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<p>Meeting planners are no strangers to specialty menus and dietary requests. Whether it’s medical concerns such as allergies and celiac disease, religious restrictions such as halal and kosher diets, or just personal preference, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.statista.com/chart/24791/share-of-americans-who-who-follow-nutritional-rules/">a significant portion of people follow a restricted diet of some sort</a>.</p>
<p>While it might not be possible to cater to every food restriction, a mindset shift might help you see menu planning in a different light: Think of menus not in terms of restriction, but in terms of inclusivity.</p>
<p>Whether someone’s dietary restriction is medical, cultural, or personal in nature, your job as a meeting planner is to deliver an event your attendees will remember—something that’s impossible if they’re not properly nourished. Read on to learn the basics of creating a menu that will make all your attendees feel included.</p>

<h3><strong>Talk It Out: Pre-Event Communication</strong></h3>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Ask your attendees what they need.</strong> If you’re not already asking attendees about dietary restrictions during registration, start now. It may be tempting to use an open text box to solicit preferences, but doing so can lead to misinterpretation. Instead, use a broad swath of opt-in fields (shellfish allergy, vegan, etc.) for attendees to clearly identify needs and use the text box to capture outliers.</li>
  <li><strong>Give your hotel partner and catering team a heads-up. </strong>The more notice you can give them, the better, but codifying lead time into your contract can help avoid confusion down the line.</li>
</ul>

<h3><strong>Get Thoughtful: Menu Planning</strong></h3>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Make inclusive foods the base. </strong>No one dish addresses all dietary needs and preferences, but beginning with an inclusivity mindset will lead you to meals that require fewer workarounds to satisfy the most people. For example, making all entrees plant-based—with an option for meat-focused add-ons—flips the traditional script of beginning with meat and putting vegetarians into the “other” category.</li>
  <li><strong>Evaluate the most common allergens.</strong> While it doesn’t matter why your attendees can’t eat a certain food, allergies can be deadly. There may not be a need to eliminate the most common food allergies—peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, eggs, milk, sesame, soybeans, and wheat—from your menu, but making them add-ons instead of the base of what you have available is considered inclusive.</li>
  <li><strong>Look for crossover opportunities. </strong>Low-carb and gluten-free diets have a natural overlap, as do vegetarian and kosher menus (with a little planning). You don’t have to have a separate menu for every type of diet out there, just options suitable for all.</li>
  <li><strong>Let delegates DIY.</strong> Buffets and semi-buffets allow guests to assemble particularly tricky elements of a meal. For example, a sandwich bar with different types of bread (including gluten-free) and fillings (with ample vegetarian and kosher options) or the classic salad bar.</li>
</ul>

<h3><strong>The Big Day: On-Site Considerations</strong></h3>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Label everything.</strong> Empowering attendees to select the foods that are right for them removes a bit of the burden from you and grants them full transparency. Labels should include all ingredients, including the type of oil used in frying and sautéeing. Avoid making exaggerated claims, particularly around allergies and medically related claims. For example, don’t label a dish “gluten-free”—even if the dish doesn’t have any gluten-containing products—unless the kitchen that prepared it is versed in cross-contamination.</li>
  <li><strong>Group sensitive foods together.</strong> At a salad bar, this might mean grouping nuts, seeds, and croutons at the end of the line, with plain vegetables up front. This also lessens the chance that people will use inappropriate utensils to transfer food to their serving plates.</li>
</ul>

Global

How to Give Delegates a Taste of Belonging, No Matter Their Dietary Needs.

Make Your Menu More Inclusive

Educate

<p>When meeting planners think about accessibility, their minds might reach for visible cues of venue accessibility: elevators, accessible bathrooms, Braille signage.</p>
<p>You’re right to invest time in researching your venue’s accessibility—but the fact is, venues have their own experts who are in charge of making sure they’re addressing people’s needs. But unless you make your meeting’s programming accessible, some of your attendees might be left out.</p>
<p>Here’s a starter guide on how to incorporate accessibility planning into your programming before, during, and after your event.</p>

<h3>What to Consider Before the Event</h3>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Review all materials for plain language.</strong> Clear, concise language helps everyone, not just attendees with language processing difficulties. Icons, illustrations, and simple language will help you distill your messaging and give attendees what they need without confusion. (You can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/">start here with the U.S. government’s guidelines on plain language communication</a>.)</li>
  <li><strong>Determine what your attendees and presenters need.</strong> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.respectability.org/inclusive-philanthropy/executive-summary/">Only 30% of nonprofit executives say that their event registration forms ask about accessibility and accommodation needs.</a> You can help up that percentage with pre-event surveys on event registration forms. Offering specific options can help signal that your organization is investing in accessibility, but if you don’t yet have a starting point, try issuing a blanket accommodations statement in your pre-event materials asking people to notify you about alternative formats, interpreters, and other reasonable accommodations by a certain date. Make sure to give a specific way to make those requests (e.g., email address or phone number).</li>
  <li><strong>Figure out what equipment you’ll need.</strong> Your audiovisual and tech teams can help advise you on the types of equipment you will need to accommodate your attendees. For event-specific technology such as floor plans and networking tools, evaluate potential vendors with accessibility in mind.</li>
  <li><strong>Use your hybrid tools for in-person meetings.</strong> Hybrid and remote meetings gave planners a wealth of tools that can come to life as accessibility helpers. One example: live captioning, now easily available with automated tools. A simple A/V setup can enable live captioning to help people who are hard of hearing follow the day’s events.</li>
  <li><strong>Establish your personnel needs.</strong> Are you hiring sign language interpreters? Give them access to relevant programming materials beforehand, particularly if the material is technical. Is there a sensory room or another space dedicated to making meetings accessible to all? You’ll need someone to make sure the space is maintained. Consider designating one staff member as the accessibility chief who can manage and direct accommodations.</li>
  <li><strong>Include your presenters. </strong>This means two things: Consider your speakers’ accommodation needs, and make sure they are aware of any accommodations you’re expecting them to make in their presentations.</li>
</ul>

<h3><strong>What to Consider During the Event</strong></h3>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Account for real-time feedback. </strong>You can’t please everyone, and sometimes when attendees’ needs conflict, you might not even be able to fully accommodate everyone. But you can listen to everyone, keeping in mind that they are the experts on their own experience.</li>
  <li><strong>Continue your plain language quest.</strong> Signage and materials should be easily accessible to all attendees. That goes for “live” communication, too: Make sure there’s a “translator” in sessions who can repeat and synthesize audience questions in Q&amp;A formats in a way that all attendees can easily understand.</li>
  <li><strong>Gather your supplies. </strong>Tech and signage are already a part of your setup, but consider adding an “accommodations” section to your checklist. For example, having noise-canceling headphones available for attendees to borrow can help prevent sensory overload, as can having rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs to help guests remove perfume they may not have recognized is overpowering for some.</li>
</ul>

<h3><strong>What to Consider After the Event</strong></h3>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Make all materials available.</strong> It’s easier than ever to make recordings and digital materials available after the fact. And just as with most forms of accommodation, making these materials available helps everyone. If an attendee needs to listen to a session again, it doesn’t matter whether it’s because she’s hard of hearing or conducting research.</li>
  <li><strong>Ask what you can do better.</strong> Include questions about accessibility in your post-event surveys. Remember that ease of comprehension can be even more important in surveys; the easier you make it for attendees to fill out the survey, the more likely you are to get the information you need.</li>
</ul>

Accessibility Doesn’t Stop at the Front Door. Here’s How to Make Meeting Content Accessible.

Is Your Programming as Accessible as Your Venue?

Network

“You’ve been working with the same people for 15 years, so that might be all you know, but don’t be scared to take that leap.”

<p>With 87% of meeting planners saying that their organization actively strives to make their events more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, planners need all hands on deck. That includes vendors and suppliers, who can bring diverse perspectives and offerings to your events.</p>
<p>But simply curating a list of vendors who fit a universal definition of “diverse” won’t accomplish your DEI goals. You need to find representative vendors, nurture relationships with them, and find ways to partner with them. In doing so, you’ll elevate the community, your events, and your operations.</p>
<p>“It’s important for agencies to understand that bias really does hurt their bottom line,” says Chivonne Hyppolite, founder and CEO of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.abstractelementsevents.com/">Abstract Elements</a>, an Atlanta-based event planning and production agency. Plus, at a time when a tight events market is leading to a shortage of meeting vendors, it’s the perfect time to expand your roster in general—and a cue to do so with an eye toward DEI. Here are nine ways you can develop stronger partnerships with diverse vendors, expanding possibilities for everyone.</p>

<h3>1) Turn to the experts.</h3>
<p>You can’t build relationships with vendors you don’t know exist. To find diverse vendors and suppliers, you can turn to the resources you already know, but with an eye toward diversity.</p>
<p>Meeting Professionals International, local chambers of commerce, state supplier diversity programs, local opportunity programs: There’s no shortage of outlets with the information you’re looking for. In addition to the local chamber of commerce, many regions have culturally specific commerce councils, such as state-affiliated Hispanic chambers of commerce and American Indian chambers of commerce.</p>
<p>“There’s always a woman-owned business,” Hyppolite says. “There’s always a business owned by a person of color or a veteran. There’s always a business that has people who look like me. Being purposeful in seeking them out is key.”</p>
<p>For a purpose-built resource hub, turn to <a target="_blank" href="https://ourbloc.com/">OurBLOC</a>, a platform by and for Black and minority-owned event vendors.</p>
<h3>2) Ask the right questions.</h3>
<p>As with any vendor, when you’re seeking out diverse vendors, you want to ask about their skills, strengths, and operations. But finding diverse vendors brings another set of questions.</p>
<p>Hyppolite suggests getting specific. Asking about how many women or people of color are on staff is a place to start—but not an end point. “How many women do you actually see on-site?” she recommends asking. “How many people of color do you have, and not just in your warehouse? How many of them are actually boots on the ground, producing and executing?”</p>
<p>Having a diverse team matters. Values do too. Hyppolite asks potential suppliers about their mission statement and values before committing. “Integrity is big for me,” she says. “And I really want to work with people who stand for integrity too.”</p>
<h3>3) Show up for your vendors.</h3>
<p>Building a diverse network of vendors isn’t just about hiring them. It’s about mutual service: discovering what they can do for your business, and what you can do for theirs.</p>
<p>“I will not do business with a firm whose work I have not seen,” Hyppolite says. “But to nourish those relationships, you’ve got to get to know them—their brand, their mission, their values, how they execute. You build those relationships by showing up for them. You do that by being present at their events. By being of service to them.”</p>
<p>Asking vendors whose work you don’t yet know what kind of events they’re best suited for can help you play matchmaker. “Don’t just send business their way,” Hyppolite advises. “Actually ask them what type of events they’re looking to do this year. Ask them how your services can be of value to their company.”</p>
<p>She cites an example of an audiovisual company she was excited to work with but hadn’t yet seen in action. She approached the company with a roster of events she was developing and told them, “I want to bring you in on the right project, and I want to use you on more than just a one-off basis. Are you willing?” From there, she and the company could figure out the right event to use as an initial partnership. The key was that she showed up for an emerging company by giving them options.</p>
<h3>4) Shadow them before committing.</h3>
<p>“I can’t think of any organization that wouldn’t be willing to allow somebody who’s interested in working with them to come and see how they do things on-site,” Hyppolite says. “You’re not their competitor; you’re their potential client.”</p>
<p>When you’re on-site with a potential vendor or supplier, observe how team members are communicating with one another and how they’re conducting client interactions. If you hire them, they’ll be reflecting your organization, so you’re looking for expertise and professionalism—while remembering that “professionalism” means different things to different stakeholders.</p>
<h3>5) Have them shadow you.</h3>
<p>If you haven’t had an opportunity to observe a team but are eager to try them out, see if you can bring in one team member as a part of your entourage for an upcoming event.</p>
<p>“People hire contractors all the time, and this is essentially that,” Hyppolite says. “It doesn’t have to be the whole team.” Even if a team member isn’t involved in strategy, bringing them in day-of allows you to see how that person is accustomed to communicating and responding to real-time situations.</p>
<p>It’s a lower-stakes trial that can help build mutual trust so that when it comes time for you to hire anew, you’ll have an idea of what you’re working with. “You’re not taking as much of a risk,” Hyppolite says.</p>
<h3>6) Design a trial.</h3>
<p>If you have an internal event or a smaller event on your docket, treat it as a trial opportunity for a new vendor. “You can let them know, ‘Hey, we’re doing this specific event on a trial basis, but I can get you in as a verified vendor, and I’d love for you to handle this so we can see how we work together.’”</p>
<p>This also gives them the opportunity to see how your team executes events, and to determine whether they’re comfortable with your working style.</p>
<h3>7) Follow up.</h3>
<p>Involving vendors in your own event postmortems benefits both of you. If the event was a raging success, celebrate together to build community and shine a light on team members who went above and beyond. And if, as with most events, there was also room for improvement? Sharing feedback helps vendors see where they can grow.</p>
<h3>8) Pay your vendors fairly.</h3>
<p>“Do not lowball them,” Hyppolite says. Especially when working with emerging vendors, you might be tempted to use it as an opportunity to get talent for a below-market price. Avoid that temptation. “Don’t try to squeeze them for every nickel and dime. They’re trying to make it as well.”</p>
<p>Pay transparency can go a long way toward ensuring equity. Review your past contracts to make sure you’re entering into your contract fairly, and be clear with vendors upfront about what you can pay.</p>
<h3>9) Let them wow you.</h3>
<p>It’s standard to ask for references, but you can go a step beyond. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, here’s a person I worked with,’” Hyppolite says. “Have them show you what they’ve done before. A lot of agencies will see that as an opportunity to show you what they’ve done before and what they’re capable of.”</p>
<p>Building a diverse vendor network may mean stepping out of the formula you’ve gotten used to—and that’s part of the joy of bringing diversity goals to life.</p>
<p>“There’s magic in collaboration,” Hyppolite says. “You’ve been working with the same people for 15 years, so that might be all you know, but don’t be scared to take that leap.”</p>

Find Magic in Collaboration—Outside of Your Roster.

Nine Ways to Build Partnerships With Diverse Vendors

<p>Everyone deserves to be recognized for who we are regardless of race, gender, nationality, or any other point of human differences. Embrace diversity and inclusivity in your next event so that everyone, no matter their background, is given a chance to thrive, grow, and feel included. Marriott’s core value of putting people first encompasses our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We believe that embracing differences is what makes Marriott a great place to work, gather, and stay. Here are just a few examples of how Marriott is working towards this goal and what you can do to incorporate diversity and inclusion in your next event.</p>
<h2><strong>1. Build a Diverse Workfore&nbsp;</strong></h2>
<p>Having a diverse team allows us to gain a better understanding of the global market and come up with innovative ways to serve and delight guests. Building a healthy and genuine culture of diversity and inclusion transforms employee motivation and happiness in amazing ways. All who interact with members within the team feel extra welcomed and encouraged.</p>
<p>In Marriott, we continue to foster an inclusive environment by empowering our associates to champion the initiatives and developing resources that build awareness about cultural differences. We extended the initiative beyond our workforce and created diverse supplier programs such as “<a href="https://www.marriott.com/diversity/supplier-diversity.mi">EXCHANGES</a>” to partner with minority, women, LGBT, disabled, and veteran-owned businesses around the world. As a result, we have been named one of the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work® and ranked as one of the top companies for diversity. We believe the diversity of our team can help us better take care of you and your guests.</p>
<h2><strong>2. Promote Cultural Understanding</strong></h2>
<p>As part of the worldwide Culture Day at Marriott, participants learned business practices in the Korean culture, including the exchange of business cards in Dubai.</p>
<p>Creating inclusive events that respects and welcomes all begin with cultural understanding. Don’t make assumptions and be aware of any bias that you may have from the beginning. By simply opening your eyes and ears to your surroundings, you can already present yourself in a positive way that encourages others. You can also work with a culturally diverse events team where thoughts and concerns are comfortably shared. Having an open and safe platform allows for the diverse voices and perspectives to be heard and appreciated.</p>
<p>Different cultures have different event needs and meeting etiquette. Through partnerships, training, and education, we ensure that our hotels are a place of inclusion and comfort for all. One of the ways we do so is by incorporating “Culture Days” for our staff. Immersive training is designed to build cultural competence and confidence by giving property teams a unique opportunity to experience and understand appropriate cultural terms, business and social protocols, traditions, trends, cuisine, and clothing.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Event guests can also take advantage of <a href="https://activities.marriott.com/">Marriott Bonvoy Tours and Activities</a> as a way to experience and gain a better understanding of the different cultures for themselves. With over 200,000 local experiences in over 1,000 destinations worldwide, we try to elevate travel as a catalyst for peace and cultural understanding.</p>
<h2><strong>3. Celebrate Women</strong></h2>
<p>Although it is recognized that gender diversity in events is a good thing, progress has been relatively slow. For your next event and conference, try to have a more diverse and representative panel to showcase your company’s dedication to gender diversity and gender equality.&nbsp;</p>
<p>As an event partner, Marriott is a strong advocate for honoring women and gender balance in the hospitality industry. As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of our Women’s Leadership Development Initiative, we want to continue to encourage, acknowledge and empower our female leaders by organizing more events like W Hotel’s “What She Said” conference that brings together powerful and progressive women.</p>
<h2><strong>4. Embrace Gender Diversity and Sexual Orientation</strong></h2>
<p>Marriott’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is about creating a warm space where everyone belongs. It means that we are dedicated to taking care of all guests from the gender diversity spectrum and fostering a positive sense of wellbeing. At your next event and meeting, offer various pronoun choices and honorifics for your registration forms or platforms, badges, and signages. If possible, you can also provide gender-neutral bathrooms for attendees to use.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We are always consciously finding ways to create an accepting community. Initiatives and events such as W hotel’s social guide for LGBTQ travelers, W London’s participation at the London Pride Parade, and W Hong Kong’s Drag Me to Late Brunch are just a few little ways that we provide an accepting and friendly environment for events and meetings.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Diversity means little without inclusivity. Embrace diversity and inclusivity for your next event. Little things like adding pronouns and having a more representative community can go a long way. By making sure that all people of different backgrounds are heard and celebrated, we can slowly bring positive change within the greater community. We look forward to hosting you and your guests from all walks of life at your next meeting.</p>

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and Inclusion

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