Conventions Slowly Make Room for Babies

When web developer Marilia Bognandi arrived at AWS Summit Stockholm with her one-month-old, she expected an ordinary conference day with an infant in tow. Instead, she was stopped at the entrance. 

“I offered to leave the stroller and carry the baby in the harness instead. It didn't matter; an age limit policy said no,” Bognandi wrote in a LinkedIn post that resonated with working parents across the events industry.  “AWS, please do better. And hey, why not have a kids' corner? I would have loved to bring my 3-year-old daughter today to spark her curiosity about tech.”

Asked about the policy, AWS pointed Skift Meetings to its registration rule: "You must be 18 years of age or older on the day you pick up your badge to attend this event. We are unable to accommodate any exceptions." The company did not elaborate on the reasoning.

This incident highlights a growing tension in the events industry as more attendees seek family-friendly events while organizers wrestle with operational realities. 

Many trade shows and conventions still ban children from exhibit floors, citing liability exposure, insurance restrictions, crowd-control, and safety concerns.

Liability Concerns

“I’m also an event organizer and know how easy it is to sue event organizers,” conference organizer Tatyana Arbouzova replied to the post. “Safety and liability are real concerns.” 

But critics argue that blanket no-child policies create an unnecessary barrier for working parents, particularly women returning to work after childbirth, at a time when the industry is championing inclusion. 

That contradiction became clear to Katharina Path, marketing manager conventions for the Frankfurt Convention Bureau, after she was denied entry to IMEX Frankfurt in 2023 because she had her six-month-old baby with her. 

“You promote women in business and claim to be diverse. In light of this, I should be able to bring my baby,” she wrote in a letter to IMEX organizers afterward.

IMEX responded that they would look into it. Six months later, at IMEX in Las Vegas, the organization changed its policy to allow infants on the show floor aged below one year. Strollers are also permitted. 

This spring, Path returned to IMEX Frankfurt and used the policy she had pushed for, this time with her new 11-month-old.

“It was, of course, a very proud moment this year to take advantage of the new policy myself,” said Path. “I hope that many other organizers will follow suit and allow children on the show floor, or even offer on-site childcare.”

A few are. The UK-based Meetings Show will offer a fully staffed on-site crèche for the first time this year, run in partnership with childcare specialist Nipperbout, for delegates attending June 24-25 at Excel London. 

The debate arrives as the events industry markets itself as being more human-centered and flexible. Wellness rooms and quiet spaces have become commonplace at events. Childcare, however, remains far less common, often due to cost and insurance complications. 

For many parents, particularly those with infants who are breastfeeding or not yet in childcare, the inability to bring a child means skipping the events entirely.