Spilling the Tea: How to Create More Inclusive Events
I'm scared. I didn't think that's how I'd be starting this week's Tea on the Balcony, but here we are.
As a gay business owner, I'm finding some of the conversations around DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) right now quite unsettling. Performative DEI absolutely needs challenging. But belonging, safety and inclusion shouldn't become casualties of that backlash.
Why inclusive event planning matters
Working in events probably makes you see this differently, because our audiences are diverse. Whether that's internal or external, we're looking at different ages, backgrounds, beliefs, personalities, communication styles and confidence levels. Everyone has different needs.
The reality is that nobody experiences a room in the same way. Some people walk into an event and instantly feel comfortable. Others are navigating anxiety, accessibility, neurodiversity or bias. Perhaps they feel different, unwelcome, or like they need to mask who they are.
I can completely resonate with that. As a gay man, I used to mask, and I still don't feel 100% comfortable in every room. That's why I believe inclusion matters. Not as a corporate buzzword, and not as a tick-box exercise, but as a responsibility to create environments where people feel safe, respected and able to contribute.
Inclusion in events is practical, not political
The second people feel they belong, they engage more, share more and connect more. That's not politics, that's human behaviour.
For larger events, we complete RAG audits, looking at attendees' needs and what should be built into the experience. That covers things like:
Accessibility requirements and venue access
Sensory considerations
Prayer or quiet spaces
Food and dietary needs
Registration journeys, which look different for different people
Networking formats
Stage representation
Venue choice matters most here. Accessibility needs should shape that decision at the very start, not get patched in later. Inclusive design shouldn't be reactive, it should be intentional.
5 tips for more inclusive events
1. Design for humans, not just logistics
Run sheets and timings matter, but so does how someone feels arriving, registering, finding a seat and joining a conversation.
2. Think about accessibility from the start
Build it into venue selection, layout and the attendee journey from day one.
3. Create spaces for quieter voices
Not everyone thrives in a packed room. Give people different ways to take part and contribute.
4. Challenge cliquey networking
If your networking only works for people who already know each other, it isn't working. Design formats that help newcomers feel welcome.
5. Make representation meaningful, not tokenistic
Representation has value when it's genuine and visible in the content, not just a name on the programme.
The question to ask on every event
Who haven't we considered in this experience?
Belonging is often created through the smallest details. Inclusion was never about pushing people out of the room. It's about making more space in the room so we can all be there together.
That's it for this week's Tea on the Balcony. If you're planning an event and want it to feel inclusive from day one, get in touch with the Planit Live team in Manchester.