Accessibility Statement
UK PonyCon is committed to ensuring that everyone can enjoy the convention, regardless of physical or mental disabilities.
How we help you to enjoy the convention
The venue is modern, generally well-maintained, and fully wheelchair accessible.
Vertical transport
UK PonyCon is spread across three floors. We expect attendees to spend time on all three floors.
There are step-free routes to access all areas of the venue.
Staircases are located at the front of the building, on the left and right hand sides of the main entrance of Birmingham Conference and Events Centre. Additional staircases are located in the Holiday Inn hotel, which can be used to connect with the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre on the ground and second floors only (not first floor).
The main lift is located to the right of the main entrance of Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, calls at all three floors, and measures 116cm wide and 150cm deep. The door measures 80cm wide.
A pair of lifts are located in the Holiday Inn hotel, which can be used to connect with the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre on the ground and second floors only (not first floor) (measurements not available).
A short flight of four steps and a platform lift connect the ground floor entrance of the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre to the ground floor events space and measures 140cm long and 75cm wide. An alternative step-free route via the Holiday Inn hotel reception and gentle permanent ramp in the breakfast area is another route to access this space.
For stallholders during load-in and load-out only, a large goods lift is available, connecting all floors of the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre and also opening onto the street behind the hotel (St Jude’s Passage) with a dropped kerb for easy access to the multistorey car park (NCP Birmingham New Street). The goods lift measures 2.1m wide and 6.8m long. The goods lift is rated to carry passengers. Further information for stallholders will be provided in the stallholder information pack nearer the time of the event.
Toilets
There are two sets of male and female toilets. One set is located on the first floor of the Birmingham Conference Centre, with the female toilets on the south side of the building (left hand side as you enter the building) and the male toilets on the opposite side. The other set of toilets is located on the first floor of the Holiday Inn hotel, near the lifts.
There are two gender neutral accessible toilets. One is located on the first floor of the Birmingham Conference Centre, near the female toilets. The other is located on the first floor of the Holiday Inn hotel, near the lifts.
The toilets will be regularly inspected, cleaned and maintained by venue staff throughout the event.
The door to the gender neutral accessible toilets have signs stating “INCLUSIVE TOILETS EVERYBODY WELCOME TO USE”.
The closest Changing Places toilet is located at Birmingham New Street Station, located in the south east corner of the station opposite Excess Baggage. Additional Changing Places toilets can be found by searching for “B5 4EW” (the venue’s postcode) at https://www.changing-places.org/find.
Dogs and other animals
Guide dogs and assistance dogs are permitted at the convention, in line with UK law, and there is no requirement for prior notification. If possible, we would appreciate prior notification via email at accessibility@ukponycon.co.uk so that we can better accommodate you and your guide dog or assistance dog.
Other dogs and other animals are not permitted.
For the avoidance of doubt, emotional support animals are not considered assistance dogs for the purposes of this policy.
For further information, please see Sense’s page on Guide dogs and assistance dogs. Sense is a leading disability charity in the UK.
Queueing
We recognise that people can find queueing difficult for various reasons, including the physical strain of standing and the mental stresses associated with waiting, potentially for an uncertain amount of time.
Attendees who find queuing for long periods of time difficult can use the priority queue for fast-track entry into the convention. This will be clearly identifiable and members of the UK PonyCon team will be on hand to assist. Please note however, that you will not be admitted to the event before the advertised admittance time for your ticket type. If you feel you need any extra assistance or somewhere to sit down, please don't hesitate to ask a member of the UK PonyCon team who will be more than willing to help.
Our team will be ready to provide support when requested, and will help attendees who find queueing difficult by offering a seated waiting option, and assistance in finding a suitable seat within event rooms wherever possible, subject to room capacity. Please approach any member of the team to request this support.
Con books
Our con books, detailing everything that happens at the convention, are printed at A5 size. We also have a limited quantity of large-print A4 size con books, which are identical in all respects except for the size, and are available on request from the registration/information desk.
The con book is also available as a downloadable PDF from this website in the weeks before the convention.
If you require the con book in an alternative format, please contact us by emailing accessibility@ukponycon.co.uk.
The majority of information in the con book is also available on other pages of this website, which you may find easier to use with assistive technologies such as screen readers.
Quiet room
A quiet room is available for those who need a quiet space away from the crowds to rest and recompose themselves when feeling overwhelmed or needing a break from noise and stimulation.
The quiet room is located on the first floor of the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, near to the male toilets. The quiet room will be clearly signposted.
The opening hours of the quiet room are as follows:
Friday: to be confirmed (may not be available)
Saturday: 10am to 2am
Sunday: 10am to 6pm
Alternative quieter spaces, some with seating, are available, such as on the ground and first floors of the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre. Some areas of the ground floor of the Holiday Inn provide a quieter environment with seating.
Personal Assistant Tickets (Carer Tickets)
People who need extra help often have someone they trust to provide that help, whether that’s a family member, friend or professional carer. The support and its frequency will vary on a case-by-case basis, however typical examples include providing support with communication, physical mobility, mental health and/or personal care. We believe that by allowing you to bring them with you to the event, you’ll have the best possible experience, therefore we offer complimentary Personal Assistant Tickets.
Personal Assistant tickets can be requested while purchasing your ticket or by emailing accessibility@ukponycon.co.uk after purchase with your order number and request. Personal Assistant tickets are not available on the door.
In the interests of data protection we do not request evidence of disability to claim a Personal Assistant ticket, however we kindly remind you that we offer these tickets so that those who truly benefit from them can make the most of the event, and that the event is organised on a non-profit basis by volunteers for the benefit of the community.
Personal Assistant tickets are free of charge when accompanying a paying attendee and equivalent to a standard ticket for the same duration as the attendee’s ticket.
Unlike paid tickets purchased before 15th August 2025, personal assistant badges will not be printed with personalised names; instead a space will be provided to handwrite your name. This flexible approach means you can bring someone else as your Personal Assistant, should your plans change between buying your ticket and the convention. If a printed personalised badge is important to your Personal Assistant, we invite them to purchase a full-price ticket before 15th August 2025.
If the Personal Assistant is accompanying an attendee with a sponsor ticket, the Personal Assistant ticket can be used to accompany the attendee in the exercise of their sponsor ticket benefits, such as priority entry. If the Personal Assistant wishes to avail of other benefits, or use the benefits independent of the attendee they are supporting, they must purchase their own sponsor ticket.
In the case of children aged 13 and under who require extra support, the Personal Assistant ticket is intended to supplement, not replace, the role of the accompanying paying adult that we require for all children aged 13 and under. Personal Assistant tickets for children aged 13 and under will normally only be provided where at least one adult ticket has been purchased in addition to the child ticket.
We normally limit the number of Personal Assistant tickets to one per paying attendee. Requests for multiple Personal Assistant tickets will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Our terms and conditions include a section on personal assistant tickets. Personal Assistants must abide by all of the same rules as any other attendee.
Venue accessibility guide
The venue does not publish an accessibility guide.
If you have any questions about the venue’s accessibility, please email us at accessibility@ukponycon.co.uk and we will answer your questions.
Any further questions?
Please contact us by emailing accessibility@ukponycon.co.uk if you have any questions or concerns and we’ll do our best to support you.