‘An Investment in Attendance:’ Why Pop-Up Magazine Is Prioritizing Accessibility

The upcoming fall tour of Pop-Up Magazine will feature a slew of initiatives designed to make its performances accessible to the disabled community, an effort that aims to bolster both its reputational and commercial objectives. The publisher, which hosts a series of on-stage performances involving personal essays, humor and reporting, worked with the disability consultancy firm LaVant Consulting to ensure its eight-city tour will be able to comfortably accommodate deaf, hard of hearing, blind and low-vision fans, said co-founder Chas Edwards. “We have always thought accessibility in a broad framework––we spend part of every day thinking of ways to bring our stories to more people,” Edwards said. “But the pandemic really opened our eyes to how health and safety could act as a barrier to entry for people, and that prompted us to think more urgently about how we could comfortably bring the disabled community to our shows.” With demand for in-person events surging, more publishers have found themselves navigating an experiential landscape dramatically altered by the pandemic. This new era of events coincides with another reckoning, one surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion, whose principles include designing events with a mind toward accessibility. State of the Sound: How the Media Industry Grapples With Audio Accessibility As more publishers champion their efforts at inclusivity, Pop-Up Magazine represents an example of how this philosophy can extend into the experiential realm. By working hand in hand with the disabled community, the publisher simultaneously expands its addressable market and affirms its values. “In the big picture, the costs are a drop in the bucket and an investment in future participation, attendance and clout in the community,” said Lavant lead consultant Rosemary McDonnell-Horita. “But any measure, even just adding an image description, is a step in the right direction.” Pop-Up Magazine added accessibility staff, tech and infrastructure In addition to working only with venues compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Pop-Up Magazine will provide American Sign Language interpreters on stage, open captions and and an audio description. It reserved an entire section for disability seating, which enables disabled guests to attend as a community, and has added a dedicated staff member to help disabled visitors navigate the venue. Pop-Up Magazine also worked with LaVant to follow digital best-practices for accessibility, such as adding alternative text into its social media posts promoting the event and ensuring its website could be read by the visually impaired. The consultancy efforts will cost Pop-Up Magazine between $5,000 and $10,000, excluding the expense of paying specialty staff and purchasing equipment, according to McDonnell-Horita. Per hour, ASL interpreters, CART and open captions staff and audio describers charge around $90, $150 and $200, respectively, and Pop-Up Magazine will rotate between two ASL interpreters per event. Crucially, Google is sponsoring the upcoming tour, and Google Brand Studio is underwriting the accessibility efforts of Pop-Up Magazine. The two companies first began working toward making Pop-Up Magazine more inclusive last year, when the pandemic forced the publisher to transmute its show into a series of city-based scavenger hunts. "Everyone deserves to have access to the creative that brands put out into the world, something that has been core to Google's mission,” said KR Liu, the head of brand accessibility at Google. “We're thrilled to be partners in bringing accessibility and disability-inclusive storytelling to live audiences and hope to shift the industry forward in leading by example." While the initiatives represent additional expenses, they are equivalent to the price many events pay for a single keynote speaker, McDonnell-Horita said. Additionally, Pop-Up Magazine has reached out to disability organizations in its tour cities to encourage them to attend. In doing so, the publisher expands its total addressable market, reaching a larger audience and making good on its commitment to making its events as widely accessible as possible. Publishers can improve accessibility no matter their budget Pop-Up Magazine has incorporated accessibility efforts in its past tours, specifically in its choice of venue, but the funding from Google Brand Studio unlocked a new tier of capabilities, Edwards said. Still, publishers without such funding can also make their events more inclusive. Digital efforts, such as adding alternative text and communicating clearly whether or not an event will be accessible to disabled attendees, are helpful, free baselines to adopt, McDonnell-Horita said. Publishers can also do more: Working with deaf interpreters, rather than hearing interpreters, offers an elevated experience for hard-of-hearing attendees. Introducing a virtual element also allows people with health and safety limitations to enjoy the event, a practice Pop-Up Magazine plans to explore further. Many of these efforts involve one-time expenses, while others, such as hiring specialized staff, will recur. But publishers can recoup these costs with strategic marketing, and they can circumvent the consulting fees by hiring disabled professionals onto their events teams full-time. Ultimately, despite its many downsides, the pandemic has afforded publishers and events organizers a clean slate to reimagine their experiential portfolios. For the sake of their bottom lines and reputations, accessibility should be a priority.