EVENT FOCUS
THE ZOO XYZ: BLACK IN THE BOARDROOM Following the company’s latest report on the racial disparity within UK event trade bodies and associations, Nadu Placca shares her findings with TPi and her plans to launch a new organisation which represents Black events professionals.
“You posted a Black square, now what?” stated Nadu Placca, Founder of The Zoo XYZ and now author of a new report that highlights the lack of diversity within UK event trade bodies and associations. She spoke to TPi over Zoom on the eve of the release of a new report that aims to bring the conversation of diversity within the live events industry to the forefront and begin a dialogue that will lead to change that goes further than a post on social media. Among The Zoo XYZ’s findings, which looked into 16 UK event trade associations, the research found that 0% of board members that sit on UK event trade bodies and associations are Black. The report included associations such as the PSA, Music Venues Trust, Association of
Independent Promoters and The Concert Promoters Association. All data was taken from websites and verified, where available, on Companies House. In the report, The Zoo XYZ classified Black as those of Black African and Caribbean ancestry living and working in the UK. “The last thing we wanted this report to do is to make the industry feel like a deer in the headlights,” explained Placca, who drew parallels with this report and Women In CTRL Founder, Nadia Khan’s report titled: Seat At The Table, which highlighted the lack of female representation in leadership positions within the music industry. “Within the entertainment market, you often find a huge number of Black artists and athletes are at the forefront, but this is simply not 18
