In his first week of office, President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders targeting the public and private sector DEI programs. One of the first signs of how the travel industry will play a role at the hotel investment conference next week is that CEOs of six major hotel companies, including Marriott International and Hilton, were unified to support DEI. In mid-March, Jimmy Suh, president of Allow Hotels, announced that he would expand his DEI program in his seven hotel chains.
Conference industry associations, including the Incentive Travel Association (on-site), also began to speak. Website CEO Annette Gregg told attendees in a panel of leaders convening PCMA in January: “What do your members want you to do? What should you do, and then what should you do?
The website is already creating a DEI community that meets for the first time at its annual meeting in March. “The community will help us create educational courses and DEIB resource pages,” she said.
Supplier Lead
Suppliers known for other issues such as sustainability have been the first to speak out on DEI, including the travel agency Intrepid Travel. “The reality is that most companies like to talk about DEI, but they won’t support it. Only 4% of companies track spending with women-owned businesses, and only 3% report publicly. Both of us did it,” Americans President Leigh Barnes said in a statement.
Colja Dams, CEO of event and live marketing company VOK DAMS, is also a strong advocate, which recently created a downloadable list of DE&I events. “Despite the strong opposition at present, we stick to our commitment to sustainability and DE&I. Not because we want to be seen as an enlightened company, but because the future depends on it.”
Gary Murakami, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of LGBT Conference Professionals, said he is also vice president of global sales and industry relations at Teneo Hospitality Group. “I think a lot of people are still trying to navigate and understand what is going on today.”
The LGBT Conference Professionals Association issued a statement summarizing the unique position of the conference industry in driving social and economic transformation: “Conference professionals are becoming increasingly intentional, asking deeper questions and challenging outdated norms to foster lasting change. Now, more than ever, it is necessary to ensure that we create more space through activities, reflecting human diversity and the richness and tapes of tapes and inspiring people to master. ”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””’
Personal voice is important
Perhaps the biggest opportunity to strengthen the importance of DEI is the individual planners themselves, such as Carine Desroches, Carine Desroches of the National Nidney Foundation, Director of Conferences and Events, which supports her social media posts.
“When we witness some efforts to undermine Dei’s efforts, we have to face the tough facts: on LinkedIn to commemorate Black History Month,” she wrote on LinkedIn in February. “The struggle is real, and for many of us, especially in the black community, the weight of these setbacks is deep.” ”
Others are more united, such as event planner Edward Perotti, a white member of the LGBTQ+ community who loves to wear sweatshirts that read “You may or may be Dei” and lists the groups protected under DEI, from religious minorities to pregnant women to pregnant women (created by pregnant women) (created by God, but I am a pet, but I am a woman’s business).
He said he often faces uncomfortable encounters with strangers. “I’m overwhelmed by encounters like this. As an event professional, I work hard to create inclusive experiences for all attendees. Why is it hard to expect the same respect and inclusion to everyone, everywhere, everywhere?”
But he kept wearing it. The message he gave to other planners: “Do your trouble. Stir that pot, don’t stay silent. Silence is like complicity.”
