Over the past 12 months, my family have been on a personal journey in relation to my youngest daughter Ella.

Following some beautiful and quirky traits (“Ellarisms”) she began to display; we started on a pathway leading to a neurodevelopment assessment as these traits are conducive of Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder. This journey has not been easy and has involved many tears, turbulence day to day, and many hours of personal research and immersion into a new world we are trying to navigate and understand.

This journey is not one I have shared on a professional front; however, I now feel the need to share my experience and how it has opened my eyes to the lack of inclusivity for neurodivergent individuals within the events industry.

From personal experience, I have attended and delivered events that would be ‘sensory hell’ for my daughter and those who share the same traits, and I am sad I didn’t learn these lessons sooner so that I could bring attention to the issue and make changes earlier.

This week, coincidentally Autism Acceptance Week, I have spent time talking to incredible neurodivergent women who have shared their stories and inspired our team. They have lived experience of the event industry and Don’t Panic Events has a lot to learn as we start a journey towards events that are inclusive for all.

We are delighted to announce we will be working with Hannah B. who will be our Independent Neurodiversity Consultant. We know we have a lot to learn and Hannah is the perfect fit for our business and we trust she will guide us forward, to ensure no-one avoids our events.

I promise Don’t Panic will be working at pace to implement changes as soon as we can, and we will be announcing all measures we are adopting to ensure everyone can attend our Awards Ceremonies and Networking Events.

Please do get in touch if you have experiences you would like to share. Email: Awards@dontpanicprojects.com