WASHINGTON, DC — The Events Industry Council (EIC) has launched the first phase of its Equity Acceleration Plan with a survey designed to assess where the events industry currently stands on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Once this baseline is established, the meetings and conventions industry umbrella organization will use the results to develop a report and a series of tools, educational courses, resources and recommendations that will be released in subsequent phases. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop a framework that the events industry can use to build a more inclusive and diverse workplace of the future.
“With over 10.3 million direct jobs and over 1.5 billion participants in our sector, and as an industry that, at its core, fosters human connection and collaboration, we have the opportunity and responsibility to be a catalyst for meaningful, measurable change,” said Amy Calvert, CEO of EIC. “The Equity Acceleration Plan will enable us to help event professionals create more diverse and inclusive environments, develop career pathways, and ensure representation in leadership and supply chains by providing learning and resources to reach and support our community.”
As part of the EIC’s Center for Sustainability and Social Impact, the Equity Acceleration Plan was established as a long-term project that, in addition to providing tools and resources, will measure the impact of interventions and make recommendations on how event planners can continue to advance DEI. The EIC has garnered support from a number of industry partners, including ASAE, Discover Puerto Rico, Disney Meetings & Events, IAEE, Louisville Tourism, Marriott, PCMA, US Travel, SearchWide Global, and Simpleview. The EIC has also partnered with Tharoor Associates, a London-based consultancy focused on combating unconscious bias in organizations globally, and Culturelytics, a data analytics company that has developed an AI platform to analyze culture in organizations.
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The four long-term focus areas of the EIC Equity Acceleration Plan are:
• Create voluntary guidelines for workplace and marketplace policies and practices
• Develop strategies to attract diverse talent, such as scholarships, mentors and education programs
• Formulate recommendations for career paths that can lead to greater diversity in event industry leadership
• Provide tools to create inclusive events and diverse supply chains
The survey that launches the plan is designed to gather insights, experiences and opinions from event professionals around the world, using Culturelytics’ AI-powered Chatbot to explore people’s beliefs and behaviors around DEI across the global events industry.
The survey, which closes on Friday, October 15, is available at:
Contact Amy Calvert at (202) 712-9059 or acalvert@eventscouncil.org