< PreviousDowntown Dallas with neighboring entertainment districts, like Cedars and the planned Rail District, creating a walkable destination designed to attract both locals and visitors,” Davis says. “The Convention Center District will be an authentic Dallas urban experience that will include restaurants, retail, lodging and entertainment options.” While “Dallas is already a great meet- ings and conventions destination, with the accessibility of two major airports, affordable labor and an outstanding hotel product,” Davis says, “The new center and Convention Center District will enhance Dallas’ competitive position and put us on par with other destinations that have already invested in their buildings.” Hewitt says Visit Savannah’s pri- mary initiative is the development of a water-facing convention center. “We are in the middle of an expansion that will double the size of the current convention center,” he says. “When complete in 2023, this expansion will have a 200,000-sf Exhibition hall, a new 40,000-sf ballroom — in addi- tion to the existing 25,000-sf one — 36 breakout rooms, and a beautiful rooftop patio overlooking the historic Savannah River.” Where there are new develop- ments in convention centers, lodging updates can’t be far behind. LOSSES MOUNTED According to the 2022 State of the Industry Report released by Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, “within the first three months of 2022, the city hosted a total of 63 conventions, trade shows and sporting events, up from 27 during the same time frame last year,” Wil- liams says. In the news release, Brian Ross, president and CEO of Experience Columbus, notes: “With six city-wides held in the first quarter and 82 events, including five city-wides, booked for the future, it’s clear that the strong recovery we hoped for and anticipated is underway.” After hosting ASAE in 2019, Williams says the city “looks ahead to January 2023 when we will host the PCMA Con- vening Leaders Conference. Later, in June 2023, we will host the U.S. Confer- ence of Mayors Annual Meeting. These two events will bring a total of approxi- mately 8,000 attendees to Columbus and $8 million in direct visitor spend with the potential to reach hundreds of millions over the next 10 years.” Also, Columbus recently hosted the American Public Transportation Association event, which brought in almost 1,400 attendees and $2.4 million in estimated direct visitor spend. Later this summer will bring in the National Guard Association of the United States, with just more than 10,000 rooms, 4,500 attendees and $3.5 million in esti- mated direct visitor spend; and in the fall, the American Health Information Management Association will come in with almost 11,000 hotel rooms, 5,000 attendees and $5.3 million in estimated direct visitor spend,” Williams says. In hotel news, “We’re looking for- ward to Columbus becoming home to the state’s largest hotel, the Hilton Columbus Downtown, when it expands with a new tower opening this fall, Wil- liams says. “The new 28-story building will house a total of 1,000 rooms and provide 75,000 sf of space for meetings, including a 15,000-sf ballroom, plus a new signature restaurant on High Street, and a rooftop bar with stunning aerial views of Downtown Columbus.” Another plus, he says, is that “The Hil- ton Columbus Downtown is attached to the convention center, making it a short elevator ride away from confer- ences and meetings for hotel guests.” In addition to the Hilton Columbus Downtown expansion, he adds, “New hotels in the city’s core include the AC Hotel by Marriott, with 154 rooms and a popular rooftop bar and the 152-room Hyatt House in the University District.” Meanwhile, Moyer notes, “In addi- tion to being the home of two premier large convention centers, Huntington Place and the Suburban Collection Showplace, the Detroit region has seen a significant increase in high-end bou- tique hotels in the past five years to compliment attractions that emphasize our rich cultural history of design and innovation.” He adds, “Locations like the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village and the Picquet Plant are fantas- tic venues that provide visitors a front- row seat to the story of America’s spirit. themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESJULY 2022 Jeff Hewitt, executive vice president of sales & services for Visit Savannah, says the city is anticipating a boost in convention business when the Savannah Convention Center’s expansion wraps up next year. COURTESY OF VISIT SAVANNAH 20Looking for a great destination for your next meeting or event? Dallas delivers. For starters, you can fly here directly from most major cities. We also have tons of fun things to see and do while you’re not working, from our walkable downtown to nearby arts and cultural districts. And, we lead the nation with the most GBAC accredited hotels and venues, so your meeting will be safe and successful. Start planning at DallasDelivers.com This news is too exciting not to share: In 2029, Dallas will unveil an expanded convention center and entertainment experience. Get an early look at VisitDallas.com/ConventionCenter Omni Dallas Hotel, DowntownDetroit is focused on activating indoor and outdoor spaces that allow events and visitors to experience the variety, and enjoy a connection to our city’s beautiful skyline and nature. Whether it is new rooftop locations like the One Campus Martius or Chroma, or the Beach at Valade Park on the Detroit Riverwalk, there are opportunities to get the best of indoor and outdoor spaces at an event.” Mansuetti points out a number of “new and exciting ventures” in the Oklahoma area that cater to locals and visitors. For starters, music takes cen- ter stage at the three-story, 29,000-sf state-of-the-art showcase, The Bob Dylan Center, “a one-of-a-kind museum dedicated to the study and apprecia- tion of Bob Dylan and his cultural sig- nificance,” and The Church Studio, “a recording studio, audio engineering school, events center and entertain- ment network “all wrapped into one location.” In addition, the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture (OKPOP) is expected to open in the Tulsa Arts District next year. Also, opening next year, the WOKA Whitewater Rafting Park featuring watersport activities. AIMING FOR 2019 NUMBERS Despite CVB efforts to regain lost ground in hosting meetings and events, challenges remain. “Columbus, along with CVBs across the country, must work to regain the momentum we had prior to the pandemic,” Wil- liams says. “For Columbus, 2019 was a record-breaking year for the tourism industry, and we are working toward recovery. Our forecast for this year is at 89% of our 2019 levels with a full recovery by 2024.” Yet, as Hewitt points out, “Due to the high volume and demands of the leisure travelers, it is not always easy to find available dates that align with the meeting organization’s preferences.” Moyer recognizes that with renewed interest in hosting in-person events, Detroit, too, faces challenges in meet- ing the demands of planners. “There is so much interest in hosting events in Detroit right now because we are a diverse, welcoming and authentic des- tination,” he says. “Our region is work- ing on expanding our hotel capacity to meet that demand.” Events organizers can help destina- tions in recovery efforts by planning events as far in advance as possible to secure preferred meeting sites and services. Davis acknowledges, “We are immensely grateful for the groups that returned first, and there was really posi- tive energy in the air, on both sides. It has become clear that screens will never replace the magic of connecting face-to-face,” Davis says. “People want to meet in person, and there is optimism in the community right now.” He adds: “Travel is inspir- ing, and people can’t go for long without experiencing it. The same things that are attractive to leisure trav- elers are good for meeting planners and attendees, too. A diversified mix of travel type gives Dallas the greatest potential to maximize revenue for the city. Leisure primarily fills hotels on the weekends, and it’s seasonal. Convention business fills weeknights and the off-season. Dallas won’t achieve full recovery without both.” Moyer says he thinks, “The best way meeting planners and event organizers can help our region is by finding ways to support local businesses. Detroiters are builders and doers, and we have so many entrepreneurs in our area that have built fantastic restaurants, bars and other retail that help connect visi- tors to our community in a welcoming, authentic manner.” Planners can help, Hewitt says, “By sourcing us and taking advantage of ser- vices we provide,” adding, “Our mission is to elevate their experience in every way possible. We have the facilities and the services needed to accommo- date their needs.” As travel opens up to attendees around the country once again, world- class destinations are rolling out the welcome mats. CVBs offer events orga- nizers a collaborative relationship and recovery roadmap to their meeting needs, whether they are seeking “his- toric, but hip; classy, but cool” in Visit Savannah; “the best of indoor and out- door spaces at an event” at Visit Detroit; “Oklahoma’s natural assets and cultural amenities” at the OTRD; a “smart, open and welcoming community with a dynamic convention package that can fit the needs of any group” at Experi- ence Columbus or a “diversity of people, diversity of neighborhoods, diversity of experiences” at Visit Dallas. | AC&F | themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESJULY 2022 The Dallas Arts District, pictured, will get a huge boost when the new, 2.5 million-sf convention center is built adjacent to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas. Christopher Moyer Senior Director of Communications Visit Detroit The best way meeting planners and event organizers can help our region is by finding ways to support local businesses. PHOTO BY JOSEPH HAUBERT 22themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESJULY 2022 T echnological advancements keep any industry fresh, and the meetings and events industry is no exception. His- torically speaking, the general look and feel of today’s meeting technology has improved significantly over the last few years, especially with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. While meetings historically took place in one location, conference calling enabled participation from anywhere with a phone line. The advent of video conferencing and telepresence tech- nology meant not only could meetings be broadcast to those not in physical attendance, but video could be shared, providing the feeling of “being there” as compared to phone-only participation. Ben Raelbrook, senior vice president of global enterprise sales at Engageli, says as mobile technology advanced, video participation was no longer lim- ited to desktop computers hardwired to the internet, and anyone with a smartphone or tablet could participate. “These innovations enabled easier video conferencing, and while they usu- ally included some sort of Q&A function or chat feature, they weren’t primarily engagement driven,” Raelbrook says. New platforms continue to push meeting technology forward, and natively include features and function- ality that drive engagement and build community, while offering the flex- ibility and accessibility to accommo- date a 50-person onboarding session or a 500-person town hall meeting or conference. “Table seating allows small groups to dynamically interact even within large event settings, and multiple communication and quiz/polling fea- tures allow quick presenter feedback, messages to other users or public ques- tions to all attendees,” Raelbrook says. Easily accessed interactive event recordings allow asynchronous par- ticipants to engage with questions as if they attended live or easily ask present- ers questions. Melissa Patruno, execu- tive event producer at Bishop-McCann, equates the advancements in today’s meeting tech to the transformation within the video game arena of the past few decades. “It’s like the video game industry, but an even faster pace. It was only a few years ago that we were building apps in the ‘Atari’ look and feel, and now we are working with beauti- ful, high-resolution graphics,” Patruno says. “We think brand and event look continuity plays an important role in DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM TIME FOR TECH Planners Are Embracing Today’s Computer Tools BY MAURA KELLER PLANNERTIPS 24making our attendees feel the event they are attending has been well cared for, and therefore they are well cared for. Every detail matters.” When determining the type and level of technology required for an event, Raelbrook says, first and fore- most, meeting planners need to clearly define their events’ objectives and requirements to ensure they are using a meeting technology that meets their needs. And audience expectations are a key component of meeting technology selection. Is this a tool you think your attendees will be able to operate easily? “Don’t over build if the audience can’t keep up. There is so much func- tionality within event tech platforms and ways to organize information,” Patruno says. For instance, a meeting planner needs to consider the size of the meeting, whether it’s 20 or several hundred attendees, and if they want to record the event for asynchronous par- ticipation. Patruno says they also need to assess the attendees, their comfort levels with technology, the hardware the attendees are using, and where they are connecting from in case of bandwidth issues. It’s also important to define the security requirements. Is the meeting going to be open to the public or for an exclusive, invite-only list? Meeting planners also need to consider the meet- ing format, and if they are looking to quickly disseminate information — i.e., one speaker, many listeners — or build community via a networking event. “Choosing a meeting technology might require planners to break free of the ‘one-to-many’ model of one speaker and many listeners, realiz- ing that new tech enables in-person, remote and asynchronous attendees to all meaningfully participate and con- tribute together,” Raelbrook says. “By leveraging the possibilities afforded by new meeting technology, planners can create more engaging conferences and events, and flexibly meet the needs of an ever-diversifying, internationalizing and remote-working workforce.” STREAMLINED DESIGN & EFFICIENCIES In addition to high-resolution graphics and interactive meeting design, today’s meeting technology offers many more options than previous renditions. As Patruno explains, a hard- coded layout can now be easily custom- ized to fit the needs of your event to put the most important information in an easily accessible location. Depending on what that is, you can make that piece of information front and center. Is your registration desk difficult to find? Send a push notification; build a banner, pop up page or place an icon at the top of the homepage. Have special instructions for a particular session? Send a com- munication to just that group. Of course, the pandemic took tech innovation and sped up the adoption process, since the meetings industry was faced with having to meet attend- ees where they were, which was online. “With virtual and hybrid, you are giving attendees options that now accommo- date a variety of preferences,” Patruno says. “Some of these being reducing the barrier to entry, providing accessible attendance options for all those inter- ested — a much larger scale now being able to connect with a larger audience and a positive impact on carbon foot- print. Not everybody who wants to attend needs to fly. This is truly a game changer to attendee personalization and customization of experience.” The flow of information has also been streamlined as of late, specifically by utilizing native and inclusive platforms. According to Patruno, integrations can be challenging and sometimes impos- sible to set up between products due to privacy and security limitations. New native platforms collect attendee data securely and allow for all information to be housed in one place, eliminating the need to transfer data between systems to create apps, flight itineraries, hotel requests, etc. “Also, there is no data loss or time lost between the time of regis- tration to using the app on-site,” Patruno says. “And the speed has also improved. Live polls and Q&As used to come with so much risk and worry on whether they would work in the session. They are commonplace today and easy to use.” Jakob Nettelbladt, chief product officer at Mentimeter, says there are three key factors meeting planners should be considering right now as it relates to technology: engagement, inclusivity and anonymity — all of which meeting tech tools help facilitate. The first factor, engagement, is a challenge for meeting planners today. As Nettelbladt explains, developments in video-conferencing tools have made remote and hybrid meetings a more common and seamless experience. But, while we’re more familiar than ever with remote meetings, there is still an element of disconnect between the people in the room and the people on screen. “It is difficult to virtually rep- licate the level of engagement that you get in person. Meeting planners should be thinking about how we can use tech- nology to re-create everyday engage- ment moments, like the water-cooler chats remote employees are otherwise missing out on,” Nettelbladt says. This means making sure everyone has their voice heard during a meeting. Attendees shouldn’t go long periods without expressing ideas, working collaboratively in platforms such as Miro or Google Docs, or interacting with a presentation element that 25 JULY 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES Jakob Nettelbladt, chief product officer at Mentimeter, says there are three key factors meeting planners should be considering right now as it relates to technology: engagement, inclusivity and anonymity. COURTESY OF JAKOB NETTELBLADTpromotes participation. “Instead of going from meeting link to meeting link in passive attendance, meeting participants need to be nurtured into being active contributors — and much of that is down to the work of meeting planners,” Nettelbladt says. When planners make a habit of incor- porating these kinds of daily engagement moments into their work, meetings will be much more inclusive. “Making sure that everyone gets involved and has their voice heard is a strength in any organi- zation,” Nettelbladt says. “Including a broad range of perspectives, experi- ences and skills only makes an organiza- tion stronger, and their deci- sion-making more efficient and effective.” Though it may seem counterintuitive, a great way to harness the power of inclusivity is by using ano- nymity. According to a recent study by Mentimeter, 71% of meeting participants want anonymous ways to engage. Utilizing technology that allows for anonymous input gives meeting planners the ability to unlock that diverse potential in the room. “People who may otherwise not want to voice their opinion because they lack the confidence or fear of being judged often jump at the opportunity to engage anonymously with the context of their response removed,” Nettelbladt says. “Meeting hosts are left with the con- tribution itself, free of context and bias.” TECHNOLOGY COMPONENT “MUST HAVES” Every meeting is different. The real skill in meeting planning is understand- ing what the right tech is for the meeting at hand. “Tech that allows the presenter to read the room, and a frictionless way for the audience to interact with the presenter is, to me, a ‘must have’ for larger meetings,” Nettelbladt says. There are some key components that every meeting technology platform should offer both the meeting planner as well as the end user, also known as the attendees. Accessibility, for both in- person and virtual attendees, is also a necessity in today’s meeting technology. Make sure to consider how to make the content more accessible for all attend- ees by using such things as captions, multilingual subtitles, etc. Lalit Mangal, CEO of Airmeet, says tools and technologies that reduce time spent on tasks, increase efficiency and help parties interact more meaningfully — external stakeholders, vendors, part- ners and customers — have also demon- strated an uptick in adoption. “It’s also important that planners consider a way to measure analytics from their meet- ings,” Mangal says. “Platforms now allow evaluation of views, interactions within the meeting and overall partici- pation data. This information will help planners better understand the needs of the employees and improve the process moving forward.” Of course, with any technology used within the meetings and events realm, consideration about what will be easi- est for the attendee is a must. Examples would be seating charts for breakouts, session surveys, floorplans, as well as scanning/check-in. Libby Zito, lead attendee experience manager at Bishop-McCann, says some additional meeting technology “must haves” include: • A customizable registration platform — Make sure the right people are being asked the right questions up front. • Being mobile friendly — Planners need to meet the attendees where they’re at and when they’re online. • Video production/animation capabilities — Attendees are on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. They watch video content all the time. You need more video content to relay your message at your conferences. • Digital signage — It must be customizable and have the ability to utilize social aggregators. • Live Q&A and polling — Keep your attendees engaged even when watching a session live. • Strong internet — Use buyouts and hardlines where necessary. Of course, all of the “bells and whistles” of today’s meeting technol- ogy come with a cost. The budget allo- cated for meetings and events should include technology requirements. “But there are also many workarounds that can save a lot of money and can achieve the same outcome,” Patruno says. These include such things as QR codes for daily agendas versus investing in a full app. Some additional technol- ogy trends that meeting plan- ners are beginning to embrace include customization tech- nology. As Mangal explains, customizable attendee experi- ences allow planners the free- dom to create exactly what they need in the exact moment they need it. “Customizations within the platform they’re using should be thoughtfully created and can be with new tools to make each meeting branded perfectly to the topic or theme of that particular day,” Mangal says. In addition, there are now a wealth of interactive opportunities that today’s meeting tech tools offer. These include immersive, hyper-personalized experi- ences. There are new tools available on virtual platforms that allow for interac- tive opportunities to engage attendees. This could include polling, quizzes, games and more. VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING TECHNOLOGY The experience of remote attendees has come a very long way in recent years. Nettelbladt points out that now, most workers can pivot from fully in-person to hybrid or remote at a moment’s notice. Remote attendees are visible on-screen, attention paid to companies’ provision of bandwidth means that the audio is usually solid, and — especially in smaller meetings — groups are typi- cally very good at including the remote party in the discussion. themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESJULY 2022 Gadgets such as smartphones, tablets and laptops mean meeting attendees no longer have to be physically present. But planners must ensure remote attendees feel included. DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM 26When utilizing meeting technol- ogy for a virtual meeting experience, consider the virtual attendee’s virtual journey. Is there a way to incorporate more real-time audience interactions to make them feel more included? “Build the virtual agenda as its own experience and consider the factors that play into attending a program remotely,” Zito says. “Utilize virtual event platforms tools to elevate this experience.” Mangal says utilizing a hybrid- friendly platform’s abilities to engage with meeting or event attendees in a hybrid format also is on the rise. “Humanizing hybrid meetings using technologies and platforms that can augment the experience will involve mimicking real-life event spaces, add- ing immersive functionalities, hyper- customizing the platform and so forth to maintain prolonged engagement.” Indeed, given the proliferation of mobile devices, browsers and hardware, Raelbrook stresses that meetings should support the widest variety of tech pos- sible to ensure the greatest possible participation. “An old phone or envi- ronment with slow internet shouldn’t prevent someone from participating. Accessibility and flexibility to use the platform across older hardware or lower bandwidths are also must-haves to make a meeting a success,” Raelbrook says. EMBRACING FUTURE TECH TRENDS As we know, technology advance- ments in industries are constantly changing, and the meetings and events industry has experienced a tremendous number of technological advancements that have truly catapulted the industry into the future. In the near term, as the use of meeting technology continues to grow and augment or replace in-person meetings, Raelbrook says meeting plan- ners should look for technology that is purpose-built for effective collabora- tion, makes it frictionless and easy for all attendees to participate, and safeguards personal data. Meeting planners should also look for innovations that measure attendee behaviors to optimize the event experience. As Zito suggests, NFC chips and RFID tracking will be new tech tools for planners and attendees to embrace. “Right now, it’s still out of the realm of being a possibility for many budgets, but RFID tracking will be more attainable and easier to execute on-site in the near future,” Zito says. Other tech tool predica- tions include meeting apps for every event, hologram presenters and augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) tools. “VR technology pres- ents an opportunity to truly re-create the feeling of being together with people despite being online, and opens up new possibilities for participants to engage with each other and with event content,” Raelbrook says. “VR technol- ogy also promises much of the same granular data that is available with online meeting platforms.” Nettelbladt agrees that while the prospect of VR, AR and holograms becoming a part of our everyday work lives is much talked about, it is a little too far off into the future and a little too sci-fi, still, to accurately predict whether it will really take off. “There is a great novelty to these ideas, though it remains to be seen what kind of business value they will add,” Nettelbladt says. The innovation that really has Net- telbladt excited is the development of user-friendly data analytics for meet- ings. When you make your meetings interactive, what you get at the end of the meeting is a digital artifact that preserves the content, contributions and outcomes of the meeting. If a pre- senter then re-uses that same presenta- tion multiple times, they’ll begin to see trends and differences revealing them- selves over time that you wouldn’t be able to observe otherwise. “Being more data-driven in our meeting strategy is the tech innovation that will add the most immediate and substantial busi- ness value,” Nettelbladt says. Technology advancements aside, meeting tech experts agree that meet- ings and events have different objec- tives, and hosting a meeting on a platform that isn’t purpose-built can compromise the success of the meeting. As such, the meeting planner should carefully consider what resources they need, and most importantly, what is the purpose of the meeting and does the tech selected support it? “Planners should be familiar with whatever tech they decide to use and do extensive testing before an event,” Raelbrook says. “Millions of events and meetings face challenges when people don’t have the latest version of software installed, can’t connect a camera/micro- phone, or have issues simply accessing a meeting. Things will inevitably go wrong during an event, so it’s crucial to have support staff standing by to communi- cate to all attendees how they can get their issues resolved.” | AC&F | JULY 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES Lalit Mangal, CEO of Airmeet, says meeting technology now also allows much easier collection of attendee data, which will help planners better understand the needs of the attendees. Libby Zito Lead Attendee Experience Manager Bishop-McCann Build the virtual agenda as its own experience and consider the factors that play into attending a program remotely. COURTESY OF LALIT MANGAL 27THE DEI DYNAMIC The Meetings Industry Can be a Catalyst for Change themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIESJULY 2022 D EI — diversity, equity and inclusion — has become a significant topic of conversa- tion and, more importantly, a significant call to action for asso- ciations and other organizations across the globe, both public and private. For some, accessibility is specifically added as a fourth element, though equity and inclusion should by definition include people with differing abilities. Whether called DEI or DEAI, the purpose behind the acronyms is the same: To create an environment and culture where all are welcomed, all have access, all are respected and all are equal. DEI typically includes race, gender, reli- gion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, lan- guage, socioeconomic status, ability/ disability and differing political perspec- tives. It may include equity in procedures and processes within an organization. There may be a focus on justice and clos- ing gaps of disparity related to pay or promotions, and ensuring not only that everyone in the organization has a voice, but that leadership listens to those voices. As the world has become ever more divisive, the need for organizations to make DEI an integral part of their core mission and culture has become ever more critical. But what, exactly, does that look like? DEI is a microscope that reveals how an individual, company or association is upholding systemic racism, sexism, ableism, etc. in their hiring, pro- curing and design practices. By revealing the existing systems that create unin- tentional and intentional barriers, we can develop new systems that center on inclusive behavior that leverages equity as a strategy to achieve diverse results. That’s the definition put forward by Chiriga “Zoe” Moore, certified diversity practitioner (CDP) and immediate past chair of MPI Global’s advisory board. She practices DEI consulting as a pro- fession, and has seen firsthand how it plays out in the meetings industry. “The focus on diversity, equity and inclusion has impacted the way planners think about hiring, partnering, designing and evaluating more than the financial ROI of their events,” she says. AN IMPORTANT FACTOR The recognition of the importance of DEI among associations is increas- ing. “As a hospitality equity, diversity and inclusion strategic consultant, I’ve seen increased inquiries from associa- tion management companies,” Moore says. “Most are in the early stages of acknowledgment, awareness and assessing their areas of opportunities, but the requests for services are more frequent than in the past.” While this is progress, she says, “The dilemma is that few association leaders understand how DEI needs to be inte- grated as core to their business strate- gies and implemented to change exist- ing practices, processes and procedures. The goal is that the continued focus leads to more executive DEI roles being created to ensure an intentional focus on initiatives, programs and investments.” Creating an executive DEI role or hiring a consultant to focus on aligning the organization’s business goals with a DEI strategy was, in fact, among the recommendations of the MPI Global DEI Committee to the international board of directors. “That may feel like a heavy lift because its new,” Moore says, “but it’s a realistic step that will not only challenge existing operational biases, but improve the organization’s competitive and innovative advantage.” Partnering with the Event Leader- ship Institute and MPI, Moore launched the Event DEI Strategist course early this year. She’s also being asked to keynote and facilitate more breakout sessions than in the past. “Personally, I feel more seen than I ever have as a Black woman in America. It has also increased my cultural and social com- petence of systemic oppression across the business ecosystem.” Moore is an instructor in the Event DEI Strategist course, and the feedback so far has been very positive. “I have received and am receiving feedback from participants that they’ve learned to strategically focus their efforts and advocacy on internal practices and external client engagement,” she says. “The course is structured around the CMP curriculum, and many participants were shocked to learn that the existing domains barely address DEI in key areas such as risk management, marketing and design. Participants are learning how to translate their awareness to action.” One challenge, Moore notes, is that, “Many want to believe that the industry is inclusive and that there are no barri- ers to entry or mobility. This belief isn’t based on data; it stems from fear of what focusing on the truth will reveal about individuals, companies and associations. We can’t overcome challenges without facing the reality that the institution of business, therefore our industry, is established on a system of oppression and inequity,” she says. She continues, “According to Data USA, women of European descent ages 35 to 43 make up BY CHRISTINE LOOMIS INDUSTRYINSIGHT 28over 80% of the industry, but less than 12% of senior leadership. That fact alone indicates that we have normalized men as authority figures that manage finance and strategy at the executive level. Are men ready to take accountability for this reality? If so, they’ll not only yield their positions to balance and redistribute power, they’ll get directly involved in contributing to the recruitment, reten- tion and career development of persons that identify as women.” There’s no question as to DEI’s importance in our industry, and Moore doesn’t mince words: “Pick your city or state. What happened in Buffalo, Texas, California, New York and Minnesota could happen at any event. DEI is not only a preventative measure, it has a very real value to putting a stop to domestic terrorism.” Her advice to planners and asso- ciations interested in DEI is to start with an assessment. “Not investing in a formal assessment is like being pre- scribed medicine that only addresses symptoms and not the root cause of an ailment,” she says. “And simply adding a token diverse person to an organiza- tion’s leadership is not an answer.” To start, leadership has to buy into the proposition that there’s a need for diversity in the organization and has to be willing to be accountable for the lack of diversity to begin with. “The best advice,” Moore adds, “is to include a plan for recurring education, because the assessment will more than likely reveal some deep-seated biases and drastic changes that need to be made to effectively level the playing field.” START SMALL Of course, there are smaller changes associations can make as a start to becoming more inclusive, and meet- ings and events offer excellent oppor- tunities for that. Marla Schrager, CAE, vice president, Chicago, with Kellen, an association management company, says planners can look at getting more diverse voices on panels and among speakers, for example. She also suggests eliciting more participation from com- mittees with members of more diverse backgrounds and seeking out more part- nerships with like-minded organizations. Schrager, who serves as executive director of the College Media Asso- ciation, The Association for Gradu- ate Enrollment Management and the Society of American Travel Writers, says, “We’re seeing a shift in the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion to ensuring that there is representation of speakers and panelists from diverse backgrounds providing multiple per- spectives.” Associations, she continues, “are looking to incorporate DEI in every aspect of their meetings by bringing in diverse voices from across the world. However, the starting point should be diversifying the association itself, from the board to volunteers to reaching new audiences if a diverse constituency is not already present.” There’s progress in this, Schrager says, but there is still more opportu- nity — opportunity to be conscious in every aspect of meeting planning, from marketing to networking with those of diverse backgrounds and incorporating the views of diverse people and per- spectives into meetings. Ariana Reed, Global Strategic Part- nerships, Meetings & Events, AMEX Global Business Travel (AMEX GBT), also points to meetings and events as an important — and increasingly expected — pathway for organizations invested in diversity, equity and inclusion. “The ris- ing importance of inclusive events has created an increased need for planners 29 JULY 2022 themeetingmagazines.comASSOCIATION CONVENTIONS & FACILITIES Zoe Moore, center, a certified diversity practitioner, says she’s hearing more from associations seeking her expertise to help them boost their DEI efforts. COURTESY OF ZOE MOORENext >