Diversity Alliance Talks

In this episode, we are joined by Dean Carby and Laura Toogood, the powerhouses behind The Elite Vendors Network, a network of African Caribbean wedding & events vendors.

Dean and Laura share the journey of The Elite Vendors Network which started as a WhatsApp group to allow quick messaging and instant communication between its members.

It has since moved from a WhatsApp group to social media platforms and now to the live website, which has led to more business being shared between members of the network as well as offering business lessons, advice and opportunities for the African and Caribbean community.  This network has to lead to members connecting with new clients and being included on preferred suppliers lists in venues across London.

Links to connect with the Elite Vendors Network:

https://elitevendorsnetwork.com

https://www.instagram.com/elitevendorsnetwork/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/elitevendorsnw?lang=en

https://www.linkedin.com/company/elite-vendors-network/

To kick off season 2, we are joined by another fierce Black woman doing excellent work in the hospitality sector around racial equality.

Lorraine Copes, founder of not for profit organisation, Be Inclusive Hospitality, is doing vital work to drive education, amplify black and brown voices and accelerate racial equality to level the playing field for those from underrepresented backgrounds within the hospitality, food and drink sectors.

Lorraine has spent two decades working within the hospitality sector successfully leading procurement teams for brands including Shake Shack, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants and Corbin & King helping organisations to improve profitability.

This is a juicy episode where we discuss, why Lorraine set up Be Inclusive Hospitality (formally known as BAME In Hospitality), her mission, and why she dropped the term “BAME” from the name. 

We speak about the importance of bridging the gap between education and getting into the workplace, as a key strategy to address the broken pipeline.  And how using quantifiable measures is the key to identifying that you're moving towards your D&I goal.

We also take a look at the December 2020 report she commissioned into comparing the experiences of hospitality workers from different ethnic backgrounds, in conjunction with the Resolution Foundation.  Discussing the challenges in producing the report and some important findings

+ More

PLUS: 

Why Black and Asian people don't talk openly about racism and prejudice with white colleagues.

https://www.bihospitality.co.uk

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorraine-copes-mcips-ab614820/

To kick off season 2, we are joined by another fierce Black woman doing excellent work in the hospitality sector around racial equality.

Lorraine Copes, founder of not for profit organisation, Be Inclusive Hospitality, is doing vital work to drive education, amplify black and brown voices and accelerate racial equality to level the playing field for those from underrepresented backgrounds within the hospitality, food and drink sectors.

Lorraine has spent two decades working within the hospitality sector successfully leading procurement teams for brands including Shake Shack, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants and Corbin & King helping organisations to improve profitability.

This is a juicy episode where we discuss, why Lorraine set up Be Inclusive Hospitality (formally known as BAME In Hospitality), her mission, and why she dropped the term “BAME” from the name.

We speak about the importance of bridging the gap between education and getting into the workplace, as a key strategy to address the broken pipeline.  And how using quantifiable measures is the key to identifying that you're moving towards your D&I goal.

We also take a look at the December 2020 report she commissioned into comparing the experiences of hospitality workers from different ethnic backgrounds, in conjunction with the Resolution Foundation.  Discussing the challenges in producing the report and some important findings

+ More

"The year the events industry started talking about diversity and inclusion".

As 2020 draws to a close, your hosts Gabby and Ashanti share observations, challenges and highlights since the launch of Diversity Ally, their consultancy, education and events business, just 6 months ago.

They close the episode by sharing some exciting plans for 2021.

Thank you to all our listeners for tuning in every week and for your continued support. 

See you on the other side

Gabby & Ashanti.

The year the events industry started talking about diversity and inclusion.

As 2020 draws to a close, your hosts Gabby and Ashanti share observations, challenges and highlights since the launch of Diversity Ally, their consultancy, education and events business, just 6 months ago.  

They close the season by sharing some exciting plans for 2021.

On this week's episode we have special guest 

Esi Hardy – Founder, Owner and Managing Director of Celebrating Disability.  Esi is a trainer, disability inclusion expert, public speaker podcaster and writer.

We cover why we need to stop categorising people if we want a diverse workforce.  And how venues and virtual events need to become more accessible to be truly inclusive + more

In this week's episode, we catch up with David Ogiste founder of Nobody’s Cafe.

A real pick ’n’ mix of an episode, where we discuss everything from Fawlty Towers, to the frustration, felt over the “brown ceiling” and how we often self identify as people of colour, based on how other people see and treat us, rather than how we see ourselves. 

We also talk about the common phenomenon of “code-switching” and why people of colour often feel they have to go out on their own, to create opportunities otherwise eluded to them.

"Code-switching" is the action of changing our behaviours, speech, dress, and mannerisms to conform to a different cultural norm depending on the context. For example, you don't dress or use the same jargon/phrases with colleagues as you do with your family.

In this weeks episode, we catch up with David Ogiste founder of Nobody’s Cafe.

David’s love for events began when he started hosting house parties at the age of 16. Nineteen years of experience later, David Ogiste has travelled the world, delivering experiential activations for global clients like PlayStation, PepsiCo, Culture Trip and more.

A real pick ’n’ mix of an episode, where we discuss everything from Fawlty Towers, to the frustration, felt over the “brown ceiling” and how we often self identify as people of colour, based on how other people see and treat us, rather than how we see ourselves.

We also delve into our experiences of working in the nightlife industry as a reflection of the discrimination felt in the events industry in overall.

We talk about the common phenomenon of “code-switching” and why people of colour often have to go out on their own, to create opportunities otherwise eluded to them.

David also shares how he missed out on promotion after promotion, even being told by the MD of his first job that “this is the best you're ever going to get paid anywhere you work, for the rest of your life”, eventually driving him to strike out on his own and found Nobody’s Café, with the vision that bringing people together creates unforgettable moments.

https://www.nobodyscafe.com