Diversity without equality: the event industry’s next DEI challenge
For years, the events industry has been regarded as an open, welcoming and diverse profession. Live Recruitment’s 2026 Diversity Report largely supports that image but also reveals a reality the sector must urgently address.
Representation: Stronger than many UK industries
The report shows that 25.4% of the workforce identifies as Ethnically Diverse. This is significantly higher than Education (11.4%) and Construction (13.6%), and roughly equal to Healthcare (25.7%).
On representation alone, the industry is performing well, but representation is only the first step.
The pay gap shows where true inequality lives
Across every sector and seniority band, the data reveals the same pattern: White/Caucasian professionals are paid more than Ethnically Diverse professionals. Every. Single. Time.
Examples include:
Industry-wide | White/Caucasian - £40,486 | Ethnically Diverse - £38,212
AV Sector | White/Caucasian - £39,665 | Ethnically Diverse - £36,245.
Conference & Exhibition Organiser Sector | White/Caucasian - £46,258 | Ethnically Diverse - £42,219.
The inequality persists even when salary ranges overlap showing that Ethnically Diverse professionals earn less even when they within the same boundaries.
The intersectional gap is even more stark
When gender and ethnicity are combined, the disparities deepen. In almost every sector, Ethnically Diverse females earn the lowest average salaries - even in female-majority environments.
This paints a clear picture: Diversity exists. Equality does not.
Equal expectations? Not yet.
Desired salaries show the same pattern as current salaries. Ethnically Diverse professionals often report lower salary expectations which is a possible sign of:
Reduced confidence
Lower perceived value
Fewer opportunities for progression
A history of inequalities shaping expectations
This does not reflect an individual preference, It reflects a structural barrier.
Why this matters now
As the events industry recovers and grows, competition for talent is rising. If Ethnically Diverse professionals consistently experience slower progression and lower compensation, the industry risks losing skilled professionals, creates inequitable career pathways, undermines its own DEI commitments and limits the diversity of leadership and decision-making.
Representation can get people in the door and equality determines whether they stay…and whether they thrive.
What the industry must prioritise next
To move from diversity toward genuine equality, organisations should focus on transparent pay benchmarking, regular DEI audits, promotion and progression frameworks, mentorship for Ethnically Diverse professionals, leadership representation goals and data-led accountability.
The Live Recruitment Diversity Report sends a clear message: the events industry has made strong progress on representation but must now shift its focus to equality.
The next DEI challenge isn’t about who joins the industry, it’s about who gets to lead it, shape it and be rewarded fairly within it.