Diversity and Inclusivity in your Events

Diversity and Inclusivity in your Events

Males and extroverts are best served by the meetings and events industry, while introverts are the worst served, according to a research report issued by Meeting Professionals International (MPI).

The report, The State of Inclusion in Meetings & Events, was a collaborative effort of MPI and New York University’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, and was based on a review of relevant literature, 16 expert interviews and a survey of 1,087 MPI members.

Several demographic groups were studied to determine to what extent event professionals plan for inclusivity and diversity, while exploring how meetings can better accommodate them.
Based on the survey finding, the Introverts are the graded C- for how well they were being served by the events industry.

As such, a corporate event organiser in Singapore can take heed of such finding better serve Introverts by using technology that allows them to ask questions in alternative ways and assigning seats during lunch.

Another key area of the study was an assessment of how much the meetings and events industry is focusing on diversity. While these findings suggest that offering greater diversity and inclusion is important to the industry, 40% of survey respondents said that they don’t have all the information they need to plan inclusive experiences. Other barriers to providing the experiences include not having enough budget, (20%) and not having enough time (13%).

How so then, can an event company in Singapore measure diversity? Gathering attendee feedback before, during and after a meeting or an event is one method. However, often, not enough data are collected at events, or the wrong data are collected, or the right data are collected but the organisation doesn’t have the analytical capabilities to make use of them.

In such instances, the event management company in Singapore can try to introduce participatory games that encourage attendees to share information about themselves, their views and their goals. The more information they share, the better event organiser understands their wants and needs.

Here are some ways to accommodate diversity when designing an event:

• Carefully select a date that does not coincide with religious holidays in different faiths
• Conduct a site visit to assess the accessibility of the destination and the venue
• Discuss with caterers about your inclusivity goals and needs for the event, such as special dietary requirements
• Selection of speakers/presenters that reflect the diversity of the audience you wish to attract
• Event materials in different languages
• Prayer or Nursing rooms on site

It is important to be more inclusive and diverse for future events and conferences, as the world evolves and different needs are surfacing in this vocal era. Catering to such needs could make a huge difference in the outcome of your event. Speak to us today and we can look out for these needs for you.