FOCUS ON D&I
A seat at the table
Damilola Onamusi, MD of D.A.S.H. Events, reveals how you can be a diversity ally - and the pitfalls to avoid
A s a black event professional, over my career I have noticed the lack of individuals who look like me. I’m often the only black person on my team and one of two or three black people within my
event professionals leave the industry to set up their own businesses because the doors that their counterparts are flying through are being shut in their faces. Where is a black professional’s recognition? Where is their promotion? It’s essential we focus on diversity, but we must
mention a happier workforce. Allyship shouldn’t be performative and only when the eyes of others are on you. Be intentional about your commitment to change and championing of black event professionals; there is room at the table for everyone. So move up and offer the seat next to you. Here’s how to be a diversity and inclusion ally in six steps: Invite diversity During creative and agenda planning meetings, invite more black event professionals into the room. If you don’t have any in the company, search for them. Don’t just assume that the experience created by colleagues will appeal to everyone. In order for experiences to appeal to all, they must be created by all. If you’re in a position of authority, make it an active thing to decentre yourself and give the floor to a black event professional to lead
department. It’s something I’m hyper aware of and often saddened by. Why is it that an industry I care so much about and devote so much time and energy to doesn’t seem to have space for people like me? Issues of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the events industry are often overlooked
There is room at the table for everyone, so move up and offer the seat next to you
also master inclusion. Recruiting black event professionals is one thing, keeping them is a different game. This is not just a problem for associations such as the Association of Black Event Professionals
or Black in Events to tackle. It’s a problem that everyone should have on their agenda. If more allies adopted the following points, we would see a higher retention among black event professionals, not to
because it’s a sector that employs more women than men. A lack of existing benchmarking data for the industry also helps the issue to get swept under the rug. It frustrates me so much to see black
26 SPRING/SUMMER 2022 mitmagazine.co.uk
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