Measuring DEI for Events
While interest in and focus on DEI initiatives waxes and wanes with budget, industry trends, and political factors, there’s one thing I think anyone in events can agree with: everyone we invite to an experience deserves to get value from their time spent with us. That means regardless of background or any unique characteristics, we hope that event measurement will tell us that all participants felt the event was a good use of their time.
With that overarching belief in mind, the EMMC has spent the last 6 months consulting with DEI and accessibility experts, and extensively debating the topic, to develop new guidance around measuring DEI at events.
That full report is now available to EMMC members and we’re working with our media partners to share the highlights through industry talks and more.
Here’s a quick overview of some of the key insights in the Measuring DEI at Events guidance.
Establishing Event DEI Objectives
Every event needs a set of objectives to guide the development of experiences and content. Setting DEI goals accepts the reality that perfection is impossible, implementing DEI strategies is critical, and measuring results is about getting better and better over time.
Diversity
Diversity goals are tied to “representation” - as in, what people should be in attendance, appear on stage (if there is one), and work at the event as staff. A representation goal may reflect the broader community, or it may seek to be even more diverse than the current audience of customers and prospects.
Equity
Event equity means that all event attendees feel they’ve received equitable value from the event or experience. It doesn’t mean that all participants have the same experience - on the contrary, it requires organizers to consider how diverse audience members will experience the event to ensure that all get parity value (which will be understood through measurement).
Inclusivity
Inclusivity means that all members of an invited audience feel included and accepted, regardless of their background and experiences. We suggest exploring feelings of inclusion - making sure all participants feel welcomed and included at all relevant activities.
The Role of Optics
One of the challenges when it comes to DEI is that what makes someone diverse isn’t always visible. But, optics may still be important. Who the audience sees on stage, as staff, in content, and in the audience, matters. DEI measurement needs to go a level deeper - beyond the diversity we can easily see (and may misperceive).
Pre-Event Surveying
If people need to register for the event, you can request relevant information about the individual and their needs. Explaining why you are asking and how the data will be used is critical, as is allowing respondents to opt-out of this element and anonymising data not needed for event operations planning.
Post-Event Surveying
The EMMC recommends post-event surveys to understand brand perceptions, anticipated behavior change and perceptions of value. Across every survey, the EMMC suggests a “value for time” question. This becomes very important when seeking to evaluate whether the event has delivered equitable value to a diverse array of attendees. The DEI event measurement guideline offers an array of additional questions to understand impact on diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
Communicating DEI Results
As DEI is a “social value” area, it might mean sharing results with other stakeholders in the business - like a head of diversity. You might also consider sharing some results with event attendees - even if the results aren’t ideal. This kind of transparency makes the audience feel like a partner in this journey, and demonstrates your authentic desire to be held accountable. It’s the right thing to do.
The full DEI measurement guideline, including much more detail and suggested DEI survey questions, is now available to EMMC members. Be sure to join.