NOEA wasn ’ t mentioned within the Black in the Boardroom Report , maybe because , that in the preceding years we had made some significant moves to revolutionise our own association , but also work with our members to address the subject directly . Equally , we had listened and heard the voices calling out for more diverse audiences .

This isn ’ t easy , but once again NOEA are gifted in having incredibly smart people around us . Our colleagues at Wasserman produced a series of highquality educational workshops that began our own self-education around the subject and provide education to those of our members who wanted to tackle the subject head on . They are available on our website and are now open to both members and non-members of NOEA , we ’ d highly recommend them .

At the same time , we began honest conversations , through our educational content at our own

convention , but also through our partnership with the Event Production Show , where we put on a day of content . I ’ ll try and summarise some of the findings .

Firstly , diverse organisers lead to diverse audiences . It ’ s a simple equation but all the research , both anecdotal and empirical , tells this story . Black in the Boardroom were right to look to our trade associations , this needs top-down influence . Secondly , events are community based in nature . This means that they speak to specific communities , often at the expense of others . Not every event wants , or should be required , to speak to those outside of their own community , be they based around geography , race , or sexual preference . This needs to be factored into any conversation around diversity , nuance needs to be applied , but it doesn ’ t excuse those events that are mass participation .

Lastly , and one of the underheard challenges to true diversity , is economics . We ’ re in the middle of a cost-of-living-crisis , and at the

Susan Tanner

same time the cost of putting on economically viable ( and safe ) events are going up and up . These costs are passed onto our audiences in the form of elevated ticket prices , and this causes marginalisation . This issue transcends race , ethnicity , and sexuality , and goes down to underprivileged , underrepresented , marginalised , and even just younger people seeing the events industry as something that is not for them . It means that not only are we losing the next generation of event organisers , we ’ re also denying increasingly larger portions of society the chance to have memorable and enjoyable experiences .

This is an existential issue for the industry , and it cuts across diversity , inclusion , and equity . It ’ s an area NOEA is fighting for . It sits alongside our continual learning around representation and our desire to be a leader in this regard . There remains so much to do , and we are way off where we want to be , but we continue to work with smart people and pass on these insights to our members and the wider events community .