accessibility Teams allows for this feature; however, even though it was that may include sustainability considerations. Some partici- activated during the whole event when the speaker is far pants recognised the potential cost, both in terms of financial from the microphone (for example in the round table ses- and environmental impact, associated with accessibility. sion), the computer does not catch the sound and the subti- Question 7 asked participants about their intention to tles are not generated. A possible solution to this problem attend the GDA conference next year, offering response could be hiring a respeaking service to provide live caption- options of ‘yes’, ‘maybe’, ‘no’, and ‘I prefer not to answer’. ing delivered by a professional. The results revealed a strong interest amongst the respond- ents, with 10 participants (76.9%) answering ‘yes’ to attending the conference again. Additionally, 3 participants 5 Conclusions (23.1%) responded with a ‘maybe’. Responses to question 7 align with the feedback received for question 8, which This study highlights the importance of organising events asked participants to rate their recommendation of the GDA that are both accessible and sustainable. Whilst events conference to others. Amongst respondents, 11 participants can serve as examples of balance between human activity, (84.6%) gave a top rating of 5 out of 5. Two participants resource utilisation, and environmental impact, it is essential (15.4%) rated their recommendation as 4 out of 5, indicating to move away from practices characterised by excess and a slightly lower but still positive endorsement. waste generation. As Jones [19] argues, there is a potent Questions 9, 10, and 11 were open-ended questions, opportunity and pressing obligation for events to create a aiming at gathering insights and suggestions for enhancing long-lasting affirmative impact, by exhibiting a trajectory future editions of the GDA conference. Question 9 asked towards sustainable development and empowering and participants to provide their ideas on topics they would like inspiring those in attendance, supply chain, and local hosts to see covered in future editions of the GDA conference. to take action. Some participants expressed interest in exploring the imple- To achieve sustainability and accessibility in events, mentation of sustainability and accessibility principles, such collaboration and communication among event organisers, as creating environmentally friendly videos with accessi- attendees, local communities, suppliers, and politicians are bility features. Other suggested topics included climate crucial. Event organisers can play a vital role in advanc- change, engagement with user organisations and industry, ing sustainability and accessibility by adopting eco-friendly trending technologies like AI and blockchain in the context practices and inclusive policies. Similarly, event attendees of sustainability and accessibility, real-world examples, and can also contribute to sustainable and accessible practices by the ecological impact of accessibility services. Overall, the making informed choices and taking individual actions. For responses emphasise the need for more practical applica- instance, attendees can choose to use public transportation, tions, industry perspectives, and emerging trends in the field. bring their own reusable water bottles, and ensure that their Question 10 asked participants about their favourite presentations meet all the accessibility requirements (such aspects of the conference. Respondents commended the as providing alternative text for all figures, appropriate font interesting panels, the quality of the keynote speeches, size, and sufficient colour contrast). stimulating conversations, and the friendly atmosphere of To the best of our knowledge, whilst there are existing the event. The sustainability-focussed organisation, includ- guidelines for organising accessible or sustainable events, ing the absence of plastics and the use of sustainable lunch none of them cover both aspects simultaneously. To bridge boxed, was also highlighted. The variety of topics covered this gap, the present paper examined various accessibil- and the feeling of being part of a community were also ity and sustainability guidelines and checklists and organ- mentioned. ised two co-creation workshops involving people inter- Question 11 asked about aspects of the conference that ested in attending such events. The workshops resulted participants felt could be improved for future editions. In in the development of the accessibility and sustainability 13 Universal Access in the Information Society chain (see Sect. 3.3, Fig. 3), which provides a practical GreenSCENT (Smart Citizen Education for a greeN fuTure, ref. code framework for ensuring events are both accessible and 101036480). sustainable. Author contributions MBZ is the corresponding author and the writer As a practical application of the research findings, the of the manuscript. She also reviewed the content and format. GDA conference was organised following the accessibility and accessibility chain. It served as a demonstration of how Funding Open Access Funding provided by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. to integrate sustainable practices and accessibility considera- tions throughout the event planning and execution. Feedback Data availability Data generated or analysed during this study are from attendees, obtained through a post-event questionnaire, included in this published article and its supplementary information revealed that this effort was positively appreciated. However, files. Any additional data can be made available upon reasonable request. insights from the questionnaire also shed light on areas for improvement in future editions. Respondents expressed a Declarations desire for extending the duration of the event to allow for interactive sessions and workshops, as well as a better bal- Conflict of interest The author declares that there are no conflicts of ance to prevent information overload. Additionally, sugges- interest of financial or non-financial interest. tions were made to provide live captioning during the event Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attri- for accessibility purposes and to ensure post-conference bution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adapta- access to presentation transcripts. tion, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long Another potential avenue for improvement is the assess- as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes ment of the carbon footprint associated with events using were made. The images or other third party material in this article are carbon calculators. These tools provide valuable insights included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated into the emissions associated with events, including travel, otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in energy consumption, and waste management. Thus, whilst the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will these calculators are a useful tool for analysing the environ- need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a mental impact of events, they may not provide a complete copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. picture of the carbon cost when accessibility is also taken into account. Future efforts could focus on developing car- bon calculators that incorporate accessibility-related consid- erations to provide a more comprehensive assessment of the References carbon footprint of accessible events. 1. 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Inclusion Europe: In: Recommendations for organisers of meet- jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. ings and conferences, https://​www.​inclu​sion-​europe.​eu/​wp-​conte​ nt/​uploa​ds/​2018/​10/​Recom​menda​tions-​acces​sible-​events.​pdf (2018). Accessed 10 March 2023 13