How has the DEI backlash impacted the events industry?

Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court banned the use of race-based affirmative action in college admissions, which sparked “a surge of opposition to DEI bills and stifled DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives,” said Jolene Jang, an Asian American inclusion consultant in Seattle. Jang, who moderated a July 28 webinar, “The State of DEI: Is It Dying or Is It Evolving?” organized by the PCMA Capital Chapter, said the backlash is “everywhere.”

Zhang Ruolin

Jang listed a long list of companies that have made changes to their DEI programs, from Facebook, Google, and Zoom to the 86-year-old Tennessee Tractor Supply Company. Investments in DEI are also declining: In 2022, a third of companies invested in DEI-related people and strategies, while Forrester Research predicts that by 2024, that number will drop to 20%.

In the association world, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) made headlines earlier this year when it announced it would remove the word “equity” from its diversity and inclusion program. On its website, SHRM cited a study that showed 53% of respondents linked DEI to business polarization.

During the 90-minute webinar, Zhang, panelists and webinar participants discussed what these changes mean for activities and destinations in the U.S., where DEI has become highly politicized. Zhang said that by mid-summer, state lawmakers had introduced 85 bills in 28 states that would restrict or eliminate DEI programs in state governments and schools.

Consider the impact

Panelist Melissa Cherry, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Miles Partnership, said anti-DEI legislation has limited some of her clients working in state tourism offices from using DEI-related language. Cherry recently put together a business case to show the value of DEI to a client who was challenged by its board of directors. “That’s always been interesting to me because there’s no data that shows DEI negatively impacts jobs,” Cherry said.

Melissa Cherry

Cherry also shared the results of a survey conducted by Miles Partnership in conjunction with Future Partners, which showed that slightly more than half of planners said that divergence in state and local laws has caused them to reconsider a meeting destination. The survey results showed that 45% would reconsider a meeting destination because of racial equality issues, and 44% would reconsider a meeting destination because of gender equality issues. (See “The Ongoing Business Case for DEI,” below.)

Jason Dunn, executive director of the 41-year-old National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP), said he believes the backlash against DEI has impacted destinations and association members. Dunn said cities, including those that have become “blue islands” in otherwise conservative red states, may miss out on conferences that would avoid destinations due to political issues. He said many members of the NCBMP have seen their budgets cut because of how our markets have been pigeonholed. “I think in some people’s minds, diversity is only for Black people, and that’s not the case.”

Zhang said many people think DEI is a Black and transgender issue because they are the ones who are targeted a lot of the time. “I think it’s important to understand that this affects a lot of people — this is the entire LGBTQIA community,” she added, as well as the Black, Latino, Hispanic, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander communities, people with disabilities and women.

What’s in a name?

Cherry believes that debates over language — calling an initiative “DEI” instead of “diversity and inclusion,” or “DEIAB” (which stands for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) — can distract from the actual work of creating more diverse organizations. “When we get caught up in all these different acronyms, we forget,” she said, “that it’s really about understanding what that work looks like and then being accountable for that work and actually getting that work done.”

Jason Dunn

“If you can do this work, you can do this work no matter what you call it,” agreed Dunn, “as long as there are metrics that drive progress.” But he added that removing the word “equity” worries him. Dunn, the first black vice president of the Cincinnati Tourism Bureau, remembers a time when black business event directors had executive titles but no budgets or real power to create change.

He said he also understands the dilemma facing DMOs in states where just using the words “diversity, equity and inclusion” can cause conflict. “I hope that when we have these discussions, people won’t be afraid to talk about the obvious issues, which are race and ethnicity,” Dunn said, “and the huge inequalities in resources and hiring levels. I just ask the industry to take a deep breath. And let’s define who we want to be and how we want to show up. I think that will make our industry more relevant in the long run.”

The Going Business Case for DEI

Nearly 7 in 10 U.S. workers said the results of corporate diversity programs are “mixed at best,” according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) on a webpage describing its commitment to diversity and inclusion. Ten percent said such programs actually do more harm than good.

Consulting firm McKinsey & Company paints a very different picture in its December 2023 report, “Diversity Matters More: The Case for Total Impact,” which analyzes the relationship between leadership diversity and company performance in 23 countries and six global regions. “The business case is the strongest since we began tracking diversity” (since 2015), the report states. The report cites a data set covering 1,265 companies, as well as company interviews.

The report’s findings include:

• Companies with racial representation in the top quartile of their executive teams were 39% more likely to achieve outperforming financially than companies with racial representation in the bottom quartile of their executive teams.
• The business case for gender diversity on senior executive teams has more than doubled over the past decade. Since 2015, the likelihood that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on senior executive teams will outperform those in the bottom quartile has increased from 15% to 39%.
• Across all industries surveyed, greater diversity on boards and executive teams is associated with greater positive impacts on communities, the workforce and the environment.

Barbara Palmer yes convened.

Moving DEI work forward

At the end of the DEI webinar, moderator Jolene Jang asked the panelists what organizations and individuals can do now to move DEI work forward. Here are their responses:

Courtney Moore

Courtney MooreThe director of the office of the chief human resources officer at Southwest Gas emphasized that DEI should not be viewed as separate from business goals, but rather as a key driver of business success. He advised DEI practitioners to “focus on what the business goals are and where the company is going.” To be effective, DEI must be embedded in the business, Moore said.

Jason DunnIt’s critical for organizations, associations and individuals to collect and analyze data to understand the impact of their actions, said the CEO of the National Alliance of Black Meeting Professionals. Data can show economic impact, job creation and influence on policy, and can be used to advocate for resources, support and policies that align with your goals. Ultimately, he said, be prepared with data that supports your values ​​and goals to ensure you can control how others see and treat you: “Know your power, your worth, your pace and your value.”

Melissa CherryChief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Senior Vice President at Miles Partnership stressed the importance of good communication in DEI efforts. It’s important to evaluate the effectiveness of your efforts and then develop a narrative that communicates the progress you’ve made and the process by which you got there, “so people can actually understand and there’s a consistent narrative,” she said.

– Kurt Wagner Oct 14 ’17 at 14:25