Of 600 events professionals who took part in the recent Fast Forward 15 Diversity & Inclusion survey[1], 82% were white, with only 3% identifying as black, African or Caribbean. Just 2.5% reported having a disability. We’ve always known that the events industry is not as diverse as it should be and it’s up to all of us to try and make a change.
Here at WRG, we are recruiting for our Year ONE initiative. It’s a paid 12 month internship which will give successful applicants the opportunity to get experience with each of our environments, event production, delegate management and technical production teams. There are no pre-requisites for applicants; you just need to be over 18 and be able to show us your creativity, attention to detail, communication skills, bundled with lots of energy and enthusiasm.
So, why do we think initiatives like this are a good first step to improving diversity in our industry?
Firstly, we know there is a tendency when recruiting events staff to go to a certain group of universities which offer event management degrees. As a graduate of an event management degree myself, I’m certainly not criticising the courses or the skills they offer to students. However, by insisting on university qualifications, whatever the course, we are missing out on some great potential amongst those who may not have gone to university for whatever reason, or who might have other transferable skills. People who have worked or volunteered as events stewards or set up a local festival might not have an events qualification, but they may still have some really valuable hands-on experience that we can nurture. Likewise, I have worked with some amazing event producers, who came from many other career paths, including theatre, journalism and TV.
Secondly, we are not asking people to work for free or a reduced wage. Year ONE pays an entry level wage, because if you only make these schemes accessible to those who can afford to live on a low wage or work for free, you immediately cut out a section of the population.
Thirdly, as hiring managers, we can find our (un)conscious bias steering inexperienced candidates to one career path or another, making snap decisions based on instinct. We hope that offering the chance to explore different areas of the events business will give our interns a sense of freedom to discover where their talents lie and what they enjoy most to enable their careers to flourish.
I’m not suggesting by any means that we have discovered the answer to enhancing diversity in our industry. We want to keep improving and believe that making a change such as this is the first step to doing so. By broadening our horizons when it comes to recruitment, we will hopefully help a more diverse group of people take their first steps into this exciting and vibrant industry. In addition, we get fresh perspectives on the experiences we offer and can work towards having a workforce as diverse as our audiences. Not only will that improve the quality of our work, but we’ll become better corporate citizens at the same time.
We’re very much looking forward to welcoming our first group of Year ONE interns this summer.
[1] Fast Forward 15 Diversity & Inclusion survey