By Barbara Scofidio
There’s no question that meetings are getting more diverse, equitable and inclusive, thanks to collaboration between planners and venues.
A smart first step is to create a DEI advisory board for your meeting. A diverse group of professionals can help with the planning process and give input on meeting content, speakers and programs. It’s also important to also ask the attendees what they would need to feel included and welcomed. A DEI advisory board gives you access to all kinds of issues and information you may not be aware of otherwise.
A diverse meeting also starts with the site selection process. Check the destination websites. Does promotional content reflect DEI? Does the website feature diverse bloggers telling the story of the city? On site visits, take a good look around at hotel staff, from front desk to housekeeping. Do they reflect a diverse and inclusive venue?
Pre-convention meetings are instrumental; they allow all parties to ensure that every detail is well planned and expectations are met. During this time, the venue staff can present how they will be advocates for every attendee. It will also allow everyone to talk through all of the possibilities and outcomes.
Marketing and collateral materials also should show the full range of demographics you want to attract and highlight activities and extracurricular programming that would be of interest to them.
Speaker diversity has been a huge topic, especially in the meetings industry, where the majority of attendees are women. Most speakers’ bureaus can slice and dice their keynote offerings by many different criteria, including the racial/ethnic/gender and other demographic background of the speaker, along with topics and other specialties—including speakers who specialize in diversity, equity and inclusion topics. Just visit your favorite speakers’ bureau website and do a search on the criteria you seek, and if you can’t find the right keynoter, ask your representative. There also are speakers’ bureaus that specifically focus on supplying diverse speakers, such as the Black Speakers Network.
Another powerful way to bring in diverse voices is to ask your staff, volunteers and members to share their stories. For example, to celebrate Black History Month at meetings being held in February, ask people to tell a story about their Black history.
Did you know that your local convention and visitors bureau can connect you with diverse local suppliers? Los Angeles, for example, offers a database of minority-, women-, LGBTQ+ and veteran-owned event suppliers through its Business Connect program, the official supplier diversity program of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission. The network is comprised of small, minority-owned business suppliers representing more than 25 disciplines in meeting, convention and event production, including AV, décor, entertainment, security and transportation.
Remember that DEI is not a one-time thing or a box you can check off. It will continue to evolve, especially since the U.S. workforce is poised to change significantly over the next three to five years. Boomers are leaving the workforce, and in a few years are expected to just make up just 7 percent of the total, while Gen Z attnedees will be closer to a quarter or a third of your group.
• Tourism Diversity Matters has produced several free, useful and downloadable resources. Among these resources is a Diversity & Inclusion Vocabulary, a 5-page listing of some common terms used by underrepresented groups. Much of the vocabulary on the list refers to terms used to describe aspects of the LGBTQ+ community, such as Cisgender (someone whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth), but it also includes words that describe more general DEI terms such as Stereotype (“a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing”). tourismdiversitymatters.org
•The Institute for Diversity Certification provides training and certification in effective DEI practices. diversitycertification.org
• The Diversity Movement partners with organizations to build and strengthen culture by connecting real-world business outcomes to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. thediversitymovement.com
• The National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals, a national nonprofit, is dedicated primarily to the training needs of African American meeting planners, as well as the improvement of the meetings, conferences, exhibitions and conventions they manage. ncbmp.com
• Meeting Professionals International has an Equality and Justice resource section rich in podcasts, chapter resources, videos, movies/documentaries, and other tools and materials. mpi.org/tools/equality-and-justice-resources
•The Professional Convention Management Association has Ascent Resources, which includes on-demand sessions and webinars to help coach more inclusive practices. pcma.org/ascent