Venue guide

The Congress venue welcomes delegates with assistance dogs. Please ensure that your assistance dog is clearly identifiable when entering the building to ensure that our stewards are aware of their presence.

We have marked on the venue map the areas that are likely to be the nosiest during the event. You can view maps of the individual levels in the venue guide above.

If you have auditory sensitivity you are very welcome to bring your noise cancelling headphones to wear around the Congress.

The main catering points for the Congress will be in the Hall 2 on the Lower Level (the Exhibition area).

Some lunch time sessions may have food provided in the room. Please check the programme for these sessions.

We will also have a plain food station.

Tea and coffee will be provided during the morning and afternoon breaks and a fork buffet lunch will be served during the lunch hour.

We will provide the full menu for the week in due course.

The ACC Liverpool do not permit any food not from the venue to be brought in without permission. If you need to bring your own food with you, please contact our Congress Manager, Katie Newton, katie.newton@rcpsych.ac.uk, so we can arrange this with the venue.

All food and beverages will be served using china to reduce the level of waste produced by the event. We would also like to encourage you to bring your own water bottles and keep cups to use throughout the Congress.

If you have any dietary requirements when at the venue if you let a member of the catering team aware, they will be happy to assist you.

There is no formal dress code for the International Congress. We encourage all delegates to wear whatever they feel most comfortable in, whether that’s business attire, casual wear, national dress, or clothing that meets specific sensory needs. Please attend in a way that best supports your wellbeing and participation.

We appreciate all forms of feedback to help us improve our event in the future.

There are several ways you can do this

• You can provide feedback for each of the sessions through the Congress App, by clicking on the session within the programme
• You can come and visit us on the Help Desk and let us know your feedback in person
• You can complete our feedback form, the link to which you can find in the Congress App
• Or feel free to send us an email at congress@rcpsych.ac.uk

For those with hearing impairments the ACC Liverpool uses an infra-red assisted listening service, which is available in specific seating areas of each venue.

A personal neck loop can be collected from a member of ACC staff or at the Guest Relations desk. Please enquire for more details if you require this service. In the case of an emergency, trained stewards will assist any delegates with a hearing impediment to evacuate the building.

Please contact our Congress Manager, Katie Newton if you wish to discuss this further.

In the registration area we will have a dedicated help desk open throughout the Congress.

Come to see us if you need anything and we will be happy to help. You can also visit this desk if you have any accessibility queries.

We will have a prayer room available to all delegates for use throughout the Congress

We will have a dedicated quiet room available that you are welcome to use at any point during the Congress.

Please do not use this room for private meetings, this space is intended to provide a calm environment for delegates who might need to remove themself from the busyness of Congress. If you require a private meeting space, please visit the help desk and we'll be able to tell what rooms are available.

If you have any concerns on how the quiet room is being used you can find a number to message via WhatsApp in the Congress App.

We will also have a separate dedicated quiet room that we will be streaming each of the plenary lectures to. We would encourage you, if using this room, to use a sensitive applause. Please note however, that sound and applause from the main lecture theatre may be picked up through the stream.

The main registration times are as below

Sunday 14 June - 5.00pm - 7.30pm

Monday 15 June - 8.00am - 10.00am

Tuesday 16 June - 8.00am - 9.00am

Wednesday 17 June - 8.00am - 9.00am

Thursday 18 June - 8.00am - 9.00am

The registration desks will however be open throughout the Congress and you are welcome to collect your badge at any time.

To collect your badge you will simply need to enter your name in to one of the self service machines, print your badge and attach a lanyard. You will need to wear your badge at all times to gain access to any of the sessions, exhibition hall and catering. There will be a member of staff at the badge printers to assist you if required.

An image of the badge printers can be seen below

If you would prefer a quiet registration desk, staggered entry or more support collecting your badge please email our Congress Manager, Katie Newton (katie.newton@rcpsych.ac.uk)

We have a number of different sensory and fidget toys available from the Help Desk, for you to use as wish throughout the event. Please feel free to collect and use them at any time.

Each keynote session will last for 30 minutes. There will not be a chance for Q&A during these sessions. 

If you would prefer to sit in a quiet space during the keynote sessions, we will be relaying the talks to a keynote overflow room. We will also be relaying the keynote presentations to a separate room which will have a more relaxed atmosphere.

Each of the parallel sessions will be 75 minutes in total. These sessions will typically consist of three presentations, each lasting 20 minutes with 15 minutes for Q&A. Some sessions may differ slightly.

We will be recording all sessions at the Congress, where we have speaker permission to do so. These recordings will be made available after the Congress has taken place. If you have purchased a whole Congress ticket, the recordings will be included in your ticket price. If you have purchased a day ticket(s) you will be entitled to a discounted rate for the recording package.

Fully accessible toilets for men and women are located on every level.

• Conference Level - 2 Separate Unisex Disabled Toilet – toilet, dryer, paper towel and soap dispenser 
• Stage Level - 2 Separate Unisex Disabled Toilet – toilet, dryer, paper towel and soap dispenser 
• Mezzanine Level - 2 Separate Unisex Disabled Toilets– toilet, dryer, paper towel and soap dispenser. Both have baby changing units 
• Lower Level - 2 Separate Disabled Toilets one for Ladies and one for Gents – toilet, dryer, paper 
• towel and soap dispenser

If you would like to discuss access at the venue, a requirement not listed here or any of the points above further please contact our Congress Manager, Katie Newton (katie.newton@rcpsych.ac.uk)