Accessibility & inclusion
Our commitment
Edge of Search is for everyone working in or curious about search. We want every attendee — including those with disability, neurodivergent attendees, parents and carers, and people from communities under-represented in tech — to feel welcome in the room and leave with something useful.
This statement covers both the conference itself and our website. We’re a small team and we won’t pretend this is perfect; if you spot something we can do better, please tell us at [email protected].
Venue accessibility
Our main venue, City Hall in Newcastle, has step-free access at the main entrance, accessible bathrooms, and lift access to the upstairs spaces we use. The networking after-party space is also step-free.
If you have specific access requirements — wheelchair seating, sign-language interpretation, a quiet space to retreat to, dietary requirements, sensory considerations, or anything else — please let us know when you book your ticket or by email at least two weeks before the event. We’d rather organise it properly than wing it on the day.
Inclusion at the conference
- Code of conduct. Edge of Search has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, discrimination or unsafe behaviour. If you experience or witness anything that doesn’t sit right, find any organiser or email [email protected] — we will act, and we will act fast.
- Programming. We actively work to feature speakers from diverse backgrounds and intentionally avoid all-one-perspective panels.
- Pricing. If cost is the only thing standing between you and a ticket, please get in touch. We hold back a number of community tickets each year for people who would otherwise be priced out.
- Recordings. Every conference session is recorded and made available to ticket holders, so you can revisit content if the in-person day was overwhelming or you missed something.
Website accessibility
We aim for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance on edgeofsearch.com. The site is built to work without JavaScript for content access, supports keyboard navigation, uses high-contrast colours, and provides text alternatives for images. We test against current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.
If you encounter a barrier on the site — anything that prevents you from finding information, buying a ticket, or contacting us — please email [email protected] and we’ll fix it.
Feedback
Accessibility is a moving target and we’d rather hear about a problem than not. Email [email protected] with anything — small or large — that would make Edge of Search work better for you.