Destination Leaders Say Diversity Is Good for Business

Diversity, equity, and inclusion face setbacks across the U.S., but event leaders say it remains critical to how meetings are designed and experienced. At Skift Meetings Forum 2025, Martha Sheridan, president and CEO of Meet Boston, and Al Hutchinson, CEO and founder of AVH Enterprise and former president and CEO of Visit Baltimore, said embracing diverse leadership and supplier practices can create more authentic events and stronger communities.

Sheridan said she was “horrified” that some destination organizations have scrubbed their websites of diversity and LGBTQ references for fear of losing funding. 

“It’s a terrible balancing act,” she said. “I’m fortunate I don’t have to walk that line, but we’re definitely at a crossroads in our industry right now.”

Diversity Sourcing Supports Communities

One way forward is building intentional partnerships with minority-owned businesses. Hutchinson pointed to initiatives in Baltimore that integrate local entrepreneurs into the trade shows and events the city hosts. “We didn’t hire actors and actresses, we hired Baltimoreans,” he said. “We took them on the road with us to trade shows so they can tell the story of the community. That way you get the true Baltimore story.”

Sheridan described a new supplier diversity program in Boston with companies of all sizes, including transportation companies, florists, and decorators. “Not only do we want those small mom and pop creators to be part of our universe, we want suppliers that are already in the community, that may not be fully outfitted to work with large scale meetings and conventions, to have a bite at that apple,” said Sheridan. 

Destination management organizations can also help provide talent. For instance, Hutchinson hired Kondwani Fidel, a Baltimore spoken word artist to write a poem that was used as part of Visit Baltimore’s rebrand.

Later, when the American Diabetes Association was meeting in Baltimore, and wanted a speaker to address the issue of diabetes in the African American community. It hired Kondwani. “He killed it, and they then hired him for a future conference in L.A.”

Pathways for Next Generation Diversity

Sheridan credited Hutchinson, when chair of Destinations International, with launching a scholarship fund for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities pursuing tourism careers. “We are walking that walk and showing them firsthand what it’s like to be an event planner or destination marketing expert,” she said.

Leadership diversity remains a hurdle. Sheridan noted progress with women leading major DMOs in cities such as Boston, New York, and Chicago, but said mobility and family obligations still hinder advancement. “If you are a working mother, you have a very difficult time uprooting compared to men,” she said.

Hutchinson added that boardroom dynamics can be an obstacle. “Another challenge of why we still see mostly white men in CEO leadership in the C-suite is because the boards of these organizations are mostly white men,” said Hutchinson. “There's nothing wrong with white men in those spaces, but it's about making sure you bring more diversity of thought to the table.”

Support networks play a crucial role. Sheridan has turned to a networking group called Smart Women Who Get Shit Done for support. The group was started by a group of five female destination marketing organization heads and has grown to hundreds in all roles.

Hutchinson said he leaned on a wide network of leaders of all backgrounds for help. “As a person of color in this industry, I've had to lean on everybody, because I want to be around the best and brightest to help me. I know where my gaps are, and so I want to lean on people who are trying to make a difference for everybody, and that was important to me,” he said.