If you’re organizing an academic conference or research symposium in today’s world, which also happens to be the time when institutions are expected to have inclusivity all ‘figured out,’ you may be wondering if creating a truly welcoming event is even achievable at this point. Self-doubt and a fear of criticism are enough to force you to confront the reality of overhauling traditional event formats.
The truth is that the way things have always been done means nothing for building meaningful inclusivity. Sure, you may be working with limited budgets while other conferences have extensive resources. Creating inclusive academic spaces when you’ve been following conventional formats for years can be daunting but more and more conference organizers and research institutions are now embracing genuine inclusivity more confidently than ever. In 2026, it may perhaps be time for you too.
Inclusivity Is Not Just A Fancy Checkbox
To adhere to the textbook definition of ‘inclusivity,’ you may have invited participants from various backgrounds at your event. However, this is only surface-level inclusivity at the most. As an informed event professional in 2026, you will have to go not one but multiple steps ahead of the conventional idea of inclusivity.
When you welcome attendees from all walks of life, maybe also check if your venue infrastructure might still exclude entire communities, for instance, the physically disabled. In fact, true inclusivity is not just a value addition, something that is a nice-to-have add-on. In 2026, it is more of a fundamental commitment to academia and fair scholarly discourse as well.
What is a better way to further the knowledge we have on a subject than to welcome diverse perspectives?
Therefore, it is about time to take the plunge and let it go. You cannot be 100% right the first time. You’ll make fewer and fewer mistakes with feedback from your attendees. Therefore, keep that channel open and responsive always. Although you may find it just a little harder than earlier to handle accessibility requirements and budget constraints, as cliché as it may sound, your commitment to inclusivity is what truly counts.
What Makes Up a True Inclusivith At An Event in 2026?
While many organizers genuinely want to be more inclusive and are working to improve their events, the reality is that most conferences still operate on outdated assumptions about who can and should participate. Attending an academic gathering is still far more difficult for people with disabilities, caregivers, low-income researchers and those from marginalized communities than it is for their privileged counterparts. But there’s something about exclusion in scholarly spaces that stings very differently than other forms of discrimination do.
Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact that academia claims to value meritocracy and intellectual openness. And when these ideals collide with structural barriers, they tend to reveal uncomfortable truths very quickly.
On a brighter note, some event organizers and academics and research institutions may even be seriously examining their practices for the first time. Here are 9 things you can consider to make your event similarly more inclusive:
1. Physical and Digital Inclusivity Must Come First
This is the very groundwork to target for working organizers looking to host some truly inclusive events. Things like wheelchair-accessible venues, accessible restrooms, clear signage and designated seating for people with mobility challenges matter immensely. But these are very basic and hence you must not stop there.
Also go over how digitally accessible your event is. Your website needs to work with screen readers. All video material must carry closed captions and alternative texts for the disabled to decipher. All your content should be available in multiple formats ahead of time and not just as an afterthought when someone requests it.
Assistive listening devices, proper lighting for lip-reading and quiet rooms for participants who experience sensory overload aren’t extras. These are very basic arrangements in 2026 if you’re looking to welcome everyone regardless of their physical abilities.
2. Financial Inclusivity Needs Realistic Solutions
Let’s talk about the elephant in the academic room: conferences can be prohibitively expensive. Registration fees, travel costs, accommodation and meals add up fast. A graduate student from a small university in a third-world country might need to spend three months of stipend money just to attend a three-day conference. This is rather exclusive by design and has nothing to do with inclusivity.
Tiered registration fees help and so do travel grants that are built to specifically cater to researchers coming in from underrepresented regions or institutions around the world. Offering virtual attendance at reduced rates or waiving fees entirely for students and early-career researchers is also a thoughtful arrangement.
The true value of inclusivity goes beyond just being nice about it. Yes, reducing fees is important but after implementing financial accessibility measures, your event also gains access to fresh perspectives from researchers who were previously excluded and enhanced credibility within the academic community.
3. Assess Your Scheduling Inclusivity Carefully
Now here’s a secret that conference organizers won’t openly advertise: flexible scheduling that accommodates different needs is what makes events truly welcoming. So it’s about time to quit assuming everyone can attend marathon sessions from 9 to 5. Traditional all-day formats exclude caregivers, people managing chronic health conditions, participants across different time zones and those observing religious practices.
If you are scheduling the most important panel discussion during Friday prayers for Muslims, half the attendees from Muslim-majority countries either missed it or had to choose between their faith and their professional development. That shouldn’t happen.
Build in substantial breaks and offer hybrid attendance options and avoid scheduling during major religious holidays. Record sessions for those who can’t attend live. A few years down the line, participants will remember your event as the one that actually respected their time and circumstances.
4. Diversify Your Speakers Beyond the Usual Suspects
Stop inviting the same five people to every panel in your field. You know exactly who I’m talking about. They’re brilliant, sure, but academia has more than five brilliant people. Reach out to early-career researchers. Look for scholars from minority-serving institutions. Find experts from the Global South whose work you’ve cited but never thought to invite.
Maintain a diverse list of potential speakers across various demographics and career stages. When someone suggests a speaker, ask yourself:
Have we heard from this person before?
Are they the only person qualified to speak on this topic?
Could we invite someone whose perspective we haven’t heard yet?
And here’s the part that makes people uncomfortable: compensate all speakers fairly. Stop expecting marginalized scholars to provide free diversity labor while paying your keynote speakers thousands of dollars.
5. Language and Communication Require Intentional Inclusivity
While English may be the lingua franca of academia, not everyone has equal fluency or comfort with it. There are brilliant researchers who struggle to articulate sophisticated ideas in their third or fourth language while native English speakers dominate discussions with casual eloquence. Now this is not a level playing field.
Interpretation services for major international gatherings should not be considered a luxury. Clear, accessible language in all communications helps everyone and not just non-native speakers. Presentation guidelines that encourage speakers to define jargon and use visual aids effectively make your content more accessible.
Live transcription services benefit both non-native speakers and people with hearing differences. The goal is not to simplify scholarly discourse but to make it much more accessible.
6. Safe and Welcoming Spaces Need Clear Policies
If you’re organizing an event in today’s climate, you cannot ignore the need for clear anti-harassment policies and enforcement mechanisms. But here’s what too many organizers get wrong: they post a code of conduct on their website and think they’re done.
That’s not enough.
A comprehensive code of conduct explicitly prohibits discrimination, harassment and exclusionary behavior. Fine.
But who enforces it?
What happens when someone reports an incident?
Are there trained staff to handle complaints?
Can people report confidentially without fear of retaliation?
Designate affinity spaces where people from specific communities can gather. Train volunteers and staff on inclusive practices and bystander intervention. Make it abundantly clear that your event prioritizes safety and dignity for all participants.
7. Food Is Never Just Food
If you serve only pork and shellfish at the welcome dinner, Muslim, Jewish and even allergic participants will either have to resort to networking on an empty stomach or leave the event entirely. When you cannot accommodate everyone, it is time to ponder upon if your event is truly inclusive.
Except you can. In 2026, all event professionals can make the food in their academic and research events inclusive for all. And those who claim they cannot and that it is beyond reach are simply choosing not to.
Food inclusivity is a conscious choice that is very much feasible at events today. You can pull it off with just some smart pre-planning. Vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher and allergen-free options aren’t difficult if you plan ahead. Also, make sure to label everything clearly. On that note, make these dietary accommodations equally appealing rather than punishing people for having specific needs. A sad salad while everyone else enjoys a proper meal is barely concealed resentment and not inclusivity.
Religious fasting periods matter too. Scheduling the only networking meal during Ramadan iftar time without offering appropriate food shows either ignorance or indifference. Neither is acceptable. Don’t force people to publicly announce their dietary requirements. Some needs are medical. Some are religious. Some are personal. All deserve respect without interrogation.
8. Caregiving Responsibilities Don’t Disappear at Conference Registration
Academia pretends everyone can drop their lives for three days and fly across the country without complications. Parents, particularly mothers, understand that this is fantasy. Childcare in an unfamiliar city costs a fortune. Bringing children to a conference means constant guilt about noise and distraction. Staying home means missing career opportunities.
On-site childcare changes everything. Attendance by parents (especially mothers with young children) will shoot up should you offer this arrangement. It probably costs less than your main keynote speaker’s honorarium. Hosting family-friendly spaces matters considerably too. A room where a parent can step away with a restless toddler or a nursing infant makes attendance possible instead of torturous.
Moreover, flexible session attendance that doesn’t punish people for leaving when family needs arise acknowledges reality instead of pretending everyone has identical circumstances. Elder care exists too. Sandwich generation academics are caring for aging parents all while they raise their own children. On top of this, they are juggling research careers. It is only fair that you accommodate them all.
9. Inclusivty Feedback Means Nothing Without Action
Anonymous surveys after your event will tell you things people won’t say to your face. But only if you ask the right questions.
“How was your experience?” gets you useless platitudes.
“Did any aspect of this conference make it difficult for you to participate fully?” gets you data you can actually use.
Read this feedback carefully. This is your holy book to betterment. Do not just skim but really read into all of it. As you do so, look for patterns. If 5 people mention the same accessibility issue, that is not just a one-off thing or a coincidence that will resolve itself. Treat it as the systemic problem that it is. And then work on finding a fix.
Then do the hardest part: actually change things. Publicly acknowledge what went wrong and explain what you will be doing differently the next time around. And when you do, follow through. If participants see their feedback disappear into a void year after year, they’ll stop trusting you and simply stop showing up.
On Your Next Inclusive Conference Today
The past few years have brought increased scrutiny to how academic conferences and research events operate. But when we allow ourselves to step back and look at the bigger picture, we understand that we are only dealing with long-overdue accountability and not an attack on scholarly gatherings. Don’t let the fear of imperfection be the thing that stops you.
But here’s what makes it worthwhile: every barrier you remove opens your event to brilliant minds who might otherwise be excluded. Every accommodation you provide sends a message that scholarship belongs to everyone and not just those who fit traditional molds.
Remember that inclusivity work is never finished. Academic conferences don’t have to exclude people. They’ve just been designed that way for so long that exclusion feels normal. It isn’t. Start fixing it now.
What seems innovative today will be the baseline expectation tomorrow. If you’re still confused about where to begin, start with the steps that feel most relevant and sensible for you. The academic community is counting on organizers like you. To work with us in hosting your next inclusive academic or research event in 2026, sign up for a free demo of Dryfta’s online event management software here.