Overview

I’ve attended two events here over the last 6 months. Both times the accessibility has been disappointing. Lifts not always working, often for a large exhibition there will only be one lift that you have access to, which have been very small. Toilet situation is awful. Not sure if the venue gives suggestions to organisers for setting up disabled viewing for stages but most recently there was no view from the disabled area of the stage.

Transport & Parking

0.5

I always drive as public transport is hit and miss. There are no concessions on the extortionate car park rates. The blue badge parking is on the same floor as staff parking and on one day (18/1/20) they had put barriers up across the entrance so disabled people could not use the blue badge area. We parked up a few floors, had to put my wheelchair together with cars driving past and the lifts are very difficult and tight for Powerchair/scooter users.

Access

3

Signs are often unreadable. I followed signs for toilets all the way round the venue with no disabled loos to be found. The cloakroom for coats etc is up a flight of stairs. Security guards stand in front of the ramps. There’s a lot of learning that needs to happen. Also they say they have installed water points, but there are no signs for where these are.

Toilets

0.5

I did not see any changing places toilets. In one hall all the disabled toilets are inside the gendered toilets, inaccessible for wheelchairs and scooters, people won’t move out of the way if there is a queue, and I found mops and cleaning equipment stored in one. In the other hall where there is separate accessible toilets there are no radar keys so used by all. There are more upstairs, but there's only one lift so you often have to queue for ages to use the lift that malfunctions. Very poor for a venue of this size.

Staff

3.5

Variable. Some were lovely and helpful. But some where really not helpful at all. I pointed out that the entrance tables left a very tight turning point for people and there was no way to access the ramp easily due to others entering. The response was ‘other people have managed’.