What would French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr write about our society if he were alive today as we embark on a new year and a new decade?
Back in 1848, he penned an epigram that has become a colloquialism: “Plus ca change, plus c’est la même chose.”
For those who have forgotten those high school French lessons, it roughly translates into “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
When we talk about diversity and inclusion, have we made real change or is it more of the same? Have we made progress in creating meetings and events that are inclusive? Is the path to leadership in our industry truly open to everyone regardless of background?
Yes and no.
Our world, whether due to visionaries, evolving law, technology or a lot of hard work and sacrifice, is a whole lot smaller and smarter than when Karr was alive.
But—seems there’s always a but—proponents of inclusion and diversity, which should be all of us, will say the needle has moved, but not enough.
A recent report from the World Economic Forum stated that gender equality worldwide would not be achieved for nearly 100 years. The Global Gender Gap Report, which looked at economic participation, education attainment, health and survival and political empowerment, ranked Iceland as the most gender-equal country.
Clearly much progress has been made in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and there have been tremendous strides in our industry. In “Better Community = Better Business,” author Elaine Pofeldt explores how organizations such as Caesars Entertainment and MPI are taking on issues of diversity and inclusion.
Pofeldt reports that 56 percent of meeting professionals said they have written diversity and inclusion policies, according to The State of Inclusion in Meetings & Events, a 2018 report created by MPI in partnership with New York University’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. The study included responses from 1,087 meeting professionals.
The report also stated that while 39 percent said there were no barriers to creating inclusive experiences at meetings and events, an additional 40 percent reported they have information and knowledge gaps that prevent them from excelling in this area. Among the gaps they cited: lack of information/knowledge needed to plan inclusive experiences (40 percent), lack of budget (20 percent) and lack of support from leadership (14 percent).
John Ehlenfeldt, CMP, executive vice president of Visit Huntington Beach (Calif.) and a member of MPI’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, says inclusion—enabling all employees to feel comfortable in the workplace—is the next step beyond diversity.
This gets me back to Karr’s proclamation. Seems like we’ve heard this before. Let’s give credit where credit is due, but let’s also accept that the more things change, the more they haven’t changed, and it’s about time we make real fundamental changes.
This year, The Meeting Professional will report monthly on diversity and inclusion issues, topics and themes as they impact the meeting industry. There are success stories, and we’ll share them. There are areas where we can do better, and we’ll help seek out solutions.
Send your comments and suggestions to editor@mpiweb.org.
This month marks our ninth annual January issue sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. Our goal with every issue of your member magazine is to independently report and write about the topics and trends that are important to you. We take that same approach in this issue while spotlighting some unique and newsworthy aspects of Caesars Entertainment’s meeting and event portfolio.
To our MPI community, friends and families, we wish you a prosperous, healthy, diverse and inclusive 2020.
Until next time…
Rich Luna
Editor in Chief
rluna@mpiweb.org
Photo by Ross Findon, Unsplash
