Access and support
Equality, diversity and inclusion
At BISA, we consider equality, diversity, and inclusion in every aspect of our work. We welcome everyone to participate in the BISA conference. When submitting a panel or roundtable proposal, we kindly remind you to avoid ‘manels’. We also expect both individual submitters and reviewers to thoughtfully consider our commitment to equality and diversity when organising panels. Additionally, we reserve several slots for our global partner associations and think tank communities to help maximise our collective impact.
Please ensure that when registering you include details of any access or dietary requirements to enable you to fully participate in the event. Advance notice of requirements allows the necessary arrangements to be made in good time, so please contact us by 31 March 2027 at the latest.
Dietary requirements
If you have any dietary requirements e.g. vegetarian, vegan, Halal, Kosher and/or any allergies (please include how severe these are) please ensure you register for the conference before 31 March 2027 and let us know your requirements during registration. We will share these with the catering team at the conference.
Access needs
Should you have any access needs (e.g. accessible meeting rooms, documents in different formats, coloured paper, interpreter, or an enabler) please ensure you register for the conference before 31 March 2027 and let us know your requirements during registration. The Mercure Manchester Picadilly, where registration, lunch, refreshments and the exhibition hall will all be located, along with several panel/roundtable rooms, is fully accessible.
Other panels/roundtables will take place in the nearby Holiday Inn and Doubletree by Hilton Hotels. We will do our best to minimise travel between venues for those with mobility requirements, particularly during the 15-minute breaks between some panels. We get in touch with all those who have listed mobility issues before allocating conference rooms to ensure that we know which panels/roundtables you wish to attend.
If your access needs require an enabler, please provide the following details for enablers on your registration form:
- What support the enabler will provide
- Name of enabler
- Enablers email address
- Enablers phone number
If you wish to discuss your access needs further, please email office@bisa.ac.uk. We cannot guarantee access requirements will be met if not received by 31 March 2027. Please let us know your access needs even if you have previously attended BISA events.
Once the conference team have notification of an access need, you will be contacted to confirm this requirement and what measures will be in place to meet your needs. If we are unable to meet your access need, this will be confirmed in writing and we will of course offer a refund on your conference fee if this means you are unable to attend the conference. This is dependent on BISA knowing of your access requirements by the 31 March deadline.
Top image provided courtesy of Marketing Manchester.