Zoe Moore on Why DEI Is Under Fire in the Meetings Industry and Beyond
Zoe Moore, proprietor of Zoe Moore Consultancy, is one of the leading consultants and proponents of DEI, or diversity equity and inclusion, in the meetings and events industry.
Having co-chaired MPI's Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Committee and more recently leading Event Leadership Institute’s Event DEI Strategist certification course—and also an event planner—Moore has a uniquely qualified expertise on DEI and a keen perspective on why the concept is currently under attack.
Special Free Upcoming Webinar With Leading DEI-Proponent Industry Leaders: The State of DEI in the Meetings Industry and Beyond
Moore shares her unfiltered thoughts on the current state of DEI, or EDI, as she prefers to refer to it, with Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson.
If you're curious about DEI (aka EDI), this podcast is for you, as it illustrates its basic concepts as well as dives deeper to provide further understanding on what has recently become a politically charged topic.
[Related: Read Zoe Moore's Articles for Meetings Today]
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Transcript:
Editors note: The following transcription was facilitated by AI program Otter.ai and proofed by our editors. Although it is very accurate, there inevitably will be some mistakes, so please consider that when reading. Thank you.
Tyler Davidson
Hello, and welcome to this Meetings Today Podcast. I'm Tyler Davidson, Vice President and Content Director with Meetings Today. And today we're joined by Zoe Moore of Moore Consulting Agency. She's a strategic EDI consultant, and someone I've known for quite a long time and have worked with on a bunch of stuff over the years and columns, and webinars and all sorts of stuff. Thanks for joining us.
Zoe Moore
My pleasure. I have so many nicknames for you, Tyler, like, I just got off the phone with one of your good friends. And, and she speaks highly of you and your wife. And I'm like, yeah, I've actually only met Tyler a few times in person. But we've worked together many years. And you have just been a strong supporter of everything that I'm trying to do in the industry. And I just appreciate you.
Tyler Davidson
Well, I appreciate you, too. And everything you've done before and are doing now. And I mean, why don't we kind of just start with your history in the industry and your specialties and what you're up to?
Zoe Moore
Yeah, absolutely. There's so many that probably know this story, but I'll try to tell it in so many different ways. I'm an Army veteran. And so when I was honorably discharged, and trying to figure out what was next, I went to culinary school and while there they told me more about getting my masters in Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism that landed me in Hayward, California, at CSU East Bay. My professor Thomas Padrone introduced me to MPI, Meeting Professionals International and the Northern California Chapter. And I was just like--it was the Annual Conference and Expo--and I think that was like 2015, 2016.
And I was just blown away about how robust the industry was. I mean, there were hotel people there, there were caterers there. And I was like, this is kind of like the Army. You know, there's all these different jobs that are there. And I've never heard of this industry, although I did this work when I was in the military, getting hotels for generals and doing galas and things like that.
And at the time, I was living in Oakland. And I saw a disconnect between, you know, event planners and events in Oakland. And in MPINCC, Northern California chapter was more rooted in San Francisco. And that disconnect bothered me, you know, that disconnect between, you know, Oakland being very diverse--San Francisco as well. But when you go into these industry events, it's very homogenous, and very white spaces. And I was just like, "Hmm.... I can actually be an advocate in that space, and so started kind of building my career around advocating for inclusion and diversity, got trained and got a certificate with the National Diversity Council and then NCC--Gary Mirakami there pushed me into global did global DEI committee for two years with Anita Mullen, and just won a lot of awards, encouraged a lot of people to make sure that this conversation was central to the work that they're doing.
And that's kind of how the journey began. And now as it continues, I've really honed in on more consulting agency as a strategic EDI consultant. We can talk about why I use EDI versus DEI later.
[Related: A Multi-Generational Look at Women’s Leadership Journeys in the Meetings and Events Industry]
Tyler Davidson
I was gonna definitely ask you that.
Zoe Moore
Yeah, I know that was coming. But it's really helping companies develop, what I like to say, from insight to implementation, right? Where there's a lot of committees, a lot of individuals who are passionate about inclusion about accessibility. But how do you take it from being something that's aspirational? And to operationalize it as part of how you do business? How do you make business decisions? How you, as an event planner, execute an event as a hotel, book your room nights in any space that you're in across the ecosystem? How do you integrate EDI into its core as as the mode of operating? How do you do that? And so I sit with those individuals and leaders and have those conversations.
I have a course with PCMA Event Leadership Institute that's been running now for three years called the Event DEI Strategic Course. We're going to be revamping that, do a lot of speaking engagements across [PCMA] edUcon and WEC. And really making it where I'm engaging across all associations and then finding the champions within those associations, especially now, since DEIis under attack, right?
Tyler Davidson
And you know, what is the state of EDI, or DEI? We're in a election year coming up, and it becomes a political weapon or hot potato. I've heard from people who are, you know, very much in favor of it. But they're kind of like, it's in like a state of flux or just kind of put on the back burner right now or something. Yeah. What are you seeing? Because it was very much a very front burner topic the last few years.
Now, do you think it is just kind of been put on simmer for a little while and it's gonna come back? Where are we at as an industry with it?
Zoe Moore
Oh, so many ways I can answer that question. What I like to do--what I want to put into the course, that I do the event DEI strategic course, so that I can help people fully understand where we are, where we are currently--DEI being under attack is not new.
So, if we rewind and go in that time machine, go back to 1950 1964, specifically 1964, when the Civil Rights Act passed, prior to that year, it was legal to discriminate. It was legal to be racist, sexist and a lot of other things within leisure spaces, within institutions, employment, so forth and so on. And that is the birth of DEI, right? DEI is advocating that we dismantle those systems that oppress that exclude.
And so here we are, fast forward--what is it? 80 years, thereabouts?--and not even 100 years later, we're having the same conversations where there are individuals who have historically held power, who are sounding the alarms, that by including being diverse, being equitable, is leaving them out. Right? And so, those individuals who have historically held power for you know, predominantly white males in leadership roles, white males who are in political positions, and those who are in that same school of thought, are using their financial power, their legislative power and positionality to, again, sound the alarm about DEI is racism, or reverse racism.
And so they're taking the same legislation that was passed in 1964, weaponizing it to strip, you know, legislation that passed around that time when it comes to women's rights, when it comes to, you know, anti-racism, when it comes to accessibility...
Tyler Davidson
Public accommodation, right?
Zoe Moore
I mean, everything. You know, with all the people who are like, "Oh, my gosh, maybe we should pull back from this, because like you said, in 2020, it was front of front burner, it was in in the marquee, but people who were in it for aspirational reasons and not to operationalize it, I don't think enough education was given for them to understand how they were going to come under attack. For those who have been in the space prior to 2020, and know the history, knew that this was coming. Right? We understand the pushback and where the fear mongers come from as far as why they think that this is a negative thing, why diversity or affirmative action, any of these policies that make institutions and systems more inclusive, we knew that they were going to try to reverse legislation, because it's always been marinating beneath the surface.
I think the opportunity for our industry is, and I think I see this happening, I really believe I see that it's happening--people are understanding that it's under attack, they're not necessarily giving up, they're realizing that they have to learn more that it can't be--they just say, "Oh, now we need, you know, more representation of a particular race or gender." We need to operationalize this, we can't be aspirational, because that's what gets attacked, we have to make this a core part of how we do business, and not just something that we do during Black History Month or Pride Month. And and I think that's the change that I'm seeing with conversations that I'm having, as we move into a space of how to make this more strategic and how do we measure our efforts?
So yeah, it's to say that this is not new. And those who understand how opposition operates and how it always operates, can tell you in pinpoint,prior to the Civil Rights Act being passed in 1864, and even 20-30 years after that, how this has been the same right rhetoric, and it's just repeating itself. And so we have to prepare ourselves, educate ourselves. And as practitioners do that for our clients...
Tyler Davidson
...and I think like a lot of things, the national environment, whatever political environment, trickles down to the meetings and events industry, because that's almost like a microcosm of society, you know, in a way, right?
Zoe Moore
Absolutely. It's what I want people to understand, that they're superheroes, their powers as an event planner. Every event that you host, every event that you organize, you are bringing people from all different walks of life together. And you create a space for them to engage in conversation, to learn, to eat food, to travel, or experience a new destination, hear different music, and the list goes on, right?
So, everything that's taking place in that environment that maybe two or three hours, or two or three days, is happening in a neighborhood or community or city every single day. So if we as event planners understand how to bring people together and do so successfully, in a way that is equitable and inclusive, we can use that as the blueprint for how cities can establish themselves.
And at the center of that is collaboration. Because in order to execute an event, you collaborate with so many stakeholders, and how can we replicate that the more diverse our stakeholders are, the more inclusive we are in our policies and our processes are more equitable. The fact that you know, the funding the income, the revenue that you make is equally or equitably distributed, that is the blueprint that we need. And we need to replicate that, and how we just engage as a society.
Tyler Davidson
And I would think that attendees of meetings are all for that. Right? And no matter what is the overarching political environment in a state or somewhere, I think, for the grassroots level, the people that are consuming these meetings, their whole purpose is to get together and network with whoever is there that are their colleagues. Right?
Zoe Moore
Yeah. I mean, I think it is. It's people understanding, what are we really talking about? Right, at its basis, DEI, again, that neighborhoods should be diverse, that housing, employment, you know, education should be equitable. That these institutions and systems should be inclusive, right, and everybody--there's not one person that I know that doesn't want a roof over their head that wants health care that wants, you know, money to do leisure activities, take care of their families, and no one should be blocked out of that. Right?
And then when it comes to events, I want access to that speaker, that content, that education. I want to look down the different stations or the buffet table and know that someone understands my dietary needs, whether they're restrictions or preferences. I want to listen to music that I can relate to, in different spaces, talk to different people. And I want to travel to different places, a lot of people want that in their life. And if those who center themselves and think they're the only ones who deserve it, usually aren't the people that attend events because they stick in their bubble.
But for the people who come to events, like you said, the audience in general, go there because they want to expand their horizon. They want to learn new things meet, live vicariously through the people that they meet, expand their business, get their business out there or get a new job, all the different reasons why we attend. There's so many diverse reasons why people come to events.
And our job as professionals in that space, whatever sector we're in, or how we contribute to that event, ensures that those individuals have that experience. And that's what we're looking to measure. How can we improve? How do we create an experience that's inclusive, and that the people who attend get out of it, what they need it to get out of it? It's not rocket science, but people are making it, you know, those who are in opposition have antiquated beliefs and values and biases that just need to-- they're making it harder to have this conversation and it's unnecessary.
Tyler Davidson
How can we as the meetings and events industry do a better job to integrate to create inclusion for everyone?
Zoe Moore
Yeah, I really believe that the areas that I've been really honing in on in the course is representation metrics. That is one area--and I responded to a client today that representation metrics, or observational data, like who we see on our stages, who we see in our marketing, who we see at an event, how that is valid when it's tied to the sustainability of an organization.
So, when you have diverse individuals represented on your stage delivering content, in your marketing, that's attracting people to attend your event, you produce better outcomes, right? More innovative ideas, because different people are coming in the room together to share their experiences, their education, their backgrounds in one space. And people are getting educated by various individuals. And it also begins to diminish our biases.
When we see a woman in leadership on stage who is in the medical field in the STEM science, technology, engineering and math, when we we begin to diminish our biases around who deserves to be in those leadership roles, or who we value as an organization. So, it starts there [with a] representation of who's on your stages. Also representation, both trackable or measurable within your suppliers, right?
So, when you have vendors that you're working with, who helped to build the infrastructure of your event, or who cater food or the venues that you select--making sure again, that you're equitably distributing how you select individuals who respond to your RFP, or how you distribute your RFP out there--make sure you're not using the same people and that the money is funneling to the same spaces. So, you know, your stages, your content suppliers, and then also the experience that attendees have within your event.
I spoke earlier about food preferences, whether restrictions or preferences that someone's dietary needs isn't just them being, you know, more difficult or difficult; it's them adhering to their religious practices, it's their health needs. And also how their body responds when they're consuming food and have to engage with people for the rest of the day. This can be detrimental to someone's health or their experience within a space.
So us labeling food, I love how Tracy Stuckrath of Eating at a Meeting talks about the importance of food being labeled and, you know, accessible, and in so many ways. And so, yeah, those are the three areas that I can have a conversation about all day, making sure your speakers content is, you know, inclusive and diverse, and you're appealing to multiple audiences; making sure that you're spending money across various and diverse social identities; and that you're looking at the elements in your events to make sure they're also diverse, whether it's food, its music... you know, that there's just not one singular narrative, there's just not one person that you should be centering or catering to, there's a plethora of people.
Tyler Davidson
And I think people don't typically understand that, that they may not associate food needs and preferences with the DEI, right? Because I think, especially in America, everything is first looked at through lik a racial lens, right? And they don't look at accessibility being part of this, or neurodiversity, or all sorts of other things that are there. This really just equals inclusion. Right?
Zoe Moore
Yeah, I think you know, this conversation often comes up; I even got critiqued on my course, about its focus on race, gender and sexual orientation. And a lot of people were like, but there's so many other areas; and I agree with them; it's a yes or no response. Right? There's so many people who don't know the history of this country. And until we get comfortable having that conversation, it will continue to repeat itself. And even when you go into these categories, which I call primary characteristics, mainly off of observable or obvious data, again, how we look, how our bodies operate or, you know, who we marry, who we love, that has a deep and painful rooted history within this country and globally, right?
And then when you look at the secondary characteristics of cognitive and other areas you start to realize that it's still attached to race, gender. You know, if you put side by side what a man in a wheelchair experiences versus what a woman in a wheelchair experiences--even when we look at body positive, someone who's of larger size versus someone who is slender--you have to be able to have a nuanced conversation that is at the intersection of all of our identities, because none of us is one thing, right? So if you were to see me, I am a hazelnut, you know, complexion, with a chocolate skin. I'm a woman, I'm a veteran, I'm a mother.
There's so many ways in which I identify, and all the ways that those identities come together is that intersection, and how do you cater to my whole experience? And so that's what we're looking at when we talk about race, is that history that exists, and women have had challenges and still have challenges that we can see in pay and leadership roles. And so when we're talking about all the ways that we identify and wanting to be inclusive, we can't skip over the hard conversations, right?
We have to be able to have those, as well as talk about why neurodiversity is so important, because everyone learns different and cognitively, receives information, processes information differently, has different sensory or sensory levels that need to be catered to. And we have to make sure that when we're building these programs, that they, too, are racially diverse, that they're gender diverse, that they're, you know, built for accessibility. So, we're going to constantly circle back to those identities, and there's no escaping having both at the same time.
Tyler Davidson
And kind of getting back to kind of the umbrella term of like supplier diversity you were talking about before? The meetings industry is such an economic powerhouse, like, you have, I don't know, 1,000 neurosurgeons coming to a destination, or whatever, it brings a lot of money coming into community.
And I think it's a very fair statement to say that all different aspects of that community should have a chance to share in that revenue coming in.
Zoe Moore
Yeah, absolutely. Like when, you know, that term called the bleisure, I don't know if, if...
Tyler Davidson
...you use it for business and leisure travel, right?
Zoe Moore
...because that's how people are planning their times, right? They come for a conference and that destination is going to benefit off of their foot traffic when they go eat at different restaurants, when they're using local transportation, when they're shopping at local stores. So, a way to be inclusive and adhere to supplier diversity is one, as an event planner, who's either doing a city wide or has a large group who has a buying power or is going to be in the city is to inform local businesses on how your event is going to possibly change the layout of the city.
You know, we can talk about neurosurgeons or we can talk about the Grand Prix in Baltimore, or, you know, the Olympics in certain destinations, that fundamentally changes the structure of a destination, and it shouldn't hurt local businesses, it should benefit them. And if there's an opportunity for attendees to be out and about in the local population, those businesses should be notified. And if there's an opportunity for businesses to take part as food vendors, caterers, DJs inside the event, that should go local...
Zoe Moore
...or offsite venues that maybe, like theaters, that represent a culture, you know, that's is predominant in the area...
Zoe Moore
...you absolutely should; you should highlight the history, the ethnicity, the richness, the culture of that local...one of the things I always say... I use the hotels as an example, and I won't pick on any major brand. But I think about when we go to hotels, the goal in the past has been that anytime you go to a hotel at any destination, it looks exactly the same, right? That you recognize that brand--I get it.
However, if you take that convenience store, that satellite store that's in the hotel, and they all have the same brands, the same kind of candy, the same kind of chips, the same kind of drinks--boring, versus if you go into a hotel and a destination and it reflects the local peanuts, the local wine or distillery. And it tells you, hey, pick up this package here in our satellite store, and almost like a treasure hunt, go out and explore the local destination because we believe in reinvesting in the local community. Because a hotel, like an event, has a footprint in that destination. And there should be a partnership and alignment between the two.
I had this conversation, and I will say Sonesta on this call because I did have this great interview with one of the national sales directors of Sonesta, and we just talked about the power of what that hotel does for that local destination; it's creating jobs, it's increasing morale, property value goes up. So the CSR, the corporate social responsibility, is more than just going to volunteer at a local place. It's how does your particular event or property give back to the community and improve it in a way that is sustainable and not just performative. And so we should be thinking along those lines, when we think about our event strategy, and how we measure our impact, so that we can measure those numbers and say, "Look, you know, this event is good for our city.
It's created jobs, it's created new businesses, it's reduced crime--people think that the two are not tied. But when people have something to do, or you highlight artwork on the streets, or you highlight local food vendors, then that energy gets filled. And then they get national recognition, like we used to do this event called Black Joy Parade--I'm sorry, the event is still running in Oakland, California, and it's been running now for six, I think, going on seven years. And what it does for the community, it just comes to life, and it becomes a year-round thing, because the build up and the anticipation for this event gets each year has also empowered many other groups to have their own events, so it creates this way in which people can generate revenue, showcase their artwork, their fashion, and now you're attracting people to that destination.
And it's just the whole cycle. It's a whole entire ecosystem that we have to see, again, our superhero powers and what we do as event planners, when you curate that experience, that experience, both impacts your attendees and where that experience takes place.
Zoe Moore
Yeah, and I talk to a lot of people who run very high-profile DMOS for some of the major destinations, and I've been really impressed that they have very, I think, robust, DEI programs and giving, like, membership discounts or free memberships to underrepresented vendors in the community. Do you think that's under threat? Is that like one Supreme Court decision away from them saying, well, that's discrimination? Right? I mean, should we be concerned about that?
Zoe Moore
Yeah, always be concerned. It's like, you know, in talks to, you and I know, Joshua Grimes, right, my favorite lawyer in Philly. My industry, legal bestie. We've done some sessions together about DEI and the law. You know, a lot of people are, you know, averse to being sued. Who isn't, right? But if you allow that to guide you, in your decision making, you won't make any decisions whatsoever, because people can sue you for anything, people can bring up all kinds of, you know, just wild lawsuits, and say that they felt this way and things like that.
And so definitely be proactive in your language that you use and your strategy. And I think it's also showing why this is how I've advised many clients. Don't just do things in a performative way. Okay, we look around, we observe that we don't have, you know, women in the workplace, we're not going to hire any woman, we're going to hire all women for the rest of the year or two years. That is kind of a knee-jerk reaction. And the fear of someone calling you out, there has to be historical data and how you're doing it, you know, and why it's going to benefit your organization, why it's going to benefit the industry. Go deeper, go deeper into why you're doing it.
It's not just about putting, you know, an Asian woman on stage or a person with a disability, whether they're in a wheelchair or they're blind or they're deaf; it's not just about putting them there one time having them speak for 45 minutes and patting yourself on the back. For now, being inclusive, it's tying that representation into how you give back to the community, how you highlight businesses, how you challenge biases, how you dismantle exclusive systems that you know, deny people opportunities, right?
So, it has to go deeper. So, when someone does come at you with the lawsuit, they're attacking the benefit that everything that this does, right and not just something you do performative and one off that you can just quickly remove. But when it becomes, again, operationalized rather than just aspirational, your aspiration often is tied to performative action. That is not sustainable. Our goal, my goal as a strategic EDI consultant, is to make it sustainable, measurable, and something that you do as how you operate, how you do business across the board.
Tyler Davidson
Wow, that's very good advice. I appreciate that. And thank you for joining us. Do you have any final thoughts? And what general thoughts would you like to share maybe with those entering the meetings and events industry? I mean, I think all of us, a lot of us, just sort of happened into this industry, and we found something we just love. And it goes deep in our hearts.
What would be your kind of pitch to a young person about why this industry is is a great career opportunity? And then just any final thoughts you may have?
Zoe Moore
Yeah, to a young person. And, you know, I have a young person who inspires me every day, his name is Jordan Moore. And, you know, he's into marketing. I brought him to every industry events in MPI, PCMA...
Tyler Davidson
..and I saw him at IMEX, right?
Zoe Moore
Yeah. And out of his experience he's developed his own brand called Hella inspired. Hella Inspired...
Zoe Moore
...and it comes from a Bay Area term?
Zoe Moore
Everything... this is hella good, and hella this and hella that. But in this industry, that just what he would describe as a blank canvas, you can you can do anything within this industry. And what he loves, he's created, you know, Hella Inspired, t-shirts and stickers. He was telling me the other day, he got a large purchase order for stickers and T shirts. And he's like, "Mom, this idea was in my head," you know, like, and knowing that everywhere I travel, that I can have these conversations that helped inspire people, I can educate them and help inspire them. And, so just seeing how excited he gets. I don't have to be a caterer. I don't have to be a photographer. I can do marketing; I can do marketing for sports events; I can do marketing for destinations--it's limitless. And there's someone who described it. Ann Trang, or Ann Tran, I think her name is...I had the I seen an interview with her. And she said, "Our industry is ubiquitous, you know, it's like smoke in the air; you don't even see it, you know, or it's oxygen. But we're everywhere. We're literally everywhere."
So, anything that you think of, and it takes me back to a conversation real quick; I was at a college fair and someone, a young student, a senior graduating, was in finance, comes to the tables to an MPI NCC table. And they're like, "Oh, meeting planning. I guess what I do doesn't relate to this." And I was like, "What do you do?" And they were like, "finance." And I was like, "Are you serious? Like, let me connect you to Gary Murakami, who was our finance on the board." And then, you know, it's just like, "Absolutely, we need people who understand how to make the math, you know, how to make the budget line, how to create line items, so that we can allocate funds for supplier diversity, right? We need finance people. So everybody is welcome." Like, that's why this industry, or DEI within this industry, adds to that blueprint of it being a microcosm of society, because everybody, any skill set that you have, can be a part of this industry.
So yeah, the advice ties into that, is people who are currently in the industry, and doing this work, whatever sector you're in, whether it's hotels, or food and beverage or transportation, understand your contribution, understand the impact that you can make from the position in which you're in, that everybody can be a part of this conversation. And that what we're talking about--being equitable and inclusive and diverse--it's not to forget about people, it's to bring in more people, which produce better outcomes, and also just creates environments where we can all thrive. And when they say that the rising tide lifts all boats, you know, that's what our industry does. If we work together, collaboratively, then we don't have people who are suffering and struggling, we have a society that we created, where we're all working together to build, and each event is, you know, an example of that.
And so, yeah, I, I love this conversation, as you know, because we have this conversation all the time, and I hope that whether people reach out to me or all the many different practitioners and advocates, there's so many organizations that I can list... I am working on Latino Travel Fest right now for May, then comes Nomadness Travel Fest, and then Black Travel Expo. And so all these events speak to this message.
And so I'm here to support individuals who care. And for those who are in opposition, I would love to have a conversation with you. But I'm not going to invest time with individuals who are willfully ignorant. I'm going to invest time in those who are ready to have this conversation and lead and be advocates to push it forward.
Tyler Davidson
How can people reach you?
Zoe Moore
Email strategy@GrowWithZOMO.com. Like I said in the beginning, I use EDI versus DEI--same thing you might see, my name is Chiriga on LinkedIn. But I use Zoe, so I have a lot of anecdotes; I have a lot of stories as to why I flipped everything around. So Zomo, zone of energy or zone of entertainment, but strategy growth zone--you can go on my website. That's www.GrowWithZomo.com. That's kind of the nickname for Moore Consulting Agency.
I can say that you can slide in my DMs you know, message me if you want to get a hold of me, as well as find me on LinkedIn. I'm always having some opinion on LinkedIn about hot topics. My current interest is understanding legislation policy and how I can again bridge that conversation with people who are in the event space and where legislation is impacting destinations and just how we interact as a society.
So yeah, you can find me on all those things. And you know, I'm somewhere in somebody's airport and onsomebody's beach eating chocolate...
Tyler Davidson
Yeah, yeah, that's a lot of our stories, right? Like, "Oh i'tsTuesday, what city am I in, right?"
Zoe Moore
Oh, yeah, look up like oh, what timezone? And that's the hard part for me; what timezone am I in andmy what timezone will I be in next week when people are asking me to book meetings? Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Tyler Davidson
Well, thanks for joining us. Great pleasure. That was Zoe Moore, she is strategic EDI consultant...why EDI? I don't think we got to that other than DEI real quick.
Zoe Moore
Oh, real, real quick. So, I always say that when inclusion is the behavior, equity as a strategy, diversity will be the result. And so focusing on equity as a strategy, I put the E first to emphasize equity. Because if you focus on diversity, oftentimes you will tokenize those who are underrepresented. But if you focus on equity as a strategy and inclusion as a behavior, you create an environment where people of all diverse social identities, backgrounds, education levels will be attracted to come to you.
Tyler Davidson
Excellent. Thank you. So, again, that was Zoe Moore from Moore Consulting Agency. I'm Tyler Davidson, Vice President and Chief Content Director for Meetings Today. Thank you for joining us for this podcast. If you're interested in more of our podcasts, head on over to www.MeetingsToday.com; we have a very robust podcast section on there where you can hear podcasts with various industry thought leaders on a variety of topics. So thank you again for joining us today and no matter what you're up to with the rest of it, go out and make it great
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