WEDNESDAY, April 19: April Education - Have You Had Your DEI Check-up?

On April 19 we hosted an informative and thought-provoking education program, “Have You Had Your DEI Check-up? Measuring DEI Stats in Meetings and Events.” This in-person event was hosted graciously at New York’s eco-friendly venue, @Ease605. Once again, Ease Hospitality accommodated our program with a meeting space conducive for learning with outstanding technical and culinary support.

Thanks to our education partner, Wind Creek Bethlehem, we were able to bring together experts to share their collective experiences in the DEI space. The session was facilitated by Anyelis Cordero, Founder of Propel on Purpose. She led off the discussion with insightful DEI facts alerting everyone to the stats that show where our shortcomings are in planning with DEI in mind.  Her introduction was followed by an engaging panel discussion she moderated with Ruth Katz, Morgan Stanley, Josh Novick, London & Partners NY and Jeff Orlowsky, Macquarie. The experiences each speaker shared with us enlightened our thinking on what can be done and how easy it is to begin incorporating DEI thought to planning meetings and events. There isn’t a perfect science to it, nor is it something we do and check it off our list. Being DEI conscious is an ongoing process.

To speak further to being inclusive, three women-owned businesses were invited to exhibit during the post reception: Destination Links Hospitality, Empire Force Events and Stackable Sensations. Let’s remember to extend RFPs to a diverse range of vendors for business opportunities.

All in all, it was a great evening of education and networking!