As the world becomes increasingly aware of the need for inclusivity, the design and management of venues for all types of live events and entertainment are undergoing significant transformations. The shift is not just about meeting requirements but creating truly welcoming and functional spaces for everyone. Leading the charge are organizations like Oak View Group (OVG), which owns and operates venues in the US and Canada and has committed over $5 billion to developing new arenas in the next three years. Firms like Denver’s Semple Brown Design also play a crucial role when it comes to accessibility in entertainment spaces, both through their innovative thinking and by including people with disabilities in their projects.
Paul Young
Paul Young, Senior Vice President of Project Management at OVG, explains that accessibility is woven into every phase of their ventures. “We work closely with our architecture teams to ensure that all buildings are up to code, whether starting from scratch on a new build or reimagining an older building that needs to be brought up to modern standards.”
Young continues, “Accessibility is a consideration in all phases of the design and construction, starting with the initial drawings where designers use current codes throughout the building. It continues with the build-out of the space where ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations like wheelchair access, braille signage, alternate height windows, seating options, and auditory equipment are incorporated into places like the ticket office, clubs, suites, concessions, and anywhere else our guests and staff will be.”
OVG’s philosophy on venue design centers on creating an "amazing, one-of-a-kind experience for all fans, regardless of their accessibility needs," explains Young. This approach ensures that every guest can fully enjoy the event, regardless of their location within the venue.
Young also highlights OVG’s commitment to retrofitting older buildings, demonstrating OVG’s passion for inclusivity even in spaces not initially created with accessibility in mind.
“We’re always proud to create great experiences for the guests at our venues, but I would say being able to incorporate modern ADA standards in older buildings is an important achievement,” says Young. “From the design and build perspective, it’s a lot easier to comply with codes in a new building, but it takes a little more consideration, time, and effort to retrofit a building that wasn’t obligated to those codes when it was initially designed.”
Young adds, “It’s important to us that our venues reflect the value of the ticket our guests have purchased, no matter where in the building they’re experiencing the event. We take great care to ensure that ADA codes are met and optimized so that guests who need accessibility equipment, extra space or other modifications will get the full experience they’ve paid for and leave with a smile.”
Chris Wineman
Chris Wineman, Principal at Semple Brown Design, shares similar sentiments about the importance of inclusive design. “Current standards, at least as far as a design is concerned, have been in place long enough to be relatively well understood and implemented,” he says. “We’re currently seeing a phase of ‘spreading influence’ that expands standards for accessibility from the front of house, focused on patrons, to the back of house, focused on artists and technical staff. Instead of just thinking about ‘how many accessible seats do we need?’ we’re talking about accessible dressing rooms, rehearsal studios, control booths, catwalks, paths to the stage, etc., that used to be regarded as technical areas.”
This comprehensive approach is evident in projects like the recently renovated Kilstrom Theatre at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA). It is the frequent performance home of Phamaly Theatre Company, a Denver-based group of theatre artists with disabilities who also attend performances as patrons.
“Having them in mind during the design process was a huge influence on the design, and their staff reviewed the renovation plans prior to construction,” shares Wineman. “The renovation included five new control booths, two of which are accessible via elevator. That means the DCPA can make reasonable accommodations for technicians who use wheelchairs or that they can have multiple options for audio description. The renovation also created new accessible dressing rooms for the venue, with an accessible path direct to the stage via five vomitoria. The added elevators also make new seating sections available to patrons who use wheelchairs – uncommon in what’s considered a flexible, multi-format theater.”
Wineman adds, “The DCPA [also] wasn’t interested in minimum numbers or just hitting the requirement of accessible seats. They were interested in what if we have a group of six people who all show up in wheelchairs and want to be seated together? Can we accommodate that?”
“I think everyone at the venue benefits from a shared experience that is positive and equitable,” says Young. “Whether at a high-end club, the upper deck concession stand, ticket office or anywhere else in the space, it’s crucial to make sure all our guests feel welcomed, considered, and accommodated.”
Wineman emphasizes the need for organizations to include accessibility from the beginning. “If a client has an agenda for programmatic accessibility, that really needs to be incorporated into the design process rather than after construction is complete,” he says. This proactive approach ensures that accessibility features are integrated seamlessly into a venue’s overall design rather than feeling like an afterthought.
“We need to ask clients from the outset, ‘How are we going to include accessibility in the design process? Who is my contact for this?’ We all know that we are going to come in and say, ‘Who do I talk to about the lighting? Who do I talk to about the sound?’ We all need to say the same thing about accessibility from our side,” says Wineman. “Venues need to expect to say we're going to include this as part of the conversation, and here are the people who are going to participate.”
The real-world impact of including the disability community is profound. For example, Youth on Record, a non-profit music organization, recently conducted an accessibility audit for the Underground Music Showcase, Denver’s largest music festival. The contract included this commitment when Youth on Record took over partial ownership of the festival in 2022. Kalyn Rose Heffernan, emcee frontwoman of hip-hop group Wheelchair Sports Camp, and Jessica Wallach, an accessibility consultant and artist who uses a scooter at times, compiled the festival’s first accessibility guide. The guide details everything from where to find water, which is helpful for concertgoers and service dogs alike, to the accessibility of bathrooms and venue floors.
“Just by us rolling through these places, and knowing little tricks, I think we were able to explain the accessibility of places in a way that hopefully other people are going to benefit from,” Heffernan explained in a recent interview.
Indeed, it is essential to make time and space to include access and the people who represent that priority, says Wineman. “This is probably the greatest gap in the design and operations process – well-meaning people who are ‘temporarily able’ designing and planning on behalf of people with disabilities – instead of asking them directly what would work for them. I have been immeasurably helped by friends and colleagues with disabilities who have coached me and enlightened me over the years. I see their faces as we design.”
Beyond accessibility guides like the one compiled by Heffernan and Wallach, there is much that those who serve the entertainment industry can do to advance accessibility, both in new builds and venue retrofits.
“Applying the goals of Universal Design helps almost everyone in a venue to work better,” says Wineman. “Ramps or flat floors help move heavy objects [and] elevators to the catwalks reduce injuries and speed up changeovers. As an industry, we’ve grown tolerant of things like dressing rooms on a different floor than the stage, and we have to find ways to address barriers like that. We also have to bear in mind all of the layers of experience that surround a performance: purchasing a ticket, attending a pre-show reception or talk, meeting the artists after the show – do we have access provisions in place for all of those experiences?”
Young emphasizes that incorporating accessibility and intelligent design into venue design ensures a better event experience for people with disabilities. “It’s about creating value for every customer, regardless of their individual needs,” he says. “We want every fan to have access to the same amazing experience as everyone else. If that means putting a little more thought into making sure seats, rails, windows, bars, or other things are accommodating to more people, it’s well worth the effort.”
Technology can also be used to improve accessibility in venues. “There are very exciting advances being made in hand-held audio description, translation, etc.,” Wineman says. “But they depend on robust wireless capacity, which is sometimes a challenge for our buildings. That expectation needs to be included in the design criteria from the beginning.”
Wineman highlights the broader benefits of accessibility. “Thoughtful placement of a family restroom is helpful for someone with kids. [It is] also helpful for someone with an attendant. We’ve started doing more gender-neutral toilets in public assembly facilities. Part of the project that we were talking about with the Kilstrom Theatre literally was locating a whole suite of restrooms closer to the front door of that theatre so that the distance to travel at intermission wouldn't require going up two ramps and navigating through a whole other audience coming from a different venue [within the DCPA complex].”
The journey toward fully accessible venues is ongoing, but the future looks promising with leaders like OVG and Semple Brown Design at the forefront. By prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity from the outset, these organizations are working to exceed regulatory requirements while creating spaces where everyone can participate and enjoy.
“It's really a matter of getting the conversation [about accessibility in venue design] going across the entire industry and saying this has got to be more important to us in these areas,” says Wineman. “Because once we build these venues, we've put major decisions in place for 30 years.”
As Jami Duffy, Executive Director of Youth on Record, aptly put it, “At some point in most of our lives, we will experience a disability, whether that’s temporary, long-term or forever. It could be because of an illness [or] because of an accident … So, ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities means that everyone is being taken care of.”
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