Venue and accessibility guide
We understand that attending large events can feel overwhelming, especially when you're unfamiliar with the venue. To help make your experience as smooth, comfortable, and enjoyable as possible, we've created this guide to the International Congress.
This page is designed especially with neurodivergent delegates in mind, offering detailed, practical information about the venue, facilities, and what to expect when you arrive.
If you have any questions or want to discuss any of the points below please contact our Congress Manager, Katie Newton via email or phone on 0208 618 4144.
Venue guide
The 2026 RCPsych International Congress will be taking place at the ACC Liverpool
Address
King's Dock
Port of Liverpool
Kings Dock St
Liverpool
L3 4FP
There are several options when travelling to this year's Congress.
Make sure you check the most sustainable option for you by using our useful travel tracker through YouSmartThing - https://travel.yousmartthing.com/international_congress_2026
Train
The closest station to the ACC Liverpool is Liverpool Lime Street, which is 1.1 miles away.
Avanti West Coast operates hourly, direct services from London Euston, taking just over two hours. Other national, regional and local rail services also operate into Liverpool Lime Street station. You can plan your journey with Trainline.
ACC Liverpool is a 20 minute walk from Lime Street or a short taxi ride. Alternatively, you can change at Lime Street onto the Merseyrail underground Wirral Line trains, travelling into James Street station, which is a 10 minute walk away.
For more information on the rail network within the UK, please visit National Rail or Trainline; a one-stop shop for train and coach travel.
Bus
Liverpool ONE bus station is just a five minute walk away from the ACC Liverpool, serving buses from across Merseyside and long distance coaches from across the UK. For details of these routes please visit: www.nationalexpress.com
Some local buses from other areas of Merseyside, Cheshire and the Wirral may drop you off at Queen's Square bus station which is a 20 minute walk from the venue.
For information on local bus services throughout Merseyside visit MerseyTravel
All buses in Merseyside are accessible and specifically designed for people who are less mobile such as wheelchair users, older people, parents with buggies and small children, shoppers with heavy bags etc. Buses include wide doors, low entrances, flat floors with no steps and priority seating for those with mobility difficulties.
Car
The ACC Liverpool is located less than 20 minutes from the UK motorway network and adjacent to Liverpool's main through road. For directions from your home or office visit Google Maps and input L3 4BX for the destination postcode.
There are 1450 parking spaces available in the on-site Kings Dock Car Park, with accessible bays and electric charging points on every floor.
A charge is applicable for parking onsite (charges also apply to blue badge holders). Please see rates below
| 0 – 1 hour | £4.00 |
| 1 – 2 hours | £9.00 |
| 2 - 5 hours | £13.00 |
| 5 - 9 hours | £17.00 |
| 9 - 24 hours | £27.00 |
If you are driving to the Congress please also consider car sharing with your colleagues. We have put together a form to help match you with others that might be interested in this option. We will let you know if you have any matches by the end of May.
Cycle
There are a number of cycle routes around Liverpool. You can find out more about the official routes available from Liverpool City Council's website.
Plane
Liverpool John Lennon Airport serves low cost flights to domestic, European and other international destinations. A taxi from the airport to the city centre will take approximately 20 minutes or the express bus service (Route 500) will take 25 minutes, dropping you off within a five minute walk of the ACC Liverpool.
Manchester Airport is 45 minutes away by car and has an extensive network of flights with long haul destinations including American and the far East. There are also direct trains available from Manchester Airport into Liverpool Lime Street.
There are two access points to the ACC Liverpool, one one the city side and another on the river side. For the International Congress we will be using the city side entrance only.
The entrance has automatic double entrance doors which are permanently staffed when an event is taking place. You may be asked to undertake a bag check before entering the building.
The main entrance level is the Galleria where you will find the event registration desks and guest relations, which is the main reception point for the building and also an information point for visitors providing local information, taxi bookings and recommendations on things to do and see in the city. On the galleria is also the cloakroom and coffee shop.
There are two lifts available from the Galleria to all levels. Each lift has an accessible width of 1300mm and visual and audible floor indicators. There are also escalators which can be used to access the other levels. Stewards are situated at both escalators to assist delegates.
In Hall 1 (main auditorium with tiered seating) there are 12 designated spaces for wheelchair users and carers. These spaces can be used for assistance dogs. Hall 1 is also accessible on two different levels with the lower of the two levels providing access to the main stage. The designated spaces offer clear sight lines of the stage. In the breakout rooms, where possible, we will also ensure that there is spaced out seating providing enough room for wheelchair users and carers to sit
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.
Accessibility information
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.
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 welcome breastfeeding anywhere at Congress but a private feeding room will be available if preferred.
We will also have a dedicated room live streaming each of the keynote sessions, that will be a more relaxed environment, so you may wish to sit in this room if your baby is unsettled, but you don't want to miss the plenary talks.
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)
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