The Abilities Expo, which was last held in June at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, provides information on the latest technology and disability products, educational workshops and more. Courtesy of Pam Hailey

Accountability in DEI gives meeting and event planning teams a clear plan of action. They understand what is expected of them and by when. When planners and their attendees are held accountable for DEI initiatives, they are more likely to drive positive change into their events.

What Is DEI At Its Core?

The terms “DEI” or “DEIB” with the “B” representing “belonging” have been bandied about in offices in recent years. In order to implement DEI initiatives and hold teams accountable for integrating DEI in meetings and events, it is important to have a good sense of what the acronym actually means.

Quite simply, diversity means differences in people that have resulted in different worldviews and personal experiences. These differences may be in age, ethnicity, race, religion, language, socioeconomic status and gender identity, to name a few. Equity focuses on recognizing that people come from different, unequal places and we must make adjustments to any imbalances that arise. Inclusion means creating an environment that is welcoming and supportive to all individuals and groups, so that no one is left on the proverbial sidelines. Being inclusive in the context of meeting and events means ensuring individuals who have disabilities feel welcomed and accommodated so they can fully participate.

Previously, meeting planners looked at event success from a financial standpoint. Success was measured by room pick-up, F&B spend and other financial-related factors. As Pam Hailey, director of sales at Meet Chicago Northwest, explains, today’s meeting planners now are asking questions about how a group felt when they were there. Did they feel welcomed, included and respected? Networking at events along with social media enables planners to instantly share this feedback, as well as successes and frustrations, with a wide audience. Meeting planners are taking more time to understand what DEI is and recognize that it’s much more than race.

“Meeting planners also are looking for partners that recognize the importance of every phase of DEI,” says Hailey. “In a nutshell, they want partners who respect their clients for who they are, understand what is important to them and ensure they will be treated fairly in all situations and circumstances.”

Meeting organizers and their clients will no longer spend their dollars in places where they don’t feel welcome and appreciated and where they don’t see people who look like them or are reflective of their core values and beliefs. Hailey notes that at recent conferences cities, states and venue video presentations and ads are incorporating a message of inclusivity and diversity. Some of the strongest campaigns that resonate with attendees are not about size of rooms and convention centers, but how you or your client will feel when you’re here.

Holding Planners Accountable

Egypt Graham, founder and CEO of Planning 2 Perfection, stresses the importance of meeting planners reminding clients of diversity throughout the entire process as the key step to creating diverse environments. She says keeping this on the forefront of their minds when developing event committees, hiring vendors and developing communications that will attract diverse populations should be weaved in throughout the entire planning process.

“We hold our teams and clients accountable by unapologetically calling it out immediately but also providing solutions on addressing the disparity quickly,” Graham says.

Graham actively hires diverse vendors to serve her clients with the goal to expose clients to excellent service providers with diverse backgrounds. She also makes it her business to hire women that range in age and economic backgrounds to ensure Planning 2 Perfection is getting diversity of thought in the conversation to ensure her team is providing innovative solutions for their clients.

When it comes to establishing accountability within meeting and event teams, there are different strategies to take.

“In my meetings, I use readings, videos, surveys, questionnaires and interactive tools to engage my team. During our sessions, we also have breakouts and roundtable discussions. There are a lot of resources on the [Society for Human Resources] SHRM website, LinkedIn and other online platforms,” says Camille Andres, executive assistant at the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at The University of Chicago. “It is a great place to connect with other professionals, it doesn’t cost anything and it is a great resource.”

At Meet Chicago Northwest (MCNW), they are dedicated to actively and intentionally cultivating an environment that values diversity, equity and inclusion. As they connect residents and visitors, Hailey and her team commit to ushering in an atmosphere of warmth and hospitality.

“As the convention and visitors bureau for our eight communities, we encourage all of our employees, civic leaders and partners, as well as our cities, counties and the State of Illinois to enact positive change in the communities we proudly represent and serve,” Hailey says. “I’m specifically tasked with seeking out opportunities that stretch beyond the comfort zone that we live and work in. We are attending new shows that allow us to broaden our reach and showcase the wide variety of options our communities have to offer. We are tapping into our own diverse backgrounds and seeking out like groups and opportunities.”

Hailey recently attended the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals conference and their tagline is “we do business with our friends.” At MCNW, they attend conferences and events to network and book business, but also to create a level of trust and comradery that demonstrates their commitment to providing quality service while upholding their core values. From sales, marketing, social media and partner relations, the entire organization is focused on supporting partners with initiatives that highlight the broad variety of diverse options the communities they serve have to offer.

In addition, MCNW created and funded an initiative for local restaurants to convert their menus to Braille in preparation for the American Council of the Blind annual conference. The organization also utilizes AudioEye on the Meet Chicago Northwest website. This visual toolkit allows for a change of colors, highlights, text size, etc., and makes the website accessible and user-friendly to those with compromised vision.

“And in honor of International Women’s Day and to celebrate Meet Chicago Northwest’s 40th Year in business, we created a blog and highlighted 40 Women in Chicago Northwest Hospitality That You Should Know,” Hailey says.

In an effort to celebrate cultural dining options in Chicago’s Northwest suburbs, MCNW highlights ethnically diverse restaurants in the communities. The organization introduced a new Passport Program to encourage visitors and local residents to explore nearby businesses, restaurants and retailers. They also added an Asian and Taco passport to the program in support of their Asian and Hispanic restaurant partners.

“We tapped into our employees’ backgrounds and interests to further grow our involvement with diverse organizations like National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals and the Northwest Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which focuses on business development in the Latino community across Chicago’s northwest suburbs,” Hailey says. “These are just a sampling of initiatives we highlight to our meeting planners as they prepare to determine if our communities are a right fit for their group.”

One of the best ways to understand the DEI needs of attendees and to hold meeting planning teams accountable in meeting those needs is to conduct attendee surveys. This can be included on the event website and in the registration confirmation communication. If an event was run previously, you can access post-event surveys from previous events for additional insights. Ask attendees what their DEI needs are and include a mix of questions with set responses, as well as open-ended questions, to ensure you get a broad range of responses.

For example, attendees who have hearing or sight disabilities may need special accommodations. Technology continues to evolve and there are now high-quality, easy-to-implement, affordable solutions available. AI removes the need for human interpreters, which makes planning easier and significantly reduces costs. To accommodate attendees who have mobility issues, make sure you provide ample time for attendees to move from one venue to another. Other tips include providing an in-person and virtual option, as well as offering captions and translations for all sessions, not just the keynotes.

The Future of DEI in Meeting Planning

In the process of planning an event and working with stakeholders, vendors, venues and attendees, Andres is seeing meeting and event planners building a culture of DEI. To make it successful, plan for everyone involved and not just cater to the needs of the “typical” attendee.

Focusing on DEI and making your team accountable for doing so can increase attendance by making the event more attractive to prospective attendees. And offering inclusive events can also lead to higher employee retention for company meetings and can help meeting planning teams feel good about the job they are doing.

“Building a culture of DEI is tricky because people don’t always realize that DEI is about more than race and ethnicity,” Andres says. “It is about gender equality, the LBGTQ community, people with disabilities, people of various ages, and making people not only feeling included, but also a sense of belonging.”

Team members who are focused on integrating DEI initiatives means that everyone is “on the same page” when it comes to ensuring all attendees’ needs are met and they feel welcomed and encouraged to attend. When an entire team is focused on the end DEI goal, a lead meeting planner can feel confident that all aspects of a meeting are being met.

Andres notes that, for meetings, planners have to give people credit and grace for showing up and participating, especially when discussing difficult subjects.

Within the great meeting and events industry, SHRM has an annual conference that Andres recommends DEI professionals should attend. They offer DEI presentations and tools for attendees. Over the four days, meeting planners can attend learning sessions on various topics. They also have a certification program that people can participate in at a fall conference as well.

Andres sees DEI growing because the younger generation coming up is more sensitive to these issues in the world, so DEIB will just be a part of every company’s culture.

“They are not going to stand for many of the topics that we have to teach people now, like dealing with microaggressions, accessibility for people with disabilities, and gender-neutral language and pay,” Andres says.

Looking ahead, Hailey believes that meeting planners will be tasked with taking the initiative to learn and truly understand what DEI really means and that they go hand in hand. From diversity that acknowledges and respects all the human differences and equity that ensures fair practices allowing everyone to thrive to where everyone feels included without standing out, equal access should be the norm, not the exception.

“Focusing on diversity without thoughts of inclusion puts you back to square one. DEI also hits differently to various age and ethnic groups, so they’ll need to truly understand their client’s motivation,” Hailey says. “Planners will be looking beyond just a hotel or convention center’s capacity. They’ll look at their staff, vendors, suppliers, partners, speakers, etc., to see if the organization is reflective of those they are attempting to bring in.”

Graham believes DEI in the meeting and events space still has a long way to go. The industry is still lacking in diversity, but she believes that things are slowly turning a corner.

“Just this year, I was executing an event at one of our large hotels in Philadelphia and the staff at the hotel said, ‘Wow, what an awesome conference. In all my time working at this hotel, I’ve never seen so many vendors of color on one conference.’  I felt proud but sad at the same time,” Graham says. “Organizations like Tourism Diversity Matters are constantly developing content and initiatives to create change in our industry.”    I&FMM