FF15 2020 Research Paper Diversity and Inclusion

July 2020
RESEARCH PAPER
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

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Table of Contents
Welcome & Introduction - Fay Sharpe
Page 4
Inclusive or Not?
Page 6
Male Pale & Stale?
Page 8
Education
Page 11
Time out
Page 12
Work life balance-Time Out!
Page 14
Made it!
Page 16
Ambassadors outlook
Page 18
Conclusions
Page 20
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‘‘
When people were in lockdown
I think humanity realised how
important it is to get together
Welcome
- Fay Sharpe
’’
One continuum, however, is the contribution and
progress that both men and women make to our
evolving sector which makes up 10% of the jobs across
the globe.
When people were in full lockdown I think humanity
realised how important it is to get together, whether
with relatives or friends, as part of an interest group or
activity, a company conference or a global exhibition
like IMEX. These social and commercial interactions
bring joy, knowledge and recognition. While these can
be mirrored online, they cannot replicate the interaction
or emotion of being side by side.
Our survey was timely and thanks to IMEX Group drew
responses from across Europe, USA, UK and Asia,
thereby giving a truly global perspective.
The findings are incredibly interesting, and I hope will
inform and inspire you to continue to positively change
how we all work together for the better.
I hope you enjoy.
Fay
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The overall
objective
UK & IRELAND – 31.58%
MAINLAND EUROPE – 28.13%
USA – 20.39%
ASIA PACIFIC & OTHER – 19.90%
*Survey carried out in April 2020
The overall objective of the survey was to understand
how inclusive we are as an industry. The survey also
considered education, career progression, perceived
success and salary.
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Inclusive or not
This survey could not have come at a more opportune moment when we look at
our industry and how it will change in the future.
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Diversity and inclusion are hot topics
which we cover. For the first time we have
included the number of dependents of
respondents in order to draw a correlation
between maternity leave and career
progression.
For five years Fast Forward 15 has
championed future female talent and the
survey has enabled me to see if, and what,
the outcomes were in live businesses from
the mentoring programme.
Each year we are inundated with applicants
to be mentored, and we have a waiting
list of leaders who want to help mentor.
After five years of the programme, we have
150 ambassadors in the field working in
leading agencies, corporates and across a
broad supply chain in senior roles to young
entrepreneurs.
73% of the respondents to
this survey were female
and the main age group
of respondents was over
30 thereby suggesting
considerable experience
in the events sector. Males
who took part in the
survey tended to be older,
with just over 80% being
over 31.
Re-visiting the inclusivity questions in the
sector has again thrown some interesting
outcomes and will set a new bar for
organisations to create a workforce that it is
both inclusive and diverse.
MALE RESPONDENTS
FEMALE RESPONDENTS
0%
1.58%
21 OR UNDER
6.83%
19.64%
22-30
11.81%
25.51%
31-40
32.30%
25.06%
41-50
24.84%
21.67%
51-60
24.22%
6.54%
61+
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Male, pale & stale
We too?
Despite major awareness drives across all business sectors and data showing that diversity
and inclusion can be correlated to value creation and a company’s profitability, there is an
alarming lack of diversity in the events sector.
From the responses, there is a disproportionate
lack of representation from those with
disabilities when compared to the UK’s average
of 18% of the working age population having a
disability. Just 2.47% of the survey identified as
having a disability.
agency and suppliers credentials and inclusion
and diversity are increasingly used as a
measurement criteria.
3.49%
Another very strong indicator of lack of diversity
was around ethnicity and the fact that 82% of
respondents identified as white.
As an industry we are careful to help our
clients ensure their events are inclusive and
diverse, however, the results underline that our
own back of house lacks any formulated plan
suggesting that our boards are ‘male, pale and
stale’.
6.31%
82.06%
5.15%
There is significant work to be done for the
entire industry to move forward with inclusivity
and diversity. Post-COVID 19 we have been
reminded of the importance that collaboration
and trust play in an organisation’s commercial
endurance; people’s outlooks have been tested
and will continue to be a benchmark of trust
in an organisation. Corporates are scrutinising
2.99%
WHITE 82.06%
MIXED / MULTIPLE 5.15%
ASIAN / ASIAN BRITISH 6.31%
BLACK / AFRICA / CARIBBEAN 3.49%
OTHER ETHNIC 2.99%
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‘‘
Meetings and events should
reflect the wider world, not just
the insular sphere of corporate
executives. Planners, though
need better education to create
experiences that welcome a
more diverse set of attendees
ANDREW SHEIVACHMAN, SKIFT
’’
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Education
Post Covid; will having a degree put candidates ahead of others in the scramble
to find jobs?
The sector is highly educated; with 41% of
respondents achieving an undergraduate
degree and 38% a postgraduate degree. The
degree vs experience debate has rumbled on
for some time, and the survey does highlight
that a degree is a marked way for career
progression.
The survey does not indicate the subject
matter of the degree and the fact that our
respondents were mainly 30 years plus,
may sway the research as apprenticeships
and cost of degrees are becoming bigger
influencers to generation z and their career
path.
Males are more likely to have a postgraduate
degree (50%) and females are more likely to
have studied to undergraduate level.
According the UK Events Industry Board
Talent Taskforce, 61% of events industry
employers are experiencing skills shortages
within their businesses with the biggest
problem areas in sales and business
development roles. With the globalisation of
agencies and a diminishing competitor set,
the commercials of winning business are at
the fore for every agency and even more
so with the added pressures that Covid-19
brings to the operating model.
12.77%
POSTGRADUATE DEGREE
UNIVERSITY DEGREE
GSCEO LEVEL
A LEVEL OR EQUIVALENT
3.15%
41.13%
DOCTORAL DEGREE
NO QUALIFICATION
37.81%
3.48%
1.66%
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Time Out
NUMBER OF CAREER BREAK
DISTRIBUTION FOR MALE
PARTICIPANTS
Despite the large proportion of females answering
the survey, a significant proportion do not
have children. 48.5% of the survey have no dependents
which questions the long-cited reason
for gender inequality in the workplace being
down to family related constraints.
NO, I HAVE NO CAREER
BREAK
Within the sample, 47.42% of females and 21.58% of
men had taken a break of more than 3 consecutive
months in their career indicating that maternity leave
is more prevalent than paternity leave in the events
industry.
78.42%
YES, I HAD WORK INTER-
RUPTIONS FOR 3 MONTHS
OR LONGER
21.58%
Despite changes in the workplace across the UK
allowing for fathers to take more paternity leave,
new fathers are finding it hard to take it because of
financial worries. The rate of statutory paternity pay in
the UK (£148.68 or 90% of average weekly earnings,
whichever is lower) means that many fathers and
their families have to take a pay cut to be with their
newborns. Some employers offer more generous
terms or longer leave but even then, time away from
work could impact on career progression.
52.58%
NO, I HAVE NO CAREER
BREAK
47.42%
YES, I HAD WORK INTER-
RUPTIONS FOR 3 MONTHS
OR LONGER
NUMBER OF CAREER BREAK
DISTRUBTION FOR FEMALE
PARTICIPANTS
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‘‘
‘Social norms still dictate
that mothers do most of the
childcare’
The Telegraph.
’’
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Work life balance
Within the survey 84% of people were in full time
employment and just 8% were freelance with
females more likely to be either part- time or
freelance.
Females in full-time employment stands at
82% employment a figure that is in line with the
Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Pattern of work is also often considered a
contributor to gender inequality, in particular
in relation to things like the gender pay gap
and level of seniority, as full-time work is still
considered the norm. 83.74% of our sample work
full time. Surprisingly, given the nature of the
events industry, only 7.94% class themselves as
freelance.
What will happen next?...
‘‘
I fully expect our industry to go through a full
transformation over the next 2 years - will flexi
freelance be the new norm?
Fay Sharpe
’’
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7.94%
WORK PATTERN
FULL TIME
PART TIME
FREELANCE
83.74%
8.32%
MALE WORK PATTERN
FEMALE WORK PATTERN
88.57%
82.22%
FULL TIME
4.29%
9.54%
PART TIME
7.14%
8.25%
FREELANCE
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Show me the money!
The average salary is £56,972.88. However, the initial graph below
illustrates that this high average is skewed by a relatively
small number of very high salaries (£150k+).
SALARY DISTRIBUTION FOR PARTICIPANTS
Made it!
50000 100000 150000 200000 250000 300000
SALARY DISTRIBUTION FOR FEMALE PARTICIPANTS
Objective career success is measured on salary;
number of promotions; level of responsibility.
The average salary for women was
£53, 689.13 with the average male earning
25.5% more*.
*It should be noted that, within the male
respondents, there are several threefigure
salaries which will impact the average.
50000 100000 150000 200000 250000 300000
SALARY DISTRIBUTION FOR MALE PARTICIPANTS
Despite the fear that taking a career
break will impede on salary, there is no
significant difference in salary between
those who had taken time out and those
who had not.
50000 100000 150000 200000 250000
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Number of promotions
NUMBER OF PROMOTIONS
PROMOTION
NO
9.94% 11.47%
ONE
TWO
13.38%
THREE
FOUR
35.77%
FIVE OR MORE
12.81%
16.63%
Number of promotions is the second objective measure
of career success. 36% of respondents had been
promoted five times or more indicating the maturity
of these respondents.
Level of seniority/management
Level of seniority/management responsibility is the
third objective measure of career success.
Women in the sample were spread across hierarchical
levels, whereas men were skewed towards higher levels
of management.
NON-MANAGEMENT 15.44%
LOWER MANAGEMENT 10.17%
MIDDLE MANAGEMENT 23.16%
UPPER MANAGEMENT 22.22%
EXECUTIVE 29.01%
MANAGEMENT LEVEL DISTRIBUTION
MALE
FEMALE
4.29%
19.28%
NON-MANAGEMENT
3.57%
12.60%
LOWER MANAGEMENT
20.71%
24.16%
MIDDLE MANAGEMENT
25%
21.34%
UPPER MANAGEMENT
46.43%
22.62%
EXECUTIVE
With objective career success measured on salary; number of promotions; level of responsibility: men are more
successful than women and sit higher up in the hierarchical structure.
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As an FF15 BAME Ambassador, diversity and inclusion
are at the top of my agenda. But the point is, it needs
to be a key part of everyone’s agenda and a study like
this helps to uncover the gaps and the areas that are
working within the industry. We need this data to gain
knowledge. We need this knowledge to take action. We
need to take action to impact change. This study is a
brilliant first step on a long road ahead
Ambassadors
Outlook
FELICIA ASIEDU, Manager, Europe Marketing, Cvent
JUDY ELVEY, Marketing Consultant/MPI President/FF15 Mentor
Inclusivity is so important, in our industry
it’s easy to be forgiven to believe we
are all totally inclusive as our events
are supported by so many additional
organisations such as venues, hotels,
transport, caterers, security etc. However,
it’s not until you start digging deeper and
look at the leaders in the industry that you
can see there is a disconnect. We need to
ensure we’re championing to show we’re
an inclusive industry. Whilst we’re all keen
to show we’re being ‘sustainable’ we often
forget that two of the UN 17 Sustainable
Development Goals are ‘Gender Equality’
and ‘Reduced Inequality’.
CARINA BAUER, CEO, IMEX Group, President, Site Foundation 2020
At IMEX we have a strong history of championing
women’s leadership and over the past few years
this has grown to incorporate a more meaningful
focus on diversity and inclusion in all its forms.
We are, therefore, proud to sponsor this extensive
survey of the sector. Whilst it shows that we still
have much work to do to create a truly diverse
workplace that reflects our wider society, the
results shine a light on the areas where we
should concentrate our efforts. The business
events industry is full of creative, passionate and
open-minded professionals. We generally like to
solve problems and I am optimistic that if, as an
industry, we are serious about solving the issues
of diversity, inclusion and gender disparity, we
have it in our power to do so.
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GABBY AUSTEN BROWNE, Founder, Diversity Ally
Soon, reporting requirements relating to
ethnicity and reaching diversity targets will be
non-negotiables. The research conducted and
shared in this paper highlights we still have some
way to go with regards to diversity overall. By
participating in and sharing this research, we now
have a place to start from, to build, grow and
improve. “What gets measured, gets improved”
A review on race in the workplace found that
tackling the racial disparities in the UK labour
market could result in an annual economic boost
worth £24bn to the UK Economy. So, its’ time to
become consciously inclusive. now more than
ever. It’s good for humanity and it’s good for
business.
The events sector is a vibrant and exciting sector
that contributes greatly to the British Brand at
home and abroad. However, it is not a diverse
sector and does not reflect the impressive multiculturalism
of the British population. Career paths
to entry are too narrow, particularly excluding
the young ethnically diverse populations of our
cities. And once you are within the sector, the
career progression to executive level favours
a white middle-class man. 2020 is a time to
commence change and develop new pathways;
Such as those introduced by the Fast Forward 15
programme. #timeforchange…
MARK RICHES, Industry Investor and Advisor
MADOLYN GROVE, Events Director at Hearst
This survey shines a light on the alarming
statistics we are aware of but often overlook. It
is our challenge as sector leaders to take action,
champion change and effectively re-shape the
industry to support workers from all backgrounds
to reflect a broader community, equal rights and
gender parity, particularly at senior management
level to pave the way for more diverse future
leaders.
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Conclusion
Without doubt the events sector has moved forward in
terms of equality, however, the harsh reality is that it is
predominately still lip service and tokenism when it comes
to inclusivity and diversity.
Women earn demonstrably less, and women do not get the
promotions despite being well educated and with long career
histories in their organisations.
Efforts are being made at board level and I am grateful that
companies realise that gender equality is good for business.
We have made some good progress in five years, but there
is still a long way to go as the diversity and inclusivity figures
reveal. Men continue to rule the boardroom although there are
indicators of gender parity at senior level. Cultural change takes
two to three years and the onus is on everyone in the events
sector to continue to push for parity for females.
What strikes most is the moniker ‘male, pale and stale’ which
describes many senior leadership teams that were surveyed,
which is surprising for an industry that is rich in creativity and
alive with colour. We can only hope for yet more recalibration in
the boardroom and hope that the post-Covid 19 societal reboot
will help us better balance not only females in leadership roles,
but different races and a more disability confident workforce. The
more actively an organisation encourages, discourages and sets
new standards on behaviours in every moment, the faster the
organisation will change for the better.
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‘‘
Nothing worth having was ever
achieved without effort’
Theodore Roosevelt
’’
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Notes
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RESEARCH PAPER
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Thanks to the supporter of this initiative
Dr Kate Dashper is Reader and Director of Research Degrees in the School of Events, Tourism
and Hospitality Management. Her research applies a critical sociological lens to examine
practices of work and leisure, particularly focusing on gender issues and interspecies
encounters.
Triggerfish has been a long-term partner of Fast Forward 15 and has again helped analyse and
give insights on the research. The company has strong reputation for being can-do, candid and
creative. This year Triggerfish celebrates 21 years as a leading communications company that helps
raise voices, opinions and awareness in the global MICE sector. www.triggerfish.co.uk