Turning trash-talk into action: why we launched DICE to end manels

Hello everyone. Welcome to my TED talk. If you’re sitting comfortably, I’ll begin. 

What I’m about to discuss is so paramount, so perplexing, that by the time I finish you’ll be running to Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre, screaming “REVOLUTION!” from the scaffolding. My name is Amy, and I’m standing awkwardly on this stage with an over-stylised script about… manels.

Manels (an events panel of only men) are my favourite thing to tweet about. Scrap that: they’re what I tweet about the most, because they happen all the time.

“Enough, already!” you’re yelling at your screen.

“Let it go!”

“Talk about something else!”

“You’re like a broken record with these bloody manels, Kean!” 

And you’ve got a point. Manels (an events panel of only men) are my favourite thing to tweet about. Scrap that: they’re what I tweet about the most, because they happen all the time. There are culprits in every industry in and outside of the UK because men are still seen as default spokespeople, dominating conference agendas. The words ‘manel’ or ‘manference’ are now catchall terms for poorly-planned events lacking non-male representation.

Above: Kean's tweet to IMRG regarding their male-heavy fashion event.

Last week, I discovered a company called the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) was promoting a conference on fashion in 2020, where each of the 10 individuals headlining was a man. I called it out in social media, it got retweeted, the IMRG released a statement, and the next day they included women in their line-up. 

These two incidents had something in common. No, it’s not penises, it’s excuses.

A few weeks prior, a slightly different form of blinkeredness rose its snout in the form of eMarketer’s 2020 trends report, which shared the insights of 21 men and zero women. The world (!) was shocked, understandably. Had eMarketer forgotten women exist during the production of this essential thought-leadership report? Lots of people tweeted about it, and eventually eMarketer designed a new document boasting a more diverse set of voices.            

Had eMarketer forgotten women exist during the production of this essential thought-leadership report?                

These two incidents had something in common. No, it’s not penises, it’s excuses. Ben Fisher, the analyst who put together the eMarketer report blamed five things for his mishap: tight deadlines, Christmas, his superiors, the industry, and finally because his organisation is so diverse he no longer sees gender. The IMRG blamed… Christmas, staff churn and the status quo. Not THE Status Quo, you understand, who are well-known advocates of diversity, and love, but instead that men are far easier to secure on a schedule.  

Above: It's easy to blame the status quo. Not Status Quo.

I was recently invited to an innovation conference where only four of the 28 people speaking were women, and one of the 28 people speaking was BAME (Asian). I decided to change tack, and sent the organiser a polite email: I think you should reassess your agenda and make the event feel more inclusive, I said. More representative of Modern Britain. I received a brushoff in response; Thanks for your feedback, we’ll try harder in the future, have a good day. 

I have learned that unless you go public with your comments, nothing will change. Which, if I want to see change, leaves me with no other option.

There’s a lesson here. Don’t do really important stuff over the Christmas period. Also, leave Status Quo out of this. They have a mad legion of fans – the Quotas – who will attack at even the slightest critique of Francis Rossi’s ponytail (I’d imagine). In addition, I have learned that unless you go public with your comments, nothing will change. Which, if I want to see change, leaves me with no other option.

I’m reluctant to call anything a witch-hunt unless it ends in the senseless and barbaric murder of innocent women, because that’s what witch-hunts were.

But here’s the tricky thing. Calling stuff out makes some social media bystanders uncomfortable. In the past when I’ve flagged upcoming manferences I’ve had men reply describing my argument as reductive, naïve, short-sighted, unfair, dramatic. Others have gone so far as to call it ‘a pile on’, lashing out, nasty, emotional - it’s a witch-hunt! I’m reluctant to call anything a witch-hunt unless it ends in the senseless and barbaric murder of innocent women, because that’s what witch-hunts were: the burning to death of young girls in the name of God. Asking an analyst to display less bias in an industry report isn’t a witch-hunt. 

Above: One of the tweets which illustrates how some don't see diversity on panels as an issue. 

Such focus on my reaction versus the issue itself is – I hate to say it – a form of gaslighting, intended to position me and anybody else who objects to male-dominated agendas as the unreasonable ones; licking our lips at the thought of another Twitter sacrifice. To focus on the way we complain, instead of what we’re complaining about is a misogynistic process designed to shush. It was invented by Status Quo. I’m joking! They’d never do that. They rock.

To focus on the way we complain, instead of what we’re complaining about is a misogynistic process designed to shush.

But seriously – I get it. I do. Stop trash-talking and do something about it! So I did. With some wonderful industry friends who care as much about representation on stages as I do. Why is it even important, you ask? It’s only events… they’re ten a penny… why fuss? LIVE YOUR LIFE, KEAN. 

We fuss because conferences and events in industry are supposed to represent the best. The future. And as a woman, or a black person or an Asian person or a disabled person or a member of the LGBTQ+ community or OMG AN OLD PERSON if you don’t see a figurehead like you on stage, then why would you believe you’re welcome, seen and heard? It is important.

Why is it even important, you ask? It’s only events… they’re ten a penny… why fuss?

And so we created DICE. There’s me; there’s an award-winning journalist and diversity advocate called Seb Joseph; a much-loved campaigner for women’s rights called Nicola Kemp; a prolific doer, mentor and strategic genius called James Whatley, a hardcore innovator called Faisal Ahmed (DICE was his idea) and a beacon of integrity, intelligence and expertise called Alex Tait. DICE stands for diversity and inclusion at conferences and events and it’s intended to put an end to manels. So that one day, we won’t have to talk about them anymore.

Above: The DICE team, clockwise from top left; Amy Kean, Faisal Ahmed, Seb Joseph, Nicky Kemp, James Whatley and Alex Tait.

DICE is a self-regulatory charter based on the 9 Protected Characteristics of the UK’s 2010 Equality Act (some more visible than others). It covers an event’s line-up, content and theme, and its marketing. Have you ensured your participants don’t all look, sound and act the same? Have you made the event accessible in every possible way? Event organisers submit their events to receive a score out of a possible 100% and anything over 60% is DICE Certified and approved. 

Have you ensured your participants don’t all look, sound and act the same? Have you made the event accessible in every possible way?

No one’s perfect, but the plan is that everyone gets better over time. We consulted numerous diversity groups during the process that represent gender, race, age, disability and sexuality and we’ve been talking to events companies too. Given the task at hand, it was essential to make the journey as inclusive as we could.