Diversity in senior roles: Is the exhibitions industry falling behind?

DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) has become an integral part of all companies’ commitment to making the workplace fairer. On the surface, it seems a success as event companies release their DEI reports boasting impressive statistics regarding diversity in their ranks. However, a closer look at those in the most senior roles does not reflect as well.

Diversity among CEOs

The diversity amid those in the most premier position, the CEO, tells its own story. From a sample of 24 of the biggest exhibition organiser companies from around the world and the UK, based on TSNN (global) and Exposure (UK) lists, 21 CEOs are white men. Two, Easyfairs’ CEO and Clarion’s CEO, are white women. Comexposium CEO Elaine Chia is the only individual out of the 24 CEOs who is not from a white background.

However, before one starts to feel downtrodden about the lack of diversity in the CEO position at event companies, it is worth offering context. Among FTSE 100 companies, 96% of CEOs are white and 90% are men, which is actually marginally more than the 87.5% of white men from our sample. This is not just an events issue but a wider problem.

Senior positions in the UK’s top exhibition companies

Easyfairs, RX, Informa, CloserStill Media, and Hyve Group are arguably the top five UK exhibition organiser companies. On each company’s website, the leadership section openly displays the demographic of senior roles. While these companies are big in the UK market, they are global, and their senior leadership in this case study represents the senior leadership at the very top of each company globally.

RX has 13 senior leaders in the “Our Leaders” tab on their website. Out of the 13, 10 are white, and 9 of the 13 are men. Those who were not white were from the region they represent. For example, Takeshi Tanaka, a Japanese man, is president of RX Japan. RX has won awards for its DEI schemes, namely an AEO award. Yet, are we failing to look at those in the highest positions when rewarding DEI?

Informa’s “Executive Management” section on its website is even less diverse than RX’s. Also with 13 senior leaders on their website, all 13 are white, and just 3 are women. On that same website, you can find the “Diversity and Inclusion” section. Informa boasts that “you’ll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed.”

When we “Meet the Leaders” on Hyve Group’s website, the diversity is mixed. All 14 are white, but Hyve fares a lot better with gender equality in senior roles. Over half of its senior leaders are women, 8 out of 14. This fares much better in comparison to gender equality in senior roles at other big events companies. However, all on the list are white.

Easyfairs boasts that 62% of its total employees are women. This decreases to 46% in senior roles, information all available on its website. Still, gender equality ranks highly in comparison to the average. On its website, there are 15 faces in the senior leaders section. This consists of heads of regions, the chairman, and the CEO, among others. Out of the 15, 14 are white individuals. Once again, a theme remains. While gender equality looks good in senior roles, diversity regarding ethnicity is poor.

The problem with the representation of ethnic minorities in senior roles is again apparent when we look at CloserStill Media’s “Our Leaders” tab. All 11 leaders are white. In regard to gender equality, 7 of the 11 are men. On the “Diversity and Inclusion” tab, just above the leaders tab, CloserStill shares: “diverse talent… [is] the lifeblood of our workforce.” That blood does not pump to the most prestigious positions.

A Parker Review shows that among FTSE 250 companies, the representation of ethnic minorities in all board directorships is 13.5%, and in senior management roles, it is 12%. The five companies we looked into rank below this. Just 6% out of the 66 senior leaders we examined represent ethnic minorities. The big exhibition organisers in the UK, despite being vocal about DEI, have a clear lack of diversity in senior roles.

Clearly, looking at five companies is not truly representative of the events industry as a whole. This is an introduction to the wider problem. However, these are the five biggest that operate in the UK. They act as examples and leaders of the industry.

Room for optimism

As Donald Trump seeks to remove all DEI initiatives from American companies, it is worth addressing the progress in the events industry. Mostly, event companies across the board do a lot to ensure DEI. A lot of hard work, resources, and money go into it. It is important not to be overly critical.

RX has donated over £20m to charities. Easyfairs actively trains its talent on DEI as well as cutting its gender pay gap from 10% in 2021 to 3% in 2023. Informa created Fashion for Change, which supports minority-owned fashion brands, while CloserStill Media launched a scheme in 2023 to drive diversity within the company and at its events. Hyve has a scheme called Pryde, which helps educate and raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community.

Looking ahead

Yet, the evidence shows diversity in senior roles is falling behind. Progress is being made, and diversity in high positions is up from previous years. There are many steps to take for these companies, but looking from the outside in, they do have the best intentions to improve diversity. However, DEI cannot be truly successful until it is applied to the most powerful roles, not just at the grassroots level.