REI Actions

Destination Cleveland’s Racial Equity & Inclusion Roadmap is organized into three areas that align with the organization’s mission and focus. The actions outlined were determined by Destination Cleveland’s Racial Equity & Inclusion Board Taskforce, made up of representatives of its Board & Staff, as part of a process rooted in listening and discovery, which Destination Cleveland is committed to continuing to enrich our work.

The Board of Directors Taskforce hosted six listening sessions with 65 individuals representing 46 organizations to understand the challenges faced by businesses owned by people of color (POC) and perceptions among residents of color about how we promote Cleveland. Those learnings, along with insights from additional commissioned research and secondary sources, were synthesized to develop the organization’s initial roadmap in 2021. Each action has clear staff accountabilities and timelines, and progress will be reviewed quarterly by the Board of Directors. Key performance indicators (KPIs), which are being developed as the actions are integrated into strategic plans and work plans, will be publicly reported annually in our Economic Impact.

Utilize the evolved Cleveland brand to attract a more diverse visitor audience to Cleveland and create consideration for living and working in the region; underway and ongoing.

Collaborate with community leaders to identify and pursue meetings and conventions that attract POC communities to Cleveland; underway and ongoing.

Connect Cleveland’s inspirational Black history and immigrant stories to the future, progress and brand of Cleveland; underway and ongoing.

Ensure the destination storytelling is reflective of Cleveland’s POC communities; underway and ongoing.

Collaborate with Cleveland’s economic development ecosystem to develop a centralized database of POC-owned hospitality businesses; underway and ongoing.

Collaborate with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and Cleveland’s community development ecosystem to define distinctive neighborhood brand identities that allow for clear brand promotion for each neighborhood; underway and ongoing.

Create a POC visitor experience advisory committee that collaborates to develop, enhance and package immersive experiences that reflect Cleveland’s POC experience; to be launched in 2023.

Collaborate with POC-owned hospitality businesses to identify opportunities for capacity building and greater exposure, awareness and access to Cleveland’s travel & tourism economy; underway and ongoing.

Enhance Destination Cleveland staff’s understanding of and connections within Cleveland’s neighborhoods through site visits; underway and ongoing.

Develop new, enhanced and collaborative programming to educate and engage Cleveland’s hospitality businesses to strengthen Cleveland as a diverse, equitable and inclusive destination; to be launched in 2023.

Collaborate with Downtown Cleveland Alliance to develop strategy that measurably increases POC-owned hospitality businesses in Downtown Cleveland; to be launched in 2023.

Implement and continually refine a DEI strategy that includes foundational steps for staff and Board of Directors to listen, understand, learn and act; underway and ongoing.

Enhance the employee talent lifecycle to attract, retain and promote POC employees; underway and ongoing.

Work with Destination Cleveland Board of Directors Governance and Nominating Committee to increase the number of POC directors on Board; underway and ongoing.

Increase the number of POC-owned vendors doing business with Destination Cleveland (supplier diversity); underway and ongoing.

Work to increase DC’s representation on committees, work groups and boards of organizations devoted to diversity, equity and inclusion and related social reform; underway and ongoing.

Modify Destination Cleveland’s mission to explicitly include diversity, equity and inclusion as essential elements of the organization’s economic development, marketing and destination management efforts; completed as part of 2022 strategic planning process.

Commit to always disaggregating data by race to better understand visitors, meeting attendees, businesses and vendors; underway and ongoing.