Gabrielle Austen Browne, the founder of Diversity Alliance and co-founder of the Diverse Speaker Bureau, is a multi-award winning diversity and inclusion expert, delivering consultancy, education, training and impactful initiatives to the events and hospitality sectors. She spoke to EN about how the exhibitions industry can create better DEI strategies.
Do you think there is a lack of diversity in the exhibitions industry?
I think that what happened was the people perhaps who were able to take risks in business for whatever reason, where they’re able to get financial loads from the bank where they had partners, or parents or whoever to support them were able to get funds together. They were able to launch these businesses and historically, marginalised communities find it harder if they don’t have those means from generational wealth, or they find it difficult to get things like bank loans and investment so that’s probably why the exhibition industry does seem dominantly white male, that’s fine.
The thing is now what can we do about that? How can we change that? It’s not just top down or bottom up, it needs to be everyone together. But if leadership and board members aren’t involved, then obviously nothing will happen.
Can being more inclusive help solve the recruitment crisis?
The mistake I think companies have been making is it’s a sticking plaster over wound and not really addressing the issue. Sort out your own house first. Look at your website, look at your language and terminology, look at your current team. Do they feel supported, do they feel like they’re able to be open about their own intersectional diversity? Everyone’s got diversity, it’s not just visual diversity.
What makes a good DEI policy?
Making sure those policies come from a real authentic place. A policy should be representative your values as a company and as a team, what your future goals are. I think people see through DEI policies if they’re a bit cut and paste.
This about your values, and mission as a business. Maybe your values and mission need readdressing and you need to think about how you insert equity, diversity and inclusion within that. It definitely takes a bit of work and conversations to decide the importance and the relevance to the current times that we’re in.
It should obviously relate to their strategy and code of conduct but maybe also your supply chain, attendees, workers. To say to people this is what our DEI goals are. This is what our strategy is and we would love for you to read that and commit to working in the way that we want to work.
These policies impact not just the internal culture and internal company but also impacts companies and supply chains that they that they work with.
Do you think there’s a fear of getting it wrong when it comes to tackling diversity?
It’s an excuse to say ‘I don’t know if I can take the time to sit down and just try and learn’. Sometimes we make mistakes and we move on from mistakes. Everyone can say the wrong thing, but there’s lots of resources around to help, workshops and training.
