The vast benefits of a richly diverse workforce are well documented. According to the Harvard Business School, organizations which are represented with the greatest ethnic, racial, gender, and sexual orientation see financial returns above the average across their respective industries. For meetings and events to be a productive and vital extension of an organization’s success, diversity must first be considered as a strategic and deliberate objective. And it’s not just the diversity of demographics that needs to be deliberated; true diversity includes a wide range of thought and learning styles as well. Deep diversity isn’t only about who is invited to attend the meeting or event. It is also about who is given roles of participation, content delivery and leadership. This is where true inclusion thrives.

2. Our Panelist
Mazda T. Miles, CMM
Chief Event Strategist
Perfection Events

3. Actionable Tips for a
More Diverse and Inclusive Meeting
Common gaps,
mistakes and
assumptions
Applying a diversified
lens to all aspects of
your meeting
Setting objectives
and applying
metrics for
measurement

5. What Goes Wrong?
• We don’t recognize our own biases
• Lack of awareness of equity that binds and sustains
• Lack of collaboration and feedback
• We let one person speak for many

7. Actionable Steps for Improvement
• Take a holistic approach and pay attention to the little
things as well
• Clearly define diversity for you professionally and
personally, and for your department and organization
as a whole
• Get a look and feel of current state from surveying
your audience

8. Key Considerations
• Know what’s going on in the world and your
membership
• Research political climate of city/locale
• Understand diversity and inclusion policies of venues
• Research diversity and inclusion ratio of staff and
vendors
• Ask about accessibility efforts beyond standard ADA
guidelines

10. Set Objectives and Apply Metrics
• Get a 360* assessment of your event and planning
process
• Get specific and shift the mix
• Be intentional
• Examine your meeting agenda
• Include senior leadership in your organization

11. Moving from majority to equal footing
• Individuals representing a
diverse/minority community
– Ethnicity
– Religion
– Gender
– Sexual preference
– Age
– Disability/impairment
• Groups for examination
– Planning Team (internal
staff, vendors, and ad hoc
committees)
– Marketing Materials
– Speakers/Panelists
– Hired Vendors
– Attendees/Participants
– Sponsor Organizations
– Volunteers

12. FIND
YOUR
CVB
EXPERT
HERE

13. How CVBs Can Help
3 WAYS organizations and their destination experts can work
together to provide communication, support and
community engagement opportunities.

14. Knowledge provider on legislative developments
and what they mean for your event
1

15. Connector to key local, city and state leaders to communicate
the organization’s concerns about the legislation
2

16. Engagement options for positive impact
within the local community
3

17. Keep in Touch
Web
www.empowermint.com
LinkedIn
Destinations International: Network for CVBs and Meeting Professionals
Email
contactus@empowermint.com
Blog
blog.empowermint.com