Hiring Diverse Vendors: Tips for Event Planners Hosting Out-of-Town Events
Hosting events in a new city can be an exciting opportunity, but it can also present unique challenges for event planners who want to ensure that they hire diverse vendors. As an event planner, you want to meet your organization’s DEI goals and hiring vendors from different backgrounds and cultures is an important part of that strategy. Here are some tips to help you build a diverse supplier base when hosting an event in a different city:
1. Ask for Local Help
When it comes to finding diverse vendors, selecting the right vendors is more than just getting on a website and picking someone who sounds good. The quality of their work is paramount. If you’re not familiar with the local landscape, it’s essential to ask for help from people who know the area well. A quick check of your contacts list for people with ties to the community could set you on the right path. You can also reach out to convention and visitors bureaus for recommendations. Another strategy involves reaching out to local small businesses to learn who they work with, which can expand the pool of potential suppliers. Don’t just go for the big, pricey, known names, sometimes smaller businesses can still pack a great punch.
2. Make Direct Connections with Potential Vendors
Meeting with your potential suppliers individually is important, and can help you figure out whether their services will meet your needs. Face-to-face interactions or virtual video calls can help you ensure that your goals align and can even help you uncover opportunities that bring more to the table than just a service. If your association is big on helping specific groups, you want to ensure that your vendors understand that goal and can support it.
3. Utilize Association Software
Association management software and certification management software can help you expand your vendor network and manage your vendors’ certifications, licenses, and diversity certifications. These tools can help you easily search and filter vendors by their certification status, diversity status, and other criteria. By using these software tools, you can simplify the process of tracking vendor data, ensuring that you have a diverse supplier base and that your vendors are in compliance with your organization’s certification and diversity policies.
4. Use Continuing Education Software
Continuing education software can help you keep your team updated on DEI practices and policies. By providing your team with the necessary knowledge and training, they can better understand the importance of hiring diverse vendors and how to go about it. They can also learn about the latest best practices for promoting diversity and inclusion in your events. This software can help you create a more informed and knowledgeable team that is better equipped to navigate the challenges of hosting events in different cities.
Hosting events in different cities can be an exciting opportunity to connect with new audiences and build your organization’s brand. However, it’s important to ensure that your events are inclusive and diverse. By following these tips, you can build a diverse supplier base and create events that meet your organization’s DEI goals.
Don’t let hosting an event in a new city hinder your organization’s diversity goals. With the right strategies and tools, you can create inclusive and successful events that showcase your organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
We encourage you to read the original post this article is based on here: Three Ways to Find Diverse Meeting Vendors.
