The Accessible Events Show (AES), the world's only conference focused entirely on accessibility in the events industry, will make its U.S. debut on December 4, 2026, at the United Way Worldwide headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The event will also be available online for remote attendees.
Organized by Performedia, the same producer behind the inaugural London edition that drew 600 delegates from over 15 countries in 2025, AES USA arrives at a critical time for event professionals. According to the CDC, one in four U.S. adults lives with a disability, and a new Department of Justice rule requires state and local governments to bring their websites and mobile apps into compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards starting April 2027. This mandate extends to vendors and contractors serving those entities, making accessibility a compliance issue for a broad swath of the events industry.
"Event planners across the U.S. keep asking us the same thing: How do we make our events truly accessible? The appetite for practical guidance is real, and the new federal rules make it urgent," said Peter Hackes, President of Performedia.
The conference will feature panels, keynotes, and hands-on workshops covering digital accessibility, hybrid production, assistive technology, and WCAG conformance. Speakers will include accessibility experts, event organizers, and disabled professionals sharing lived experience. A sponsor showcase will connect planners with captioning providers, ASL interpreters, and accessible design consultants.
AES USA will also offer a virtual experience with live captions, multilingual support, sign language interpretation, screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and interactive engagement features designed to ensure the program is accessible to every attendee, regardless of location or ability.
The event was co-founded by industry insiders including Shani Dhanda, a prominent UK disability advocate; Orla Pearson, co-founder of AccessLOOP; and Catherine Grinyer, co-founder of Attendable. In its first year, the show received the EN Awards Diversity & Inclusion Award and a Silver at the Cool Event Awards for Disruptor Attitude, honors rarely achieved by debut events.
Registration details, speaker announcements, and sponsorship opportunities will be released in the coming months. More information is available at www.aesusa.org.
