Success stories

NSW STATE OF INCLUSION CONFERENCE

The NSW Government commissioned the Live, Work and Play conference to showcase the progress being made towards building an inclusive society for all in New South Wales. Held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney, the event needed to bring together government leaders, public sector employees, people with disability, senior executives and representatives from the disability sector for a landmark gathering aligned to the NSW Disability Inclusion Plan.
Professional with a Disability Working on Computer

1,100 ATTENDEES

85 SPEAKERS

30+ EXHIBITORS

The Challenge

The NSW Government commissioned the Live, Work and Play conference to showcase the progress being made towards building an inclusive society for all in New South Wales. Held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in
Sydney, the event needed to bring together government leaders, public sector employees, people with disability,
senior executives and representatives from the disability sector for a landmark gathering aligned to the NSW Disability
Inclusion Plan.

The conference themes: Live, Work and Play, mapped directly to the priority areas of the NSW Disability Inclusion
Plan: employment for people with disability, liveable communities and accessible tourism planning, and assistive technology to enhance inclusion for all.

BCS was engaged just 14 weeks before the conference date. This compressed timeline required rapid mobilisation across venue management, speaker coordination, exhibitor logistics, marketing and critically comprehensive accessibility planning.

Every element of the event needed to meet the highest accessibility standards, from on-site logistics through to digital communications. There was no room for compromise: the conference itself was a demonstration of the inclusive practices it sought to promote.

Our Solution

BCS was appointed as Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) and assumed end-to-end responsibility for the conference. With only 14 weeks to deliver, our structured pod methodology enabled rapid parallel workstreams
across venue, content, accessibility, marketing and stakeholder management.

Accessibility-First Event Design

Accessibility was not an afterthought, it was the organising principle of the entire conference. Every decision, from venue layout to digital communications, was made through an inclusion lens. This required extensive coordination with the ICC, all speakers, exhibitors, vendors and suppliers to ensure that every accessibility requirement was met.

  • Physical accessibility: Wheelchair lifts and ramps designed and installed for all stages, ensuring speakers and panellists with mobility requirements had full and dignified access to every platform.
  • Auslan interpretation: Professional Auslan interpreters scheduled across all sessions, enabling full participation for Deaf and hard-of-hearing delegates throughout the two-day programme.
  • Live captioning: Partnership with AI Media for real-time captioning across all conference sessions, providing an additional layer of accessibility for delegates.
  • Digital accessibility: All online communications,
    website, registration platform and email campaigns, built to meet accessibility standards, with extensive testing for compatibility with assistive technology applications and screen readers.

Venue & Exhibition Management

The ICC Sydney, one of Asia-Pacific’s premier convention venues, provided the scale and flexibility required for a
multi-stream conference with a substantial exhibition component. BCS managed the full venue relationship and
all associated logistics.

  • ICC liaison: Complete venue management across the full programme including room allocations, F&B, AV requirements and all health and safety considerations for the exhibition floor.
  • Exhibition design: Management of 30+ exhibitor booths in partnership with Exhibit Systems, coordinating all exhibitor deliverables, deadlines and on-site requirements.
  • Arts and entertainment: Collaboration with Arts NSW tointegrate art installations and live entertainment performances throughout the venue, creating an immersive experience that celebrated the creative contributions of people with disability.
  • VIP programme: Coordination of a dedicated VIP networking session for senior government and industry leaders.

Programme & Content Development

The conference programme was structured around the three pillars of the NSW Disability Inclusion Plan, with content designed to move beyond policy discussion into practical action and lived experience:

  • Programme scope: 85 speakers across 4 concurrent breakout streams, covering employment for people with disability, liveable communities and inclusive tourism, and assistive technology as a driver of inclusion.
  • High-profile speakers: The conference was opened by the Hon. Ray Williams MP, Minister for Disability Services, and featured international keynote speakers including Dr Karen Wolffe from Austin, Texas, alongside leaders from Destination NSW, Transport for NSW, and specialist disability organisations.
  • Workshops: Interactive workshop sessions on topics including disability employment in the NSW public sector, disability arts, and the economic opportunity of inclusive tourism.
  • Speaker coordination: End-to-end management of 85 speakers including briefing documents, registrations, run sheet creation and moderator scripts.

Delegate Management & Registration

BCS designed and delivered the full delegate journey, from initial registration through to on-site experience, ensuring
accessibility was embedded at every stage.

  • Accessible registration: Design and build of a fully
    accessible conference website and registration
    platform, tested for compatibility with assistive
    technologies.
  • Accommodation coordination: Delegate
    accommodation options sourced and managed, with accessibility requirements captured and fulfilled.
  • On-site registration: Seamless check-in experience with dedicated accessible registration points.
  • Enquiry management: Pre-event and on-site delegate enquiry management, with particular attention to accessibility and special requirements.

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