ACCESS

Here at TOM (The Old Market), our aim is inclusion. We want to make it possible for everyone to enjoy our shows, and we cannot wait to welcome you to our little venue!

BOOKABLE ACCESS FACILITIES AND HOW TO BOOK

We have reasonable adjustments in place to make your customer journey simple and fuss-free, so please let us know if there is a form of communication that suits you best.

Personal Assistance (PA) tickets: The Old Market provides Personal Assistance (PA) tickets across all our events for customers who would otherwise be unable to attend the venue. We accept this at face value and on a basis of trust (no proof required). If you require a PA ticket alongside your booking, please contact us ahead of your visit to arrange this.

Compass Card scheme: Compass Card holders can get 15% off a ticket on selected events (matches our friends discount) by attaching their unique promo code to the cart. Available online, in person, or over the phone. Additional PA tickets can be processed as above.

Wheelchair spaces at seated events: We can allocate up to 3 wheelchairs and 3 PA spaces at our seated events. These can only be booked via phone or in person. These spaces are reserved on FF15-FF16/ A13-A16. Please note for all new on sales and events going forward, our seating plan will be slightly amended, meaning wheelchair and PA spaces will be in DD3-DD4/ DD13-DD14/ HH16-HH17 for all those events. For events with lower capacities (such as TOM’s Film Club), we can allocate up to 2 wheelchairs and 2 PA spaces on A13-A16.
Click here to see where current Wheelchair + PA spaces are located on our seating plan (the spaces are highlighted in grey)
Click here to see where future Wheelchair + PA spaces are located on our seating plan (the spaces are highlighted in grey)

Accessible Viewing Area and Wheelchair Spaces at Standing Events: Should you require a viewing area, we have two options currently available for you to choose from at the time of booking:
1) We have a small viewing area located just by the entrance to the auditorium (accessible from TOM's Bar). This area will be cordoned off and has space for up to 6 high stools. If you are a wheelchair user and would like to sit in this area, we will remove chairs to accommodate your needs. Click here to see viewing area one
2) As well as this, we are trialling a second access area at the front of the auditorium (accessible from the side entrance doors). This area will be cordoned off and will contain up to 8 chairs in total. If you are a wheelchair user and would like to use this area, we will remove chairs to accommodate your needs. Click here to see viewing area two
· If you have any questions about our viewing areas, or would like to provide any feedback about our trial second area, we would love to hear from you.
· T&Cs: Available over the phone or counter (not currently available online). Must be reserved in advance of an event. Subject to availability.

TRAVEL AND ARRIVAL GUIDE

By Car or Taxi: The nearest car park with accessible parking bays is the NCP Regency Square Car Park, which is 0.5 miles away from the venue. There is also limited parking available right outside the venue, on the street, for blue badge holders (blue badge parking is located on double yellow lines, please arrive early to make sure you secure a space). Taxis are able to drop customers off right outside the main entrance of the venue.

By Train: Brighton station is the nearest train station to the venue and is 1 mile away.

By Bus: If travelling by bus from Brighton, the nearest bus stop is 160 metres away on Western Road. The stop is called Brunswick Place (outside the Farrow & Ball shop). If travelling by bus from Hove, the nearest bus stop is 170 metres away on Western Road. The stop is called Norfolk Square (outside the Co-op Supermarket). Bus services include: 1, 1A, 2, 5, 5A, 5B, 6, 46, 49, or (at night time) N1 and N5. The 700/ N700 Stagecoach bus also runs along this route.

VENUE DESCRIPTION AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARRIVE

· Before you get to us, if you require assistance (such as early entry), please let us know before your visit. We can let you in around 10 minutes before doors open.
· Before an event, the Box Office, TOM’s Bar and the performance space opening times are event specific. For most seated events, our doors open 45 minutes prior to start time, and for standing events, the door time is nearly always the same as the stated start time. Please check your booking confirmation for start times and keep an eye out for emails from us for more information closer to the time of an event.
· Upon arrival at the venue, please make yourself known to our Box Office or Front of House team, who will welcome you and be able to advise you where to go. As we have moved to e-ticketing for all our events, your downloaded e-ticket is all you’ll need to show us in order to gain entry. Please note, we may ask for photo ID at specific events. We will always let you know if that is that case in advance of the event.
· The Old Market has step free access from the street and throughout the venue, including access to the Box Office, TOM’s Bar and the Main House.
· Access to the lower level in the venue is either via 19 steps or via platform lift, which is 31” wide and 43” deep. This provides access to our toilets (including our accessible toilet).
· We also have a platform lift from our stage door to the backstage dressing rooms, which is 32” wide and “43” deep.
· If you wish to sit in our tiered seating area, please note that the seats are raised two steps per row, with a total of 22 steps.

ACCESS USER GUIDES AND USEFUL LINKS

Click here to download a copy of our ACCESS POLICY

Click here to download a copy of our VISUAL JOURNEY

TO ASSIST WITH YOUR VISIT

Toilets: We have an accessible toilet available within the venue. It is accessed via the platform lift, and is 12 metres away from the bottom of the platform lift. Radar keys are available to collect from Box Office.

Assistance Dogs: We welcome assistance dogs into the venue and will be more than happy to provide them with water for the duration of your visit. During a performance, an assistance dog would be sat next to you. In order to secure a space for your assistance dog, please let our Box Office team know at the time of booking.

Strobe Lighting, Flashing Lights and Haze: We may occasionally have performances which contain strobe lighting, flashing lights and/or haze. Wherever possible, we will try and give customers this information in advance of booking. If you have any concerns, please call us to discuss further.

Breakout Spaces: We may occasionally use our Waterloo Room or another designated space as a breakout or sensory space. Keep an eye out on our listings and emails for more information.

Customers with Medical Requirements: We welcome any attendees who may need to bring medicine, food, drink or medical equipment with them to manage a medical condition. Please let us know at the time of booking if you need to bring any of this with you when you visit us, so that we can let our teams know.

Customers with Allergies: TOM is a nut-free and sesame-free venue. No staff, artists, or audiences are allowed to bring nuts into the building. We have signage around the venue stating this, and will always re-iterate this in all our communications with audiences and artists. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us and we can advise.

Assisted Performances: We are always striving to provide a number of different assisted performances to TOM, including Audio Described, British Sign Language Interpreted, Captioned and Relaxed performances. Please check our website show listings for all assisted performances.

COMING IN 2024 - ACCESS HUB

We are proud to share that we will be fully launching our Access Hub (working title) in early 2024.

Inclusion is very important to our ethos. We want this initiative to be lead by and created for our wonderful access audiences. What works for you? What doesn’t work? Can you help us improve our access policy? Are you full of creative ideas? If you would like to be part of our Access Hub sign up by clicking here. Watch this space. More info coming soon…