This is the third column in a series with Big Break Foundation, bringing readers perspectives on topics of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.
by Nicolle Figueroa Rosado, Big Break Foundation
When the business world appears to be retreating from IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility), it’s easy to become discouraged and lose momentum. Yet, it is during these times of challenge when the work we do as an industry is needed most. As experience creators, we have an opportunity to build spaces where people can feel and be welcomed through the stories we tell and the design choices we make. And yes, despite the mounting legal, cultural and social pressure, the decisions we make to include or exclude still matter.
The news cycle may be broadcasting that inclusion is “dead,” but IDEA isn’t going away – it’s evolving.
This public rollback we’re witnessing is, in many cases, a quiet repackaging of inclusive initiatives under less politicized terms, such as “belonging” and “workplace culture.” A recent survey by Catalyst and the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging1 found that approximately 80% of employees and leaders say their organization remains committed to diversity, inclusion and fairness, with the majority agreeing that these efforts strengthen their companies and result in positive business outcomes.
Although the prevailing narrative reduces IDEA to a demographic check-the-box approach, it actually is a human-centric approach that enables us all to operate, communicate, and collaborate better. Indeed, the benefits of inclusion have been well documented over the years, resulting in a wide variety of gains, including improved talent retention, better and faster decision-making, and higher innovation. It’s no surprise that when we create spaces where people feel valued and safe, workplaces thrive.
In the experience industry, an inclusive business is prepared to weather skill shortages, has the cultural competence to participate in a changing global market, and possesses the tools and perspectives needed to design more inclusive and accessible experiences.
Even in today’s charged political climate, leaders across all sectors recognize that inclusion is an investment in business resiliency and a measurable driver of economic growth. Inclusive companies are up to 39% more likely to outperform financially2, while companies that have stagnated or retreated from inclusion efforts take a hit to their reputation, talent strategy, and their bottom line.
Take Target, for instance. Its market share took a massive hit after it scaled back its inclusion initiatives. Meanwhile, by doubling down on its values, Costco gained a competitive advantage, winning over an increasingly multicultural consumer base – with Latine households alone driving a good share of this growth.
This reflects a much broader shift in purchasing behaviors. A majority of consumers believe that companies have a responsibility to address societal challenges and they are aligning their purchasing power with their values, with 70% reporting they are more likely to buy from companies who actively champion inclusion.3 This number goes up for women, who control approximately $31.8 trillion of the global economy. With women making up the majority of visitors across many top-ranking attractions, this is an especially relevant statistic for the location based experience (LBE) industry.
Similarly, younger generations, especially Gen Z consumers, divest from brands that abandon their IDEA efforts, a pattern we can expect will translate to the experience economy as well. Notably, as Baby Boomers reduce leisure travel with age, these younger generations are expected to dominate the travel market, accounting for over half of the U.S. leisure trips by 2030.4 With a visitor base that is growing increasingly diverse in age, race, ethnicity, language, culture, and ability, it’s vital that we as an industry recognize IDEA is not a trend, but a core business imperative.
Caught between such conflicting business and regulatory demands, many company leaders are left in a difficult position, grappling to uphold their inclusive values while also managing risk.
It’s natural that some may be tempted to walk back their IDEA commitments, but it’s during these inflection points that we need to reaffirm our commitments. Not only does it erode trust and alienate supporters when companies turn on their espoused values, but it ignores long-term business viability in favor of stopgap solutions.
Future-ready companies recognize that this period is part of a longstanding cycle in our history, and rather than wait for the IDEA pendulum to swing back around, this is an opportunity for the industry to evaluate and finesse its inclusive strategies.
The question then becomes: how can the LBE industry safely navigate today’s complex regulatory and social landscape? While the approaches vary by organization – with heightened scrutiny for Federal contractors and subcontractors – businesses can still execute an IDEA strategy that balances legal compliance with organizational impact.
Take hiring practices, for instance. Instead of demographic quotas, employers can address the root cause of disparities by creating structured interviews with consistent identity-neutral criteria, or actively recruiting from colleges, networks and job boards that serve historically underrepresented talent, such as Historically Black Colleges (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).
When it comes to embedding IDEA into creative processes, one approach could be to train teams on inclusive design methodologies, such as Universal Design and Participatory Design. By helping to shift how we design and who we design for, the result is an experience that is welcoming and accessible to the widest possible audience.
No matter what adaptations companies make to align with the current legal constraints, clear communication throughout the process is vital for preserving trust. Looking ahead, this period may very well continue to put our leadership skills to the test. Fortunately, our industry already has all the tools required to engineer a way forward. By channeling our trademark creativity, innovation and collaboration, we can build workplace cultures resilient enough to weather whatever comes next. •
More from Big Break Foundation in InPark Magazine:
The moment I realized everything I thought about DEI was wrong
As Programs Director and Co-Leader of Big Break Foundation, Nicolle Figueroa Rosado oversees the organization’s talent initiatives and programs dedicated to advancing equity, access, and representation across the LBE industry. Her work supports organizations in creating sustainable and data-driven IDEA solutions that are good for people, for business, and for the LBE industry at large.
- nhcje.org/blog/navigating-dei-pushback-myths-facts-and-strategies ↩︎
- mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-matters-even-more-the-case-for-holistic-impact ↩︎
- apcoworldwide.com/news-ideas/pulse-check/ ↩︎
- pgavdestinations.com/report/voice-of-the-visitor-2025 ↩︎
