Accessible Hospitality Alliance (aha) has released details of the programme for its next aha Forum, in Partnership with Thomas Franks, taking place at London’s landmark BT Tower on Wednesday 11 November 2026.
Bringing together hospitality and catering operators, people with lived experience of barriers to hospitality, and service partners, the Forum will explore how accessibility can be embedded across the industry, creating better guest experiences, greater colleague opportunities, and the tangible commercial benefits that flow through increased accessibility.
The Forum will be opened by Professor Peter Jones MBE, Chair, The Crumbs Project, followed by a welcome from Denis Sheehan, Managing Director, aha.
The morning programme will examine the value of accessible loyalty, investment opportunities in accessibility, and the practical experiences of The Access Champions Collective, whose members are working to make accessibility part of everyday hospitality.
Eight roundtable discussions will form the centrepiece of the morning, bringing participants together to explore some of the most pressing challenges facing accessible hospitality.
Led by industry figures including Robin Sheppard, Chair, aha – Blain Shepherd CEO, Thomas Franks – Tolene van der Merwe, Director, UK & Ireland, Malta Tourism Authority, the discussions will cover subjects including a case study of returns on accessibility investment, technology enabling accessibility, inclusive communities, accessible employment, organisational culture and practical hotel operations. The roundtable programme will also include a discussion exploring the development of an accessibility blueprint for hospitality and tourism, drawing on Malta’s experience and the opportunities for collaboration between the worlds of government, finance, tourism, and hospitality.
Each roundtable lead will report its principal findings to all attendees, identifying how to take accessibility back to their organisations for action beyond the Forum.
Following lunch, the afternoon programme will include an interactive session exploring sensory accessibility, led by the RNIB, and a panel discussion examining accessible employment in hospitality, chaired by Vicky Freeman, Chief People Officer at Thomas Franks.
Gillian Scotford, Director of AccessibleUK, will also address the Forum, exploring the different constituencies whose participation is essential to creating a more accessible future. From the perspective of first-hand experience of each.
The afternoon’s keynote will take accessibility literally to the frontier of human endeavour.
Dr Irene Di Giulio PhD, Biomedical Engineer and Senior Lecturer in Anatomy and Biomechanics at King’s College London, will deliver a scientific keynote entitled What Can Disability Teach Us About Human Performance?
Drawing on her work with the European Space Agency and astronaut John McFall, Dr Di Giulio will challenge long-held assumptions about human capability and explore progress towards spaceflight involving an astronaut with a physical disability.
Her talk will examine whether certain disabilities might offer advantages in the extraordinary environment of space, inviting the hospitality industry to reconsider familiar assumptions about capability and potential.
The Forum’s formal proceedings will take place in the BT Tower’s ground-floor theatre and adjoining meeting rooms, providing dedicated spaces for talks, panel discussions and roundtables.
Following the closing remarks, guests will ascend to the Tower’s 34th floor for drinks, and an opportunity to continue conversations while watching the sun set over London.
The combination of lived experience, operational perspective, and scientific leadership taking centre stage at one of London’s most recognisable landmarks promises a distinctive and challenging agenda for the expanding aha community.
The event is fully subscribed. If you would like to attend and take part in a future aha forum please register your interest here.
The aha Forum, in Partnership with Thomas Franks
Wednesday 11 November 2026
BT Tower, London
BT Tower the next venue for The aha Forum, in partnership with Thomas Franks