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From inclusive discourse to accessible experience

June 8 | 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
FIEXPO Latin America 2026

The Inclusive Legacy Lab is a strategic and participatory laboratory designed to transform the conversation on inclusion into concrete accessibility criteria applied to destinations, hotels, venues, events and experiences.

Under the approach “From inclusive discourse to accessible experience,” this activity proposes analyzing the complete journey of a person with a disability or specific accessibility requirements: from searching for prior information and registering for the event, to arriving at the destination, accommodation, mobility, participation in sessions, networking, food and beverage, social activities, emergency situations and the return to their place of origin.

The laboratory will be based on a central premise:

Accessibility does not begin with the ramp. It begins when we design an event thinking about who might be left out.

The session will combine strategic reflection, real experiences, technical perspectives and collaborative work to identify barriers, recognize good practices, propose applicable solutions and generate inputs that can contribute to a more accessible, competitive and prepared meetings industry for all people.

More than a conversation about inclusion, the Inclusive Legacy Lab will be a space designed to activate learning, commitments and concrete actions that make it possible to move from inclusive discourse to accessible experience.

Purpose of the Laboratory

The true value of the Inclusive Legacy Lab does not lie solely in identifying barriers or sharing experiences, but in converting that knowledge into applicable technical criteria that can improve future events.

Accessibility should not be understood only as a requirement for specialized events or events aimed at people with disabilities. The current challenge for the industry is to ensure that general events are designed from the outset to welcome the greatest possible diversity of participants, exhibitors, buyers, sellers, speakers, collaborators and visitors.

In this sense, the laboratory will seek to generate an initial base of learnings and recommendations that can contribute to moving toward a more inclusive, accessible and prepared FIEXPO Latin America 2027, while also becoming a reference point for the meetings industry in Latin America.

Facilitators and Invited Experts

Mónica Garcia
Association Meetings Manager, Barcelona Convention Bureau

Gladys Díaz
President, Latin American Union of the Blind

Stephanie Sheehy
Executive Director, Costa Rican Accessible Tourism Network

Patricia Puentes
Director, Let’s Meet

Lucio Vaquero
Regional Director, PCMA

Santiago González
Project Development Director, FIEXPO Exhibitions Group

Adjusted Agenda

3:00 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.

Strategic Opening

Accessibility as a condition for quality, competitiveness and genuine hospitality

Welcome and introduction to the purpose of the laboratory.

This block will introduce the central idea of the laboratory: accessibility should not be understood as an additional component, a one-off response or a regulatory obligation, but as an essential element in the design of experiences, destinations, hotels, venues and events.

Based on this vision, the session’s working methodology will be presented, grounded in real experiences that make it possible to identify barriers, recognize good practices and transform learnings into concrete, responsible actions and opportunities for improvement for the industry.

3:10 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.

From Inclusive Discourse to Accessible Experience: Conceptual Framework and Institutional Perspective

This introductory block will establish a shared vision of accessibility and inclusion in the meetings industry.

Through a conversation guided by the facilitators, participants will reflect on why accessibility should not be seen only as a regulatory requirement or a specific adaptation, but as a strategic element that directly influences the participant experience, destination reputation, event competitiveness and the ability to create truly inclusive spaces.

The session will seek to challenge some traditional perceptions, starting from a central idea: complying with regulations does not guarantee an inclusive experience.

An event may have accessible infrastructure and still present barriers in communication, information, service, mobility or participation. Therefore, the objective is not only to eliminate physical obstacles, but to understand accessibility as a condition that allows all people to access, participate, interact and enjoy the experience on equal terms.

This reflection will serve as the basis for case analysis, barrier identification and the construction of improvement proposals during the laboratory.

3:25 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.

Case Studies and Real Learnings

What we are doing, what we are learning and which barriers remain unresolved

Presentation of three real experiences that will allow participants to analyze different dimensions of accessibility applied to events, destinations and services.

Each case will be addressed from four perspectives:

• Barriers encountered before, during and after the event.
• Good practices implemented.
• Challenges or situations that created difficulties.
• Lessons learned that can be applied to other events and destinations.

Case 1 – Barcelona Convention Bureau

Mobility and physical accessibility

This case will analyze learnings related to mobility, infrastructure, circulation, physical accessibility, venues, hotels, transportation and the participant’s urban experience.

Case 2 – Latin American Union of the Blind

Communication and access to information for people with visual disabilities

This case will address barriers related to prior information, websites, forms, signage, materials, orientation, participation in sessions, autonomy and accessible communication.

Case 3 – ASIDOWN Costa Rica

Cognitive accessibility, understanding events and autonomy

This experience will identify learnings related to cognitive accessibility, understanding information, autonomy, support, experience design and process adaptation for people with cognitive disabilities.

4:10 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.

Methodological Transition

From the case study to the complete participant journey

Brief explanation of the participatory dynamic.

Instead of working only by type of disability, participants will be organized according to the different moments of the attendee experience. This will make it possible to analyze accessibility from an integrated, practical and applicable perspective for general events.

The working matrix to be used by the groups will be presented:

Phase 1 = Element – Condition – Identified barrier

Phase 2 = Possible solution – Responsible actor – Requirements

4:20 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.

Barrier Laboratory

Participants will work in the following thematic groups:

Group 1 – Communication

Elements to analyze:

• Pre-trip information
• Pre-registration and on-site registration
• Special requests
• Post-event feedback

Group 2 – Tourism Services

Elements to analyze:

• Arrival at the destination
• Transportation and mobility
• Accommodation
• General orientation within the destination

Group 3 – Event

Elements to analyze:

• Venue
• Entry and circulation
• Participation in sessions
• Participation as an attendee
• Participation as a panelist
• Networking
• Labor inclusion

Group 4 – Social Experience

Elements to analyze:

• Food and beverage
• Social activities
• Emergencies and unexpected situations
• Support and response to unplanned situations

Each group will analyze its thematic area and identify, for each element:

• The barriers that appear at each moment of the experience
• The disability condition affected by the barrier
• Which barrier needs to be solved
• Who is mainly affected

The objective is to identify critical barriers and the people whose access is limited in each case.

4:50 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Short Break

5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Laboratory of Applicable Solutions

From barrier to action

The same groups will work on the identified barriers to transform them into concrete, realistic and applicable solutions.

For each barrier included in the matrix, participants must identify at least one reasonable adjustment, solution or support tool that minimizes the barrier and helps ensure that the element is accessible to all people.

Guiding questions:

• What concrete action can be implemented?
• What could be implemented immediately?
• Which actor should lead the solution?

They will also identify in the matrix:

• What requires budget?
• What requires training?
• What requires operational changes?
• What requires infrastructure?

The dynamic will seek to convert the conversation into an initial base of concrete actions for destinations, hotels, venues, organizers, suppliers, convention bureaus, DMCs, PCOs and public institutions.

5:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Plenary Sharing

Learnings for an accessible experience

Brief presentation of the main contributions from each team.

This block will make it possible to build an initial shared base of applicable criteria to improve accessibility in destinations, hotels, venues, events and experiences.

5:45 p.m. – 5:55 p.m.

Accessibility as Real Legacy

Roadmap toward FIEXPO Latin America 2027

Synthesis space to highlight the main learnings from the laboratory and project possible lines of continuity.

Accessibility will be presented as a concrete dimension of legacy: when an event promotes improvements in the way a destination welcomes, guides, communicates, mobilizes and supports its visitors, the destination becomes better prepared for everyone.

5:55 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Institutional Closing

Final conclusions and closing of the activity

The laboratory will conclude by reaffirming that an accessible experience does not benefit only people with disabilities, but elevates the quality of the entire system: it improves hospitality, strengthens competitiveness and expands the capacity of destinations to welcome more people, and welcome them better.

With the special collaboration of:

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