Our Commitment to Accessibility and Inclusion

1. The Code of Conduct

• All attendees, speakers and sponsors have agreed to a code of conduct
• The code of conduct is enforced and we will have representatives visible and present on the day if you need to report inappropriate behaviour
• The code of conduct extends to our social events

2. Facilities and Accessibility at The Venue

2.1 Step Free Access

• There is step free access throughout The Museum of London. Although on multiple levels there are lifts to all areas and accessible toilets on the ground floor
• The building is located on a pedestrian highwalk which can be reached via escalators and a lift from Aldersgate Street, on the Museum of London roundabout directly opposite Pret

2.2 Closed Captioning

• We are providing closed captioning for all talks in the Ellipse Hall, these will include all keynotes and main stage talks. We regret that the AV at the venue could not support closed captioning in the Garden Room and Terrace Gallery
• Please let us know if you would like us to provide closed captioning to your phone in the Garden Room or Terrace Gallery

2.3 Gender Neutral Toilets

• There is an accessible and gender neutral bathroom available on the ground floor

3. The Date

• The date was selected to ensure it does not clash with half term, allowing more parents to attend
• The date was selected to avoid clashing with religious festivals and holidays

4. The Price

• AI for the rest of us is a fraction of the price of other AI conferences in London which can be as much as £2000
• We keep prices low so that as many people as possible can attend
• See below for more information on the financial support we have available if the cost is still out of reach for you

5. Food and Drink

• Our catering partner KERB will be providing a pop-up street food stand at the event. Prices start at £12. Masa Tacos offer delicious Tacos, Burritos, Rice Bowls and Nachos with either beef, chicken or mushroom. They can cater for Vegan, Vegetarian, Halal and Gluten Free
• Although we will not have kosher options on-site we can recommend Balady in Farringdon
• The barista on site will provide dairy free milk alternatives
• When you registered for the event you entered your dietary requirements. We will use this to ascertain the suitability of the food and provide guidance of local alternatives
• There will be delicious non-alcoholic beverages available at any social events

5.1 Why Don't You Provide Food & Drink?

• TL;DR: We decided not to provide food and drink this year. This allowed us to reduce the ticket price and give away more free tickets through our scholarship program
• We have found that many conference attendees are disappointed by the food available at traditional events, it is the single greatest source of complaints. Luckily there are many delicious options on the door step in Central London. In fact, many people choose to leave the conference to grab lunch
• When people don't eat the food provided it can be tough for conference organisers who have to pay for the food regardless of whether it's consumed. (And between us, it can be eye-wateringly overpriced at £60-90 per person per day)
• Instead of a disappointing and expensive buffet we have provided delicious street food on site and we've increased the duration of the lunch break for those people who would prefer to grab lunch elsewhere
• By reducing our catering budget we've been able to reduce the ticket price and provide more free tickets through our scholarship program and community partnerships
• We hope you approve of our alternative approach to food and drink

6. The Talks

All speakers have been given the same brief...

• Do not assume any prior knowledge
• Allow enough time to explain new concepts as you introduce them
• Avoid jargon and explain things in simple terms
• It is better to cover less and do it well

The agenda...

• The conference program is designed in such a way that the talks on Day 2 build upon knowledge gained on Day 1
• There are a small number of sponsored speaking slots on the agenda. These speakers are given the same brief as everyone else and the sponsors are working with us to ensure their content is in keeping with the ethos of the event
• All talks are recorded and summarised after the event so there's no need to feel pressurised to take notes, although you are of course welcome to do so

7. Diversity

It can be daunting to be the only person like you in the room so we are intentional in our outreach and we're committed to creating a diverse community.

• We partner with local communities and provide discounted and free tickets to under-represented, under-employed or unwaged people
• There are no all male panels or tracks at our events
• Pronoun stickers are provided to all attendees and everyone is encouraged to use them

8. Age

• We welcome people of all ages
• Under 18s will need to be accompanied by an over 18

9. Photography

• There are coloured lanyards for people who do not wish to appear in photographs
• Official photographers and attendees will be asked to cooperate with your preferences

10. Networking on your terms

• Not everyone is comfortable talking to strangers and that's totally ok at AI for the rest of us
• We provide stickers for everyone to place on their lanyards indicating if you're happy to be approached by someone you don't know. It's like a traffic light system for networking!
• We have built a schedule that does not assume any prior knowledge of AI, but of course we will have experts in the room. To avoid mansplaining and encourage learning from each other we will provide stickers for the "experts" in the room so you know where to direct your questions
• We have "birds of a feather" areas at the venue so you can network with people from your industry during breaks and meals. It's always enlightening to drop in and meet people who have very different careers too!

11. Financial Support

• We have diversity and unwaged scholarships available: please apply here
• We have supporter tickets available. If you can afford to buy a supporter ticket the extra money goes directly towards issuing more free scholarships
• If you have a fixed Learning and Personal Development budget from your employer please email us at contact@aifortherestofus.live with a screen grab of your employers policy and we will try to match this if at all possible

Want to Help?

Do you like what you're reading here? Do you want to help create a fun and welcoming event?

• We need some help on the day to make sure everything runs smoothly. Offer your time as a volunteer and you will get to attend most of the conference for free in exchange for doing a couple of shifts "on duty"
• Drop us an email at contact@aifortherestofus.live

With Thanks...

Finally, I want to thank the amazing team at DevOpsDays London who have been unwavering in their commitment to accessibility and inclusion since 2017 and have taught me so much. AI for the rest of us strives to create a community as gloriously diverse as the DevOps community that has been nurtured over the past decade.