Find information on access and parking, lavatories, hearing assistance, medical facilities, wheelchair hire and dedicated ticket lines.

Welcome to The NEC and The NEC Arena, part of The NEC Group. This leaflet covers all facilities available to visitors with disabilities.

If you have any queries or need assistance during your visit, please contact any member of staff who will be happy to help.

We hope you enjoy your visit.

For further information on accessibility to The NEC Piazza (Halls 1 - 5) and The NEC Atrium (Halls 6 - 20), including photos, please click on the following links through the DisabledGo website.

• The NEC Piazza
• The NEC Atrium

If travelling by train disembark at Birmingham International Railway Station, access to The NEC and The NEC Arena is via the bridge-link.

All levels of The NEC and The NEC Arena are accessible to wheelchair users, via ramps or lifts. The Piazza and Atrium main entrances have automatic doors.

A lift between Hall 5 and Toute Suite opposite the Main Piazza Entrance takes disabled visitors from Piazza level 1 to level 2. Tactile signage is fitted in or by the majority of lifts and public areas. Assistance Dogs are welcome at our venues, however we do not recommend that they are brought to concerts or other loud events.

For vehicles displaying blue badges, parking is free of charge at both our venues, situated at or near the main entrances.

Additional parking is also available, in main car parks, and these are serviced by free shuttle buses which are accessible to wheelchair users.

On arrival at venues, Traffic Officers will direct you to the most convenient parking area.

Please check your tickets for the doors open time, and arrive in plenty of time. The NEC Arena can be extremely busy before the start of a concert or event.

Induction loop audio systems are fitted in the following locations:

• All Piazza cloakrooms and ticket booths

• Selected cloakrooms and ticket booths in the Atrium

• Concourse Suites 1 and 2

• Gallery Seminar Rooms 1, 2 and 3

We also have a number of portable induction loops which can be set up wherever needed.

All disabled visitors, attending concerts are advised to call our Dedicated Ticket Line number (0121 782 3555) when booking tickets. Please inform us at the time of booking if you need a wheelchair space or have any special requirements, so that we can arrange for everything to be ready on your arrival.

We will also help you find the most convenient seating for visitors with visual impairment.

Assistance dogs are welcome at our venues, but owing to sound levels involved, we recommend that you do not bring Assistance Dogs to concerts or other loud events.

Please note that all ticket sales are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

For The NEC, The NEC Arena, The NIA & any Non-NEC Group Venues

0121 782 3555 (+44 121 782 3555 from outside the UK)
Dedicated ticket line opening times:
9am - 8pm Monday to Friday (not including Public Holidays)
9am - 5pm Saturday & 10am - 5pm Sunday (weekend opening hours may be extended on concert/event days)

For The ICC & Symphony Hall

0121 780 4949 (+44 121 780 4949 from outside the UK)
Dedicated ticket line opening times:
10am - 6pm Monday to Friday, extended to 8pm on concert nights (not including Public Holidays)
12pm - 5pm Saturday, when there is no performance
10am - 5pm Saturday, when there is a daytime performance
10am - 8pm Saturday, when there is an evening performance
2pm - 5pm Sunday, when there is no performance
10am - 5pm Sunday, when there is a morning performance
12pm - 5pm Sunday, when there is an afternoon performance
2pm - 8pm Sunday, when there is an evening performance

The NEC:

The main Medical Centre is in the Piazza, near Hall 5. Qualified staff are on duty throughout all exhibitions and events.

The Atrium Medical Centre is located by Atrium Entrance 2, opposite Hall 8.

The NEC Arena:

There is a Medical Centre at the rear of Block 3. Qualified staff are on duty when The NEC is open. In an emergency, please notify a member of Security who will radio for a nurse.

For exhibitions at The NEC , our service partner Magbility operate a mobility equipment hire service. We strongly advise visitors to prebook equipment to avoid disappointment. Magbility operate a telephone booking line Monday to Friday 0900hrs-1700hrs on 01527 837076. For any visitors who have not prebooked equipment and arrive on the day, any remaining stock will be issued on a first- come, first-served basis. Manual wheelchairs are free of charge to blue badge holders, £5 per day to other visitors. Electric scooters are £15 per day for all visitors. This is a non-refundable scheme.

An in-house committee meets regularly to address services for disabled visitors, and regular audits of our building are undertaken in respect of access.

If you have any suggestions or comments you wish to make, please advise a member of staff. Alternatively, write to:

Visitor Liaison Manager,
The NEC,
Birmingham B40 1NT

The NEC Group comprises The NEC, The NEC Arena, The NIA, The ICC and Symphony Hall.

In the event of a medical emergency please notify a member of Security or any member of staff who will be pleased to help you. Alternatively, call the Medical Centre on 2222 using the internal telephones located inside the main venues.

The NEC and The NEC Arena have mostly unisex wheelchair accessible toilets, with the exception of The NEC exhibition halls, where there are Male and Female wheelchair accessible toilets.

As part of an ongoing improvement plan, these toilets will be upgraded to unisex.