The Events Industry Council (EIC), the global voice of the business events industry on advocacy, research, professional recognition and standards, has extended the benchmarking survey for the first phase of its recently launched Equity Acceleration Plan. The landmark plan aims to provide a framework to turn its vision to action and lead the challenge against discrimination and systemic racism in the events industry.

The first phase was designed to focus on establishing a benchmark by which to measure progress for the industry through a survey that determines the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion within the workplace across the events industry. The survey was originally scheduled to close in October but has been extended through Jan. 15, 2022 to allow more people to take part. The survey, which is gathering insights from respondents around the world, gives all participants in the events industry the opportunity to share some of their personal experiences and opinions on what is needed to improve the sector. 

The results of the benchmark will inform the development of tools, resources and recommendations in the subsequent phases on the Equity Acceleration Plan. The findings will be used as the basis for a report and a series of specially created educational courses, tools and resources to support the industry in its shared goal of a more diverse and inclusive future.

The Equity Acceleration Plan is part of EIC’s Centre for Sustainability & Social Impact and is a long-term project that will regularly measure the impact of interventions and make recommendations for further work. 

“With over 10.3 million direct jobs and over 1.5 billion participants in our sector, and as the industry that at its heart fosters human connection and collaborations, we have the opportunity and responsibility to be a catalyst for meaningful and measurable change,” said Amy Calvert, CEO of EIC. “As part of the Equity Acceleration Plan vision, we honed in on some key areas where we feel like we can really make a difference and accelerate change, and that's in the areas of organizational guidelines to create more diverse and inclusive guidelines, career pathways, industry leadership and then the events themselves and really giving people the tools to create events that are a reflection of our values and feel welcoming.”

Jason Dunn Sr., co-chair of EIC Equity Task Force, immediate past board chairman of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals and vice president of the Cincinnati USA CVB believes tourism empowers communities, and business events can be a driver for change.

“This survey is an important step toward emboldening our global industry to lead and be an example of how to move the moral compass of DE&I to the center of everything we do,” Dunn said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the results and to working with the EIC Equity Task Force to create what will be incredibly valuable guidance and resources for event professionals.”

The survey takes 10 minutes to complete and uses an artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbot from Culturelytics to make completion easier and more efficient. To take part visit https://kaiwa.culturelytics.ai/EIC/. The survey will close on January 15, 2022.

The survey has been generously supported and sponsored by several leading organizations, including ASAE, Collinson Media, Discover Puerto Rico, Disney Meetings & Events, IAEE, Liberty Mutual, Louisville Tourism, Marriott, PCMA, SearchWide Global, Simpleview, U.S. Travel Association and VisitScotland Business Events.

For more information on the Events Industry Council, visit: https://www.eventscouncil.org/.

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