This week our editorial team look at the growing importance of Diversity, Equity vs Equality and Inclusion with Sherine Whittle, Founder of BrandU, global bespoke events company, and Claudia Köhler, Corporate Vice President in Germany of one of the leading agencies for event management and live marketing globally, VOK DAMS Worldwide.

Diversity and Inclusion is an increasingly hot topic in events as corporations become increasingly conscious of their identity and values from an employee, stakeholder and customer perspective.

However, while conversations around Equality have remained at the centre of attention, the importance of Equity has, at times, become largely forgotten, as Sherine Whittle remarks in a recent interview.

We’re chatting with Sherine Whittle, Founder of global bespoke events company BrandU in the UK and Claudia Köhler, Corporate VP in Germany of leading global agency VOK DAMS Worldwide.

Elaborating on her point, Sherine explains that the role of Equity is to look at each person’s individual circumstances and then allocate the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. She goes on to offer up an example: imagine you give three people the same 1m step to stand on to look over a fence. They’re all different people with different heights meaning the step has a different value to each of them. One may not be able to see over the fence at all while the other is so far over the fence that they actually feel exposed. In this example, although everyone was ensured equality and given the same measures to see over the fence. It didn’t ensure equal outcomes.

“For years we’ve been told we need to focus on the journey but actually, if you look at the difference between Equality and Equity, we’re reverse-engineering it,” Sherine argues. “It’s tempting to say let’s make sure Equality is in place and everyone gets the same start, but people are all different – we can’t all have the same start. We need to know what we need to change to get everyone to the same place” and the best way to do that is to remain in close communication with your guests and delegates.

She then goes on to compare the significance of DE&I (Diversity Equity Inclusion) to the importance the industry puts on sustainability: “We spend months and months trying to find a venue and food that’s sustainable, how to source something ethically or worry about how we’re getting rid of waste…but do we do that when we're looking at the recruitment of the workforce for that particular event?”. “We need to look at all the individual factors and elements, just as we do with sustainability.

Sherine actively encourages event organisers to ensure Diversity & Inclusion isn’t just touched on in the materials and content of the event, but that “we look at ourselves – what do our teams look like?”. “If the decision-makers and the people pulling an event together aren’t representative of the DE&I agenda, then we can’t deliver a service for a client and ensure they’re covering the same aspects.”

At VOK DAMS Worldwide, the team have implemented a comprehensive guide system containing relevant, inclusion-promoting elements and the promotion of DE&I falls into four clusters – communication, programme, location and catering. 

The aim is to include diversity policy in every single step of event planning, says Claudia: “We recognise that planning is not limited to one characteristic, such as ethnicity: the full range of diversity is considered, including gender, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, ability, religion, etc.

“It is critical that the event philosophy is communicated to guests and that the event is labeled as 'inclusive'. Making participants feel more comfortable specifying what adjustments they want.”

Guidance includes the following:

Communication

· Gender-equitable and inclusive written and oral formulation in internal and external communication and barrier-free communication materials

· Recommendation that videos have subtitles anyone with impaired hearing

· Highlighting availability of sign language interpreter or mobility assistance if required

· Offering the choice of gender pronouns for name tags

Programme

· Consideration of religious and other obligations of the participants (e.g., public holidays, local school times) along with compatibility of family and career. Monday to Thursday events support this, as does remote participation through online streaming or hybrid events

· Do speakers and/or others with an active role (e.g., for moderation, entertainment) represent a wide diversity of gender, LGBTQ+ status, national origin, ability, geography, etc.?

· Could someone with an active role possibly be considered offensive? Could their presence be seen as cultural appropriation?

Location

· Availability of gender-neutral restrooms or the ability to mark specific restrooms as gender-neutral

· Accessible toilet facilities and elevators for participants with wheelchairs, plus leveled/ramped steps and height differences

· Short distances, seating on paths at regular intervals and non-slip floors for people with walking disabilities

· Obstacles on paths cleared, step edges marked or clear acoustic information available for people with visual impairments and the blind

· Hearing aids, subtitles for video content or sign language interpreters for the hearing impaired and the deaf.

Catering

· Respecting food and serving restrictions (e.g., kosher meals, halal, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options or post-sunset/before-sunrise meals during Ramadan)

· Clearly identifying buffet content

· Provision of a wide range of drinks, including decaffeinated, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, plus water stations throughout the event area

“Diversity, equality, and inclusion are part of the daily operations, our values, and culture at VOK DAMS,” says Claudia. “An essential part of a successful event is to make guests feel welcome and valued – regardless of who they are or where they come from. However, this is not a one-time thing. It is a full process that needs to keep developing and requires constant implementation.”

So, as we look to our final month of 2022 and the start of a new year, why not take some time to review your inclusivity and representation efforts and see how best you can implement DE&I policies into your upcoming events.