LN launches accessibility initiative in Australasia
Live Nation and Ticketmaster have partnered with Get Skilled Access, a consultancy co-founded by three-time Paralympic gold medallist Dylan Alcott, to improve accessibility across its venues and companies in Australia and Zealand.
The partnership also aims to bring together the wider Australasian industry to “create a more inclusive and accessible experience for fans with disabilities”, according to Live Nation. It has already seen Get Skilled Access provide accessibility training to 150 Live Nation employees in Australia and New Zealand, as well as consult on accessibility for Live Nation’s stadium tours, including the upcoming U2 Joshua Tree 2019 tour.
Ticketmaster, meanwhile, is testing an enhanced online booking experience on its website and app to give disabled customers more flexibility and choice of tickets.
In a joint statement, Roger Field, CEO of Live Nation Australasia, and Maria O’Connor, managing director of Ticketmaster Australia and New Zealand, say: “Every fan has the right to equal access of live entertainment. We’re delighted to be working closely with Dylan Alcott and Get Skilled Access to make sure that real change happens. It is essential that the industry comes together to achieve this, and now is the time for us all to find solutions.”
“It’s Get Skilled Access’s and my mission to help people understand disability by driving organisations to be more inclusive,” comments Alcott. “With my passions being sport and music, it’s a game-changer to work with Live Nation and Ticketmaster to make live more accessible and inclusive for all.
“now is the time for us all to find solutions”
“If we can start by getting more fans with accessibility needs to events, not only we will change people’s lives through the power of live, but we will improve the industry overall.”
The partnership kicked off with a joint address by Alcott and his Get Skilled Access co-founder, Nick Morris, to 400 venue industry professionals at the recent Venue Management Association Asia-Pacific Congress.
“Thanks to Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the tools and safe conversation that was presented to us in that one hour was the most beneficial conversation I have had at a conference in years,” says Bernie Haldane, deputy director and head of programming and presenter services at Auckland Live.
In the UK, Live Nation and Ticketmaster are members of the Ticketing Without Barriers Coalition, which aims to improve the ticket-buying experience for disabled and deaf audiences.
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