For working parents, the decision to attend a business event often hinges on whether they can balance the networking, professional development or educational opportunities with their childcare duties. Without adequate childcare support, even the most compelling events can feel out of reach.
However, by welcoming parents with children or babies to your event and providing well-designed on-site childcare, a drop-in crèche, or even lactation rooms, quiet spaces and buggy parking, you could eliminate a major barrier to participation.
The case for providing event childcare
Childcare provision enables parents to fully participate in sessions, networking, and learning opportunities, while ensuring their children are safe, happy, and well looked after. It also encourages better gender balance and increased diversity among audiences, helping you to create events that mirror and support real working lives.
"The question I ask is, do we believe in equality, or do we not? If we do, then of course we have professional childcare. We know it boosts attendance, especially from underrepresented groups – women, Black members, LGBTQIA+ parents – and makes our conferences accessible to people who would otherwise miss out.”
Sammy Connell, Head of Events, NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union
Beyond inclusion, there is also a strong business case for providing childcare at your events. As competition for delegates’ time and attention grows, events that make participation easy and stress-free stand out. Childcare facilities attract a wider audience, build loyalty, and can boost your events’ reputation as innovative and people-focused.
Is childcare provision right for every event?
Adding childcare provision, a short-stay crèche, or even just allowing parents with young children into your event may not be right for everyone, however.
For instance, events with limited space, highly technical or hazardous environments, or strict security protocols may not be suitable. Similarly, conferences covering sensitive or distressing topics might not be appropriate for parents attending with young children.
As the organiser, consider whether you have the budget, staffing, and resources to provide lactation rooms, crèche facilities, lost child points, and the necessary on-site training. If the answer is ‘no’ or ‘not at this time’, a virtual event offering may be a preferred alternative.
When deciding how to make your events more inclusive, you must also consider your legal obligations for keeping children safe (more on that later). So while childcare provision is ethically the right thing to do, it’s not a decision to be taken lightly.
“Some trade shows simply shouldn’t allow children in for health and safety reasons. It could be either the machinery or technology being demonstrated, or the potential for overcrowding or inadequate safeguarding. Your first priority as a trade show planner is to guarantee a safe environment. Then weigh up the amount of positive net value a potential buyer accompanied by a child could add for your exhibitors.”
RX CEO Hugh Jones
How to get started
OK, you’ve assessed your event’s suitability, gained stakeholder support, and secured the resources to create a safe, secure, and inclusive environment for children. What's next?
First, assess your audience to determine if there are enough attendees with childcare needs to justify the investment. You can do this by asking relevant questions on your registration form or by gathering feedback through pre-event surveys. Not only will it help gauge interest, but it will also identify specific requirements such as age ranges, any special educational needs, and hours of required care.
It may also indicate that you don’t need full-time childcare provision. Alternative options include:
- A short-stay crèche: Perfect for exhibitions and larger conferences, a short-stay crèche allows children to be dropped off for up to four hours, giving parents time to focus on keynote sessions, networking, or exploring the show floor.
- Stay and play areas: These supervised play zones can be set up near the refreshment areas, allowing parents to pause, recharge, or even check their emails while their children engage with toys, games, and creative activities.
- Lactation and quiet rooms: Lactation rooms are designated spaces where breastfeeding delegates can express and store breast milk in a private and comfortable environment. Quiet rooms are great for over-stimulated children to regain calm and for parents to take a breather.
- Chaperone service: You may only have one or two children attending, such as the child of a keynote speaker. A chaperone service provides one-to-one supervision for short periods. It may include an excursion to a local museum or place of interest, or accompanying the child to their parents’ conference hotel.
Child-friendly venue sourcing
Whether you’re planning full-time childcare provision or a drop-in crèche, you need a venue that will accommodate a range of considerations. UK-based professional childcare and crèche provider, Nipperbout advises asking the following questions when discussing childcare provision with your shortlisted venues:
- Is the space large enough? In the UK, there needs to be a minimum of 3.7 square metres per child.
- Is there natural lighting? Don’t accept a dimly lit basement area with no windows for your crèche.
- Is it on the ground floor? For childcare provision, your provider will need easy access to outdoor space for fresh-air breaks.
- Where will buggies be stored? Do you need an additional, dedicated cloakroom/checkroom?
- Are there any noise considerations to be aware of? You don’t want complaints from seminars or conference break-out rooms.
- Are the venue toilets suitable? Toilets should be located near the crèche.
- Do you charge for clinical waste? If babies are being cared for, some venues will charge for a licensed company to dispose of nappy bins (in the UK, the cost is around £8 per bin). Once a day is fine for emptying nappy bins, unless the crèche is over 50 places.
“It’s best to ask your venue to provide dedicated toilets for the children and to prevent delegates from using them by putting up a ‘priority for little children' sign. It avoids accidents such as an adult pushing a heavy entry door and sending the child standing behind it flying, or the dryers becoming too hot because too many adults have been using them. You need them close to where you’re providing childcare, as small bladders and little legs could otherwise result in more work for the cleaners.”
Nipperbout founder and CEO, Janthea Brigden
Bring in the experts
Next, sourcing a professional childcare or crèche provider is crucial. Look for a company like Nipperbout in the UK and Europe, or Accent in the US, which are experienced in delivering event-based childcare. They should have robust safeguarding policies, appropriate insurance, and staff trained in first aid and child development.
Once a provider is secured, work with them to determine the required staff-to-child ratios and plan a safe and engaging environment for the children, including food and drink, age-appropriate activities, as well as health and safety measures such as sign-in/out procedures, emergency protocols, and allergy management.
The legal bit
When it comes to children at events, what are your legal responsibilities?
The UK Government’s Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance states: ’Everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe…everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action.’
For you, as an event organiser, it means establishing a comprehensive safeguarding policy and ensuring that every member of your team is not only aware of it but actively adheres to its principles.
Nipperbout’s Janthea Brigden recommends underpinning your safeguarding policy with a code of conduct. She says: “This document should encapsulate the key points of your safeguarding policy and be read and signed by all team members, and we mean all team members who could encounter children. This ensures that everyone knows how to respond if they find themselves suddenly responsible for a child.
“A critical aspect of this code is the commitment to never being alone with a child. Staff should be trained and equipped with procedures to support each other in adhering to this rule. For instance, if venue CCTV cameras are strategically placed, staff can position themselves under these cameras with a child, call for backup, and wait until support arrives.”
Additional points for the code of conduct may include:
- Acknowledging, recording, and reporting any allegations made by a child.
- Prohibiting the use of personal equipment for taking pictures of children.
- Knowing how to respond to incidents, including when to contact social services (such as in the event of a parent experiencing a sudden health issue), and identifying a safe space within the venue to temporarily keep the child until the arrival of the police or social services.
“A lot of organisers think it’s too big a task. When I tell them we have childcare for 100 children over three to four days, they look horrified. However, it’s honestly one of the easiest parts of my job because I simply need to work with the venue to find a suitable space, make sure our insurance and codes of conduct are in place and entrust a childcare provider to do the rest.”
Sammy Connell, Head of Events, NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union
FAQs
What's the difference between a crèche and event childcare?
A crèche, by legal definition, provides care for less than four hours and is therefore exempt from some regulatory requirements. That’s why you’ll see crèches in gyms, shopping malls or airports, catering to short stays. Event childcare, on the other hand, typically spans multiple hours across multiple days, especially at conferences and trade exhibitions. It requires venue registration documentation, fresh air and food breaks.
Are there access and egress considerations?
Nipperbout recommends allowing three to four hours for setup and two hours for breakdown. If a crèche starts at 9 am, it is best to book the room the night before. If the finish time is 5:00 pm, the venue may think unrealistically that they can hire the room out again at 7:00 pm, cleaned and ready.
How does GDPR affect childcare provision?
Children have the same rights as adults over their personal data. While you are entitled to capture personal data of children, there are additional obligations. For further information, read: ‘Children and the UK GDPR’ from the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Where’s the best place for a ‘Lost Child Point’ at my event?
You need a designated space. There’s too much coming and going to use the organiser’s office, the first aid tent may expose children to seeing things they shouldn’t see, and the security office won’t be suitable either. You need a safe space, with a few toys and comfortable seating, so that a child or a distressed parent can sit and wait. Nipperbout offers training for event planners in lost child provision.
Childcare: The future of inclusive events?
Event childcare isn’t about soft play and snack time. It’s a professional, regulated safeguarding solution that protects children, supports working parents and upholds your event’s reputation and integrity.
When misunderstood, it leaves gaps in compliance, safety and accountability and can put your event at risk. However, when done correctly, it creates a welcoming and inclusive experience for families.
Will the future of event planning become more child-friendly? By continuing the conversation, the industry is taking baby steps in the right direction.
