The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), a non-profit representing compelling places and experiences worldwide, has announced it is making major steps to ensure diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion (DEAI) for its members, ahead of its annual board elections
The TEA is currently working to develop its own comprehensive DEAI policy statement and has committed to making a ‘concerted effort’ to listen to members and key stakeholders over time.
TEA president Chuck Fawcett has been a key contributor to the shift in the importance of DEAI within the association. He says: “The business case for DEAI in a non-profit association like the TEA is simple. If we can create an organisation that is more diverse, inclusive and accessible, then the quality of our ideas will be better, the conversation will be richer, and more innovative, leading to better decision making and a stronger organisation.”
One of the key opportunities for those in the industry to help change the TEA for the better is to get involved with the organisation’s leadership. A call for candidates is now open, with the deadline of Friday 19 August.
“It is my hope that the work that we have accomplished so far has created a space where colleagues of all kinds feel welcome and safe to step up and volunteer to be our champions. A position on the International Board or our four Regional Boards is a unique, empowered opportunity to participate and help guide these important discussions and shape our continuing evolution,” says Fawcett.
The TEA recently formed a new Nominations and Leadership Development Committee in order to recruit the next generation of leaders.
“Our goal with this new committee is to be more intentional and to recruit candidates year-round and find those future leaders who share our values. Our new 2022 candidate application process is more streamlined and dynamic. It’s designed to remove inherent bias from the process and be more accessible for those individuals who wish to apply for leadership positions. If you share our passion and wish to interact with a group of the smartest and most diverse individuals in the industry, then TEA leadership is for you.”
For more information and to apply to become a member of the Themed Entertainment Association’s International Board of Directors, please click here, or for the Divisional Board, please click here.
Listening to all voices
In April this year, the TEA International Board also voted to approve a new strategic plan, within which a series of core values were established to inform association decisions. The TEA established a specific DEAI super strategy statement to build on its momentum as a driving force for diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion by engaging with partners, allies and experts to champion initiatives across the industry.
As a result, TEA says that with every new position it fills, new policies under discussion, and panels of speakers it considers, the association will look at processes through the DEAI lens.
At the same time, the TEA launched a unique DEAI Scholarship Program which awards nine individuals the prospect of attending the TEA Summit case studies and THEA Awards Gala, held each year.
“Fully committed”
Later this year, TEA’s boards and staff will complete a Global Competence Aptitude Assessment which will provide the association with data that will form the basis for the TEA’s DEAI policy, strategy, and mechanisms for measuring its continued progress.
Fawcett continues: “One thing I have learned is the importance of the journey and not just the destination. We will continue to try, and we will certainly fail along the way, but we are fully committed to taking this journey – to break systemic barriers where we can and to become a more welcoming and diverse organisation that represents all people and points of view.
“When we fail, we will get back up, learn from our mistakes and try that much harder the next time.
“The creative work that we do as the themed entertainment industry is so much better and richer when it can represent all voices and not just a narrow or privileged part of society.”
The TEA recently announced theme park solution provider Fantawild Holdings Inc. as the debut golden sponsor for its China division.
