Hello everyone!
Throughout the year, we celebrate various communities & engage in DEI-centered efforts in order to uplift the community being recognized in any given month. We can see this reflected in the way large organizations alter their marketing strategies and business focus as we move through said months.
The most recent example of this is Pride Month. We saw an increase in pride-focused investments, marketing, etc. as June went on, but saw all of this move out of the limelight once the month ended.
It is important that we ensure these communities are kept in mind as the year progresses, tracking the empowerment and inclusivity of any community in any given space. Going off of the Pride Month example, we should continue to “Make Pride 365”, as Ashley likes to consider it!
Keep reading to find out more ways to increase inclusivity efforts throughout the year, for the LGBTQ+ community and many others:
VOYAGE OF EMPOWERMENT – SPEAKER TEASER
On August 3rd, Ashley will be speaking with Rob Volpe, the Empathy Activist, on LinkedIn Live! Rob will be joining us for the 2nd year in a row as a featured speaker as well as a sponsor on the Voyage of Empowerment. You can read more about Rob and the work that he does by visiting his website.
Join Ashley & Rob for this livestream on August 3 at 12 PM EST.
FLOCC EVENT
FLOCC will be hosting Florida’s 1st LGBTQ Tourism Convention in Tampa, FL, taking place August 1 – 3! Ashley will be a part of one of the convention panels, “Navigating Florida Tourism Authorities”, alongside a few other amazing speakers! Learn more and register to attend this event by visiting the FLOCC website.
NORTHSTAR MEETINGS FEATURE
Ashley was recently featured on a panel at PCMA’s Business Events Industry Week Event, discussing how to increase LGBTQ+ inclusivity in the event industry. This is an essential topic to keep in mind surrounding the event industry, as a portion of attendees at any meeting may be a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Northstar Meetings released an article highlighting the 5 takeaways from this panel. To read more on these takeaways and this topic, be sure to check out Northstar’s article, “How to Make Events Inclusive for LGBTQIA+ Attendees”.
On August 14th, Ashley will also be speaking at Northstar Meetings’ upcoming event, “Destination Southeast”. Learn more about this event and register to attend by visiting the Northstar Meetings website today!
ASHLEY’S ACTION – INCLUSION
Inclusion: Connecting to the power of representation and belonging.
The 4th Empowering Action, Inclusion, is built on the feelings of representation and belonging one feels when they are included in a given space. No matter the community, any individual should feel they belong in any space, which is why inclusion is an essential empowering action. One great way to cultivate and improve inclusion is through learning the culture of all the spaces you are apart of in relation to the LGBTQ community.
To amplify the concept of inclusion and the feelings of representation and belonging, we have also recently announced the winner for our “Set Sail with Pride” sweepstakes – Jules Mackenzie Hughes! Jules is the Owner & Executive Director of Metamorphosis Unlimited, an organization dedicated to providing resources to individuals in active recovery. You can read more about Jules and her story as well as Metamorphosis Unlimited by visiting their website.
To learn more about Inclusion & the other 10 Empowering Actions, register for the Empowering Differences Online Course.