Help with the unexpected

Hopefully everything will be fine and dandy but we’re aware that the unexpected can happen, and you might find yourself in need of some friendly local help during the event, particularly for those of you travelling long distances to be with us.

If you have a general enquiry you can contact us and we'll get back to you.

If you need non-urgent assistance you can email welfare@roughagenda.com at any time.

In an emergency where the welfare of yourself or others is threatened, your first call should still be the emergency services on 999 in the UK and 911 in the US.

In the UK, many venue staff will be briefed about the Ask for Angela scheme which allows you to discreetly ask for help by going to the bar and asking for 'Angela’ – a phrase to alert bar staff to your need for help so they can help defuse the situation.

Information sources

Most of the general information you might need about brightonSEO should should be available on our website. Our frequently asked questions page is a good place to start.

We have signs and maps at our conference venue to help you find your way around. If you’re lost you can always ask another delegate, or look for someone in a brightonSEO staff top or venue uniform.

We have a brightonSEO information desk staffed with people from our team in brightonSEO t-shirts.

Attendee facilities

As organisers it’s important to us that everyone feels welcome, so if you still have questions which haven’t been answered, or just need some more information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via welfare@roughagenda.com.

There are a number of locations throughout the venue if you find yourself in need of food and drink on the day. There is free tea, coffee and water throughout the venue. We don’t provide lunch during the conference (only during the training workshops) but there are plenty of places to eat in and near to the venue.

We’ve put a room aside for use as a prayer space. This will be signposted or you can ask a member of staff for directions.

We are aware that brightonSEO is a very busy event, that sometimes people can feel a bit overwhelmed, and that finding somewhere quiet to take some timeout can be a bit of a challenge. We’ve put aside a quiet room which will be marked on the map and with signs around the venue or you can ask a member of staff for directions.

If you or someone you’re with finds themselves needing a break, you can also leave the venue and find yourself a quiet spot or take a relaxing breather by the water.

Emergency procedures

In the unlikely event that an alarm is sounded on the day, please listen to the announcements over the venue PA system and follow the instructions of the venue staff.

If you see unusual activities, suspicious behaviour and unattended packages, don't be afraid to report anything suspicious to a member of the brightonSEO team or venue staff.

If you require medical assistance at brightonSEO, please make yourself known to brightonSEO or venue staff.

Getting around the conference venue

If you'd benefit from a chance to find your way around the venue before we open the doors to everyone just contact us and we'll schedule a tour for you.

There is seating dotted around the venue.

Watching & listening to talks

All talks are amplified.

Each room has screens showing the speaker's slides behind them on a large screen and repeated on smaller screens throughout the room.

We have a number of priority seats reserved near the entrances and exits of the rooms so do use them if you need to. We also have spaces for wheelchair users.

Our friendly stage managers can help you find a suitable seat if you arrive before the talks start. They'll usually be based at the front of the room or the AV desk but a member of staff should be able to help you find them.

The venue can get busy

With lots of people at the conference some of the rooms and spaces can get busy.

We will have a quiet room available if you need somewhere calm to sit, you can ask for directions at the registration point.

You can also easily exit the building and be outside for some quiet time.

If you want to wear earplugs, headphones or whatever you need that's absolutely fine with us.

There are talks happening simultaneously in multiple rooms during the conference. You can use the schedule to plan your visit and think about which talks you want to see.

We generally encourage people to move around between rooms during the breaks rather than between each individual talk but if you need to leave the room early that's absolutely fine.

There can be queues for popular sessions and sometimes we have to limit the number of people in each room. To make sure you get in and seated, it’s best to go to the room in the break before the session.

If getting there quickly or waiting in queues is a problem then please come and talk to our staff at the registration desk or contact us.

Assistance on the day

If you require assistance or information on the day then please speak to a member of staff.

Our San Diego conference venue

The Manchester Grand Hyatt has excellent accessibility standards. They have information on their website about general venue accessibility.

Getting around

There are stairs and lifts available and the main conference venue is on one level on the first floor.

Our UK conference venue

The Brighton Centre has excellent accessibility standards. They've published access information, including disabled parking, venue provisions, guide dogs, and a full access statement.

Getting around

The Brighton Centre is a pretty big and can be a confusing place to find your way around so feel free to ask a member of staff to help you find a particular room. We'll also have maps and signs to help you find your way.

There are stairs and lifts at the front and rear of the building and we have a stair-free map of the venue.

Sound

A wifi induction loop is available in Auditorium 1. Download Sennheiser Mobile Connect (available on Android and iOS), select 'media' and the audio will be bluetoothed to your hearing aid or device.

Planning ahead

The Brighton Centre have a 360 virtual reality video tour that shows the venue being used for a gig so things will be a little different for the conference but it should give you an idea of the space.

Toilets

Accessible disabled toilets are available throughout the building and there is a Changing Places toilet on the ground floor (you can collect the key from the Brighton Centre's information desk near the registration area).

There are also lots of gender-neutral toilets around the venue.