Diversity 2.0: Moving From Pledges to Progress

The great irony of the meetings industry is that its core mission is to bring people together — but not everyone feels welcome. The industry is predominantly white, slow to adopt diverse practices and often inaccessible to people with disabilities. 

According to the 2022 Equity Benchmarking Study, released in October by the Events Industry Council, 83 percent of event professionals who are employed within a larger organization reported that they are dissatisfied with the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry. The survey itself speaks to the industry's lack of homogeneity. Of the 1,408 total respondents, only 16 percent reported they were people of color and just 6.7 percent identified as sexually diverse. 

A rising urgency has emerged in recent years to address the industry's dearth of diversity. While some strides have been made — particularly over the past two years, in response to the Black Lives Matter movement — much more work remains to be done.

But there are no easy answers for solving DEI challenges, says Greg DeShields, executive director of Tourism Diversity Matters, founded in 2021 to bring greater representation and inclusion to the travel and meetings industries.

In Northstar Meetings Group's guide, "Taking Action on Diversity" DeShields notes that mature DEI models require identifying organizations' priorities, understanding where improvements can be made, benchmarking progress and committing to readjusting the strategy as needed over time. 

"You do not 'fix' DEI. This is evolving, and it will continue to evolve," says DeShields. "This is for the long haul; it has to be in your DNA."

Set Strategy And Metrics

Laying the groundwork for DEI progress has to begin with a comprehensive, companywide strategy, says Ashanti Bentil-Dhue, founder and CEO of Good Soil Leaders, an inclusive work-culture and leadership-development company. Simply creating an initiative is not enough.

"Initiatives are brilliant. They are a start, but they are not a strategy," she says. "Initiatives usually are ad hoc, one-off or a cluster of activities, but they're not focused, with timelines, deadlines and goals."

Bentil-Dhue advises developing a strategy that outlines specific organizational goals related to DEI. The team can then work backward to decide which metrics are needed to track progress and to meet goals on time. It's helpful to set yearly targets, such as increasing supplier diversity 30 percent by the end of 2023, and to establish monthly check-ins to review metrics, and address any gaps or roadblocks.

Also, a true DEI plan must move beyond just increasing representation. Organizations need to create an inclusive environment, where people of all backgrounds and abilities can participate fully and succeed. Efforts should focus on internal processes and staffing, as well as external-facing operations, such as event speakers and vendors.

"There has been limited action around really moving the needle when it comes to representation and diversity in middle management, senior leadership and board positions," says Bentil-Dhue. "That's where the industry could seek to improve, to take action on recruiting, and even a step back from that, developing and nurturing diverse talent so [those employees] can apply for middle management, senior management and board-level positions."

Assemble the Right Team

Equally important is ensuring that the right people and resources are dedicated to the task. Creating a committee to oversee diversity efforts, while well intentioned, is often the wrong approach, Bentil-Dhue notes.

"Committees are mostly made up of volunteers, who might have the passion, energy and enthusiasm, but they lack DEI knowledge and expertise," she says. Another issue with committees is that DEI work is added on top of their already full workloads, so they aren't able to dedicate the proper time and effort to developing, executing and measuring the results of a fully fledged strategy. It's best to hire a consultant or third-party agency that offers neutral oversight and the proper skill set needed to get traction on DEI efforts.

"This is an area that is absolutely business-critical," says Bentil-Dhue, noting that a strong diversity strategy can improve company productivity, profitability and reputation. "But you cannot get there yourself."

Make Accessibility a Priority

Far too often, people with disabilities are left out of conversations surrounding diversity. In fact, some industry professionals favor changing the acronym to DEIA to ensure accessibility is explicitly included in all policies and strategies.

Within the meetings industry, disability advocates, such as Samantha Evans, certification manager of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, are working to make the issue an industry priority, and to set higher standards that go beyond simply complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Evans says accessibility should be considered every step of the way, from site selection to vendor choices, F&B and more. Doing so is not just good practice, it's also good for business. People with disabilities comprise the world's largest minority group, according to the United Nations. By ensuring every part of the event is accessible, organizations can grow their audiences, bring in new perspectives and host more well-rounded gatherings.

"Close to 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. live with a disability, so my first recommendation is always to learn about disabled people, how they engage with the world, and the barriers they encounter in both the physical space and in our digital worlds," explains Evans. "Be intentional in learning about disabilities and the experiences of disabled people. Then, design and deliver events with accessibility in mind."

One strategy is to "shift left" by evaluating when and where planners begin to consider accessibility, and then moving this focus earlier in the planning process. For in-person events, this could include doing a physical accessibility assessment of the property during the site inspection, rather than relying on a venue's own ADA-compliance claims. 

To prove her point, Evans recently posted a video across social media of an assessment she did to see how far away the accessible parking was situated for a convention center she was evaluating. At 42 seconds, it doesn't sound like a long time, but she was driving the quarter-mile distance a person would have to walk or roll their wheelchair — on an unlit stretch of road, without sidewalks, for an evening event. This type of perspective is critical for understanding how those with special needs will be accommodated at your meetings.

Planners overseeing digital and hybrid events should consider requiring proof of accessibility and usability from vendors as a prerequisite for selection. If the vendor doesn't meet the group's accessibility needs, planners should share that information. Doing so underscores to suppliers that they must address accessibility gaps to secure business and help advance the DEIA cause.