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How to Create an Inclusive, Virtual Conference Planning Process

Objective

An inclusive conference experience must begin with an inclusive and diverse conference planning process. This is an opportunity to encourage various perspectives, amplify voices, increase innovation, and produce more results in an event experience.

The Basics

1) Inclusive experiences are created and intentional from the very start.

  • Have a diverse planning committee organizing the event. Enlist various perspectives during the planning process to ensure nothing is being overlooked and/or forgotten.
    • Ensure that the emotional labor is not exclusive to diverse committee members but spread out across the entire team. This is everyone’s responsibility!
  • An objective and inclusive Call for Proposals (CFP) process (if applicable).
  • Use these example guidelines to ensure you select and support various speakers and participants:
    • Provide multiple submission opportunities and/or ability to rewrite and reassess submission abstracts.
    • Nameless submission selections based on content, rather than speaker popularity and fame. Once the submission list is close to final, you may then review the submitters to access mentoring needs, marketing scope, and verify knowledge and background.
    • Have a diverse committee selecting the final speakers.
    • Ensure you are providing support for new and inexperienced speakers including speaker readiness support, content mentors, and rehearsal opportunities.
    • Allow opportunities to pre-record sessions for individuals that require that flexibility. Live Q&A sessions can be marketed to the audience based on speaker availability.
    • Diversity should span beyond panels. Have a diverse lineup among all speaking or presenting roles.
    • Diversity should not solely focus on gender. Consider speakers of various ethnicity, religion, gender identification, seniority and experience, physical ability, mental ability, sexual orientation, and other characteristics, which add value to your event.
  • Broad demographic and platform representation across the speaker lineup and audience. Publishing the invited keynote list before closing the CFP is a great way to display the intended speaker lineup.

2) Once the primary planning tasks are in motion, provide an active, public facing, and enforced Code of Conduct:

  • Pre-Event:
    • Find open source resources here.
    • Place the Code of Conduct listed on the main event page, not just in the footer. Note that the Code of Conduct applies to event hours, but also after-hours events, social media posts, and anything event and/or community related tied to the conference and/or attendees.
    • Add a reference and read checkmark to the registration form.
    • Include ways for people to provide preferences in the registration form, including preferred pronouns, dietary needs, physical and mental requirements, allergies, and any other necessary identifiers.
    • Having attendee authentication to assist with Code of Coduct efforts.
  • During & Post-Event:
    • Create a Code of Conduct team. Ensure that the team members reflect a diverse demographic and includes at least one external member.
    • Reference the Code of Conduct and Code of Conduct team throughout the event with easily accessible contact information displayed.
    • Use moderators and event staff to monitor various engagements and chats to ensure that the Code of Conduct is enforced, and incidents are quickly resolved and documented.
    • Negative behaviors are addressed immediately upon report, resolved quickly, documented, and potentially publicly addressed depending on the violation, and action items outlined and executed to prevent future incidents.

3) Intentionally weave inclusiveness and diversity throughout the entire conference

  • Pre, during, and post event communication
  • Host various workshops for beginners and underrepresented groups prior to and alongside the event to offer more opportunities for your event audience.
  • Provide Diversity Sponsorship and Diversity Scheme to cover conference admission costs and any other costs that may unintentionally act as a barrier to diverse demographics. “Diversity Tickets” should provide the same level of access as “General Admission” and you may need to inquire about the individual’s needs and/or preference regarding travel and/or attendance.
  • Create visibility around diversity and inclusion by hosting sessions around the topic itself. For example, have a speaker host a session on mental health.
  • Experiences must be accessible to all and designed to enable and support the full range of human diversity.
    • This includes creating content with captions, color contrast 4:5:1, play/pause control, audio description tracks, transcripts, and that complies with the accessibility standards.
    • If planning in-person events, utilize a checklist to implement accommodations and best practices that support inclusion. Ensure that attendees can clearly communicate any specific needs like dietary preferences, allergies, intolerances, and physical or mental requirements onsite.

4) Post-event, find ways to continue to improve upon the in-event experience and perform regular D&I audits

  • Seek feedback from attendees and speakers about their experience.
  • Revise the Code of Conduct to clearly define the boundaries of what behavior is and is not tolerated.
  • Be actively vocal about the Code of Conduct and commitment towards diversity and inclusion.
  • Partner with relevant organizations/individuals to improve the community environment and diverse representation.
  • Provide additional inclusivity training and awareness to event staff on how to handle situations if they arise.
  • Be vocal and transparent about any public incidence and commitment towards diversity and inclusion