IMPLASER advocating for accessibility

The Congress will take place on September 27th and 28th in Madrid and will have measures in place to ensure the highest degree of autonomy for attendees.

The Spanish Congress of Shopping Centers and Commercial Parks reaches its XIX edition on September 27th and 28th in Madrid. It serves as a meeting point to take stock of the situation, discuss current issues, learn about the latest trends in an industry marked by its constant evolution, engage in networking, and explore new business opportunities.

Implaser's commitment to creating accessible environments and bringing to the commercial sector all the possibilities within their reach in terms of accessibility has led the Aragonese company to join as a sponsor of this event. Furthermore, this year, in collaboration with the Foundation for Accessibility and Social Responsibility (ARS), it once again takes on the challenge of making this grand gathering a fully accessible space.

Enhancements Ensuring the Highest Degree of Autonomy

The congress has been designed with a perspective of accessibility and inclusion, and both the ARS Foundation and Implaser will be responsible for implementing the necessary improvements to ensure the highest degree of autonomy for both visitors and exhibitors through:

• Signage: Visual signage, accessible signage with braille in high relief, contrasted and understandable signage, accessible floor plans with braille and high relief, and contrast...

• Guiding: Tactile paving to inform about accessible routes and the presence of possible obstacles.

• Evacuation: Conventional and luminous signage, as well as accessible signage with braille and contrast, to indicate evacuation routes. Additionally, there will be an evacuation chair for people with disabilities to exit through stairways.

• App-Based Guidance: The congress will feature the NaviLens application.

• Auditory Solutions: Magnetic induction, sign language interpreters, human facilitators, and a voice recognition and text translation system will be available at the accessible service point.

• Furniture: The choice of congress furniture has been made with accessibility criteria in mind.

• Content: Audiovisual content will be subtitled, and paper materials will have QR codes to access the content through the event's website.

• Human Facilitators: They will be identified with the SIA symbol and will proactively address any accessibility needs that arise.

• Certification: All implementations have been verified by certified and qualified technicians according to the AIS 1/2018 Standard from the project phase onwards.

Round Table and "Accessibility Corner

As a novelty, this year, the ARS Foundation and Implaser will have a dedicated space at the congress, named the "Accessibility Corner". There, they will assist all conference attendees who have concerns about making their spaces and services accessible.

With the goal of learning more about accessibility and how it is evolving with new regulations, the congress will feature a round table discussion on September 28th titled "From Accessible Spaces to an Accessible Environment." Esther Bienes, President of the ARS Foundation, will moderate the discussion, and participants will include Clemente Huerta, General Director of Implaser; Arnaud Leroy, Director of Merlin Properties; Miguel Ángel Manso, Head of General Services at Supercor; and Patricia Matias, National Director of Retail Services at Savills. The panelists will debate and reflect on the direction that accessibility is taking, the sensitivity of companies and society to this issue, and how new legislation is becoming a turning point in the concept of accessibility.