DALLAS — Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are goals that most organizations strive to achieve, but translating ideas into action can be challenging. That’s why the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) is hosting a webinar on Thursday, August 26 at 12:00 p.m. CDT on how trade show leaders can do more to make DEI a reality at every level of their organizations.
Hosted by Gabrielle Weiss, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, Trade Fair Manager Magazine, the webinar will feature panelists Dave Labuskes, CAE, CTA, RCDD, CEO of AVIXA and Shari Liss, Executive Director of the SEMI Foundation, telling their own DEI stories – including how they developed and implemented their DEI programs, as well as how these efforts helped them recruit and retain top talent and increase the value of their brands with their customers.
“I’m honored to moderate this discussion on such a critical topic with top professionals,” said Weiss, whose magazine recently launched a DEI task force to help shape the publication’s coverage of DEI in the industry. “Dave and Shari will certainly bring a wealth of experience and passion to the discussion. They’ve both been working on this topic for a long time and are sure to share a wealth of knowledge and immediate insights with the audience.”
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“I look forward to discussing diversity, equity and inclusion as critical to meeting and exceeding business goals, and how diversity, equity and inclusion is an everyday practice—not a box to check—and is everyone’s responsibility,” Liss said. “I’ll share both high-level concepts to help companies frame this work and a real-time tool that can be implemented today to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces.”
Labuskes added: “Talking about DE&I honestly and transparently isn’t easy at first, but most of the things that really matter aren’t. I’m excited to be a part of this session, to bring some of what we learned at AVIXA, and to engage more broadly with event industry leaders in a shared effort for a better industry and better events.”
He also stressed that working together for a more diverse, equitable and inclusive industry will lead to better events for all. “Attendance will increase. Creativity and innovation will be enhanced. Revenue and profits will be improved. And the world will become a better place for all of us humans. What better topic to spend time on?”
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Registration for the webinar, which is free for IAEE members and $49 for non-members, is available here, and to see a list of upcoming IAEE webinars, click here:
Contact Gabrielle Weiss at (312) 493-7753 or gweiss@tradeshowexecutive.com; Shari Liss at sliss@semi.org; and David Labuskes at (703) 277-6748 or dlabuskes@avixa.org