Local tech meet-ups are a great place for people to level up their careers. Attendees learn about the latest technological advancements, find job leads, and connect with experts in their field.
But like tech companies, most meet-ups still have a long way to go when it comes to diversity and, more importantly, inclusion. Issues endemic to the workplace also emerge at events, further excluding certain people from valuable informal networks. Even group-specific meet-ups, which target underrepresented groups like women and people of color, struggle to address the diversity of experience within that particular population.
Below I list over 100 ways meet-up organizers can design more inclusive events. The list is divided into sections to show how inclusion can be promoted at every step of the event planning process regardless of budget or labor constraints. While many of these practices use gender, race, and (dis)ability as an example, they also benefit other kinds of diversity such as socioeconomic background, sexual preference, age, religious affiliation, and neurodiversity. Inclusive practices improve events for everyone. …
About
