Consider attendees who may need accommodations for a disability

🍎 Reserve seats in rooms for folks who might need it (wheelchair, crutches, cane, etc.). Choose easily accessible seats, such as at the end of a row on the aisle.

🍎 Create wide aisles between chairs to make it easier for people who are mobility-impaired to navigate the room.

🍎 Provide large-text signs and easy-to-read maps. Ask conference organizers to announce important information over the microphone, which helps people with impaired vision.

✅ Book sign-language interpreters and/or real-time captioning (someone typing captions) for deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees.

🍎 Post signs in the restroom and/or on the door instructing what to do if you think someone is in the “wrong” restroom

✅ Ensuring your conference has easily accessible gender-neutral restrooms is a simple way to help non-binary and trans individuals feel included and welcome at your conference.

Dedicated rooms (e.g., those below) should be clearly labeled to prevent accidental entry, and their locations should be provided in both the print and the online conference directory and maps.

Don’t allow anyone (even organizers) to use dedicated rooms for other purposes.

A dedicated room for people who need a break from the stimulation of being surrounded by people at the conference. It’s intended for quiet decompression — no phone calls, talking/socializing, notification beeps!

People whose religions require frequent prayer may also need a dedicated space. If possible, provide a separate, nearby room that allows for quiet personal prayer without disrupting others. If space is limited, work with the venue to offer a flexible-use room or provide access upon request.

If a separate room is not possible, consider “quiet areas” with soft seating, low lighting, and clear signage.

🍎 Provide a tick box at registration that confirms that the participant has read the CoC

🍎 Include a copy of the CoC in the sponsor packet

🍎 Mention that the CoC applies to the speakers in the speaker guidelines

🍎 Ensure that CoC is easily accessible on the conference website

🍎 Include a short version of the CoC on the printed schedule as a reminder

🍎 Mention the CoC in the welcome talk and at the start of every day, including who to contact if there is a problem/violation

🍎 Consider the specific wording of how you solicit talks, e.g., call for “Speakers who have advice or expertise to share” rather than “experts in best practices” === Invited Speakers

✅ Reach beyond the conference organizers’ own networks. Take steps to go out and find people who might be lesser-known but would make great speakers. Look for more than just “the usual suspects” and reach out to your wider network for ideas, suggestions, and introductions.

🍎 Call For Proposals instructions – be clear who you want

✅ There are many approaches to reviewing and selecting conference contributions, and there is no foolproof type of review that always avoids biases. Regardless of which approach you choose, open or anonymized, we encourage you to make it “double” so that both parties know each other (double-open) or neither party knows the other (double-closed)

🍎 Pay attention to the photos you use to advertise your event - what do people look like who attend?

🍎 Ask registrants if they have any additional accessibility needs, and if so, provide instructions on how to make the request.

🍎 Ask for dietary restrictions on the registration form. Some people have severe allergies or dietary restrictions that can affect their ability to attend the conference.

🍎 If you will have a photographer at your event, include information for attendees explaining that they may be photographed and how to opt out in the registration form.

🍎 Show the text of the Code of Conduct and a have a required check-box that the registrant has read it and agrees to abide by it.

Managing photography opt-outs:

Indicating pronouns: