No Manel Zone

No Manel Zone

Entering the “No Manel Zone” – Commit your Conference, Event and/or Venue to Diversity and Inclusion On-Stage

“Manel” is industry jargon for a panel of featured speakers at a conference or event consisting entirely of men. 

Creating a “No Manel Zone” at your event means you commit to not fielding any manels (a panel or a group of three or more speakers, with or without a moderator, entirely of men.)

Diverse panels are only part of the equation – conferences also need to consider:

• The diversity among their keynotes, featured speakers and MCs 
• How they promote their speakers 
• The diversity of participation during roundtables, pitches, hack-a-thons and other event segments.

The “No Manel Zone” campaign urges conferences, event organizers and venues to create policies, procedures, guidelines and/or recommendations to support inclusion, diversity and gender-balance with regard to speakers and presenters. 

The No Manel Zone campaign also asks other speakers, panelists and presenters to “speak up” when diversity and gender-balance is lacking. By working with other speakers, event organizers can usually fix a manel to present a more diverse perspective or by changing the parameters of the panel. 

Public speaking is an important path to:

• thought leadership, expert status, credibility 
• career growth, better pay, new jobs and even board seats
• Business success, funding, connections to potential customers and partners 

Participation on panels is an important part of building a foundation of experience for tomorrow’s keynoters as well.

Declare your event a “No Manel Zone”. Sign up today and receive your “No Manel Zone” kit, including a “No Manel Zone” badge, diverse and inclusive events guidelines, sample codes of conduct and more.

We’ll include you, and a link to your organization, on our list of No Manel Zones

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