The future of inclusion in meetings and events
On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14151, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” a federal rollback of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
For DEI advocates within the meetings industry, this has led to uncertainty about what this means for the future of DEI initiatives.
Despite the optics, many are still determined to keep DEI alive and hope others will double their efforts.
Smart Meetings spoke to several advocates within the industry to check the pulse on what planners and other DEI advocates should be doing during this shifting political landscape.
Jason Dunn, CEO of National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals, said it best: “Right now, our industry is at a crossroads. Some organizations are resolute in their journey toward equality, while others go with the wind—whichever way public opinion shifts, they follow. The question is, who will stand firm, and who will fold?”
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Now and Then: A Different Time
Compared to today, DEI initiatives, consultants and policies had no shortage before the 2024 election. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, DEI played a major role in looking at systemic inequalities within society, bringing the Black Lives Matter movement discussion into a global conversation of racial justice and inequality.
The impact of the federal rollbacks has caused many companies to reshuffle quickly, notes Adrien Tombari, CEO and co-founder of adn., an international, multilingual, inclusive talent agency based in Montreal, Canada.
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“DEI was, for the last two years, one of the most asked subjects for event planners and HR leaders,” Tombari continued, “and now, we see a shift—interest is coming down. Some companies treated it as a trend, something nice to do, but without actual meaning behind it. Those companies are now cutting budgets, which shows they never understood DEI in the first place.”
The intended message of inclusiveness DEI has long promoted has become quite different under the Trump Administration.
Smart Meetings spoke to strategic DEI consultant Zoe Moore about politicizing DEI’s intended purpose: “When the weaponization of DEI [happens], making it seem like DEI is reverse racism or that marginalized groups just want everything for themselves, all of that propaganda has branded DEI to be negative and an intentional distraction that distorts the true objectives and their benefits to the meetings and events industry.”
Pressure on DEI
As the saying goes, money talks.
Unfortunately, many businesses may fear reprisal from the U.S. government if they do not follow through on their rollbacks.
“Some organizations are having to go through their websites, bylaws and mission statements to erase or delete words that may be in conflict with the funding sources they rely on,” said Dunn. “Others are standing their ground, waiting for the courts to determine what is legal versus what is not.”
If it impacts a company’s bottom line, DEI initiatives may not survive.
“I think the next few years will be tough for the industry, similar to how Covid impacted us. We are in a discretionary budget space—when companies struggle, events and DEI initiatives are among the first things cut,” said Tombari.
Industry Perspectives
The backlash of DEI has created two narratives, according to Tombari.
“What we see now [are] two types of companies. One that is essentially anti-DEI now because it’s no longer trendy. And the other that is actually committed to doing the work for the right reasons. We see a very clear breach between organizations—those who are continuing and those who are retreating.”
While some professionals may be looking for more tangible actions, Moore believes being more intentional about DEI integration is key.
“We need to move from performative DEI to actual integration that is measurable and sustainable. No more one-time efforts. No more tokenization. No more surface-level commitments like rainbow capitalism.” Moore continued, “It’s time to bake DEI into our business models, our policies and our event design at every level. DEI is about human rights and everyone deserving the right to be seen, heard and valued. “
Who Lives in the Margins
The concept of marginalized individuals is often about Black and Brown communities, but as Dunn states, it isn’t as black and white as it seems.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that DEI is only about Black and Brown people. The reality is that white women have been the biggest benefactors of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. And beyond that, the hospitality industry’s workforce is largely made up of people of color,” said Dunn.
People like Moore believe it is essential to have a firm grasp of information and education around DEI issues, saying, “We need to strengthen our self-awareness and self-management. That starts with educating yourself—on your own identity, your own history, your own biases. Then, look at your social circles. Are you in an echo chamber? Who are you engaging with across different identities?”
Moving Forward
This brings us back to the big question: What now?
Tombari encourages event planners to look at all types of marginalized voices and perspectives for their next event.
“If we want to keep making a difference, we need to shift from just focusing on diversity to true inclusion. Inclusion means having a transgender woman speak about leadership. It means having a Black male speaker talk about HR trends, not just diversity,” Tombari offered. “DEI isn’t just about putting marginalized voices on stage to talk about their struggles—it’s about integrating them into every aspect of the industry.”
Ultimately, all voices matter at events, and the rollback should not prevent planners from bringing together diverse speakers.
“We always look at historical movements and say, ‘If I were there, I would have done something.’ Well, this is our moment. We are in the middle of history. The question is, when people look back 10 or 15 years from now, what will they see? Who stood up? Who remained silent? Who was complicit?” Dunn continued.
“At the end of the day, everyone can do something. You don’t need a grand platform—use your voice in meetings, planning sessions [and] in hiring decisions. The smallest acts of advocacy add up.”
