You Are Welcome Here

How DevOpsDays London approaches Diversity and Inclusion.

The DevOpsDays London team is always looking to improve Diversity and Inclusion at our event. In this talk we'll share what we've tried so far - what worked, what didn't work and lessons we've learnt along the way.

This talk was given on 28th October 2019 at DevOpsDays Ghent Day 0 - DevOpsDays organisers from around the world got together to share experiences and learnings.

There is also a blog post on this topic: https://medium.com/@hannahfoxwell/should-tech-conferences-be-more-inclusive-5a05a09cd302

Transcript

1. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays You Are Welcome Here How DevOpsDays London Approaches Diversity and Inclusion
2. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays DevOpsDays London A Replay
3. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Hi I’m Hannah! @HannahFoxwell She / Her This is my 9th 10th DevOpsDays
4. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays We have a Code of Conduct
5. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Code of Conduct DevOpsDays London is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. https://www.devopsdays.org/events/2019- london/conduct/
6. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form.
7. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays We will enforce the Code of Conduct.
8. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays How to Report +44 7384 XXX XXX @DevOpsDaysLDN Or find one of us
9. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays You are welcome here • We have a code of conduct • Gender neutral toilets • We have a quiet room • Free childcare on site • Captioning and signing by @GRTCaptioning • Lanyards indicate your photo preferences • Pronoun stickers for everyone • Communication stickers for everyone • Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Halal and Kosher food available – let us know if you have allergies or intolerances! • What else can we do?
10. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays What can I do to make sure everyone feels welcome?
11. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Report all code of conduct violations immediately
12. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Don’t take phone calls or have conversations in the Quiet Room
13. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Bring your kids!
14. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Check lanyards before taking photos and before sharing online
15. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Red Lanyard No photos Yellow Lanyard Check with me
16. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Use your pronoun stickers
17. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Ask “What are your pronouns?”
18. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Use your communication stickers and respect others preferences
19. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays I’m happy to chat Check with me first I’ll initiate the chat
20. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Do the PacMan!
21. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays This Evening 19:00 – 23:00 Evening Event @ SkyLoft We have board games! 17:00 – 18:30 Drinks Reception in Cambridge
22. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Charity Sponsors
23. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays DevOpsDays 2019 is swagless. We will be donating the swag budget to our charity sponsors instead.
24. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays WELCOME
25. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Behind the scenes…
26. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays The Venue The Goal: Everyone can participate in all aspects of the event. There are no physical barriers to participation in this community. • Step free access • 9 lifts accessible by wheelchair • Fireman's lift for evacuation • No fixed seating • Accessible toilet facilities • Guide, hearing and assistance dog friendly • Induction loops available • Personal evacuation plans as required • Offer to reimburse direct transport
27. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays The Venue Queen Elizabeth II Centre Expensive but worth it…
28. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays The Food The Goal: Everyone can eat together. No one needs to leave the conference to purchase their own food (unless they want to!) • Capture dietary requirements at registration • Gluten free vegan options available as part of the main menu – as delicious as the meat and fish options! • This applies to breakfast, snacks, speakers dinner and evening event!
29. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays The Talks
30. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays The Talks How we build our program: • Announce CFP – Google Form • Outreach, lots of outreach, then some more • Anonymize submissions • Remove people’s names, company names, specific products and technologies • Individual voting – marks out of 5 • Curate a schedule from the shortlist • Yes, we also get a lot less ignite submissions! We have asked speakers to convert talks to ignite format and that has worked really well!
31. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Tickets • Super Early Bird - £99 • Early Bird - £149 • Full Tickets - £199 • Supporter Ticket - £299 • Underrepresented or Unwaged - £0 • Underrepresented tickets are self declared. We do not ask for evidence • In 2019 we gave away 59 free tickets • In 2019 we sold 37 supporter tickets which helped to fund the free tickets
32. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays What went wrong…
33. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays What went wrong • In 2017 had to remove someone for threatening behavior • Pronoun Stickers were not well understood by volunteers which created confusion and hurt • Communication stickers were criticized by sponsors • We asked if anyone in the audience required a sign language interpreter • We still struggle to provide an inclusive evening event without it feeling alcohol centric
34. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays In 2019 we made some improvements… • Sponsors are briefed before the event • Sponsor booths furnished with a print out outlining our expectations including CoC • Volunteers selected from people we know and trust – we also brief them before and during the event • We provided board games at the evening event and had a quiet area at one end of the venue (we need to do more in 2020) What have we learnt?
35. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays What will we do next year?
36. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays More • More outreach • More diverse CFP responses • More new voices • More diverse attendance • More focus on an inclusive evening event • More non-alcoholic drinks • More non-alcoholic activities • More quiet space for conversation
37. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays Does it make a difference?
38. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays
39. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays “A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google
40. @HannahFoxwell #DevOpsDays