Edinburgh, 29 August 2018
EICC has won Best Venue in Euan’s Guide’s annual awards for the best examples of disabled access at Edinburgh Festivals, the world’s largest arts and culture festival.
Described by author Ian Rankin as a “Trip Advisor on wheels”, Euan’s Guide was founded in 2013 by Euan MacDonald, a power chair user who has Motor Neurone Disease and his sister Kiki MacDonald, when they were looking for recommendations for accessible places to visit. The website features thousands of friendly and honest disabled access reviews and listings in the UK and internationally.
Attaining best-of-class accessibility standards has been high on the agenda for the EICC for a number of years, its entire team has received extensive training in the area and the venue hosted the Rehabilitation International World Congress in 2016 that included keynote addresses from Stephen Hawking and from Euan MacDonald
Marshall Dallas, Chief Executive of the EICC, said: "Euan's Guide is one of the very finest examples of how impactful social enterprises can be, it is also one of the most forward looking organisations in Scotland and this award is a massive privilege for myself and the team. It is it really important to us that everyone attending events at the EICC has an equally enjoyable and fulfilling experience, regardless of disabilities. To that end, our whole team has undergone disability awareness training, under guidance from Euan's Guide. We hosted the Rehabilitation International World Congress in 2016, and we still remember not only what a great event it was but also the very memorable and powerful address from Euan MacDonald. Our vision at the EICC is to create an environment which inspires ideas that change the world, and we constantly strive to be one of the most socially-responsible conference venues worldwide. We have the utmost respect for the change that Euan, his sister Kiki and the rest of the Euan's Guide team are making in this country and further afield."
Euan’s Guide Judge, and Access & Inclusion Director, Paul Ralph, commented: “With a venue that has potential to be challenging for disabled people by virtue of its scale and complexity the actual experience of visiting is the opposite. The clear signage, the sense of direction and the spacious routes and rooms make visiting a pleasure. The warm welcome of staff and the ‘can do’ approach contributes much toward ensuring all visitors have a great experience. The recognition goes beyond that in that thought has evidently been given to the access requirements of all visitors.”