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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
General Information
Out & Equal is the premier nonprofit organization working exclusively on LGBTQ+ workplace equity, inclusion, and belonging. Through our worldwide programs, Fortune 500 partnerships, and transformative convening events, such as our annual Workplace Summit, we help LGBTQ+ people thrive and support organizations creating a culture of belonging for all.
The 2024 Workplace Summit will take place in Orlando, Florida, USA from October 8-10 with our pre-Summit Leadership Lab Day on October 7.
The largest LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion event in the world, Workplace Summit is transformative experience that brings together a global community of thought leaders and changemakers to knowledge share, exchange promising and/or best practices for making measurable and lasting change, and to network in ways that build important relationships that last a lifetime.
By attending Summit, individuals:
- Gain knowledge, insights, and solution-oriented and actionable strategies proven to advance LGBTQ+ equity in the workplace and beyond.
- Engage in rich and meaningful discussions with leaders, influencers, and advocates from around the world
- Build community and create lasting connections.
- Supercharge their individual capacity for change and leave refueled, reenergized, and ready for what’s ahead.
No. Workplace Summit is a closed event that is exclusive to the Out & Equal Partner Community.
If you are interested in becoming a Partner, please complete this form.
In 2023, we hosted a successful, transformative, and secure Workplace Summit where Queer joy— across the entire community—was seen in full force and individuals were able to show up as their authentic self.
As we continue to see LGBTQ+ rights challenged across the United States and around the globe, there is a deep urgency to our work to ensure the movement continues to progress forward.
Like last year, Workplace Summit is a closed event, exclusive to known and vetted Partners. We are devoting enormous care and resources—in close coordination with our various event properties, transportation partners, and local authorities—to ensure a secure event.
We respect anyone who decides they will not attend. Every individual invited by their company to the Workplace Summit deserves the space and support to navigate their individual concerns and circumstances related to safety and security. As we did in 2023, for those who decide to not travel, the e-pass attendee option will provide a terrific set of Workplace Summit experiences.
Over the coming weeks and months, we will be sharing additional information regarding all aspects of Workplace Summit. We thank you for your ongoing engagement and support as we continue to provide a critical platform for creating LGBTQ+ inclusive workplaces and workplaces of belonging for all.
We are in a moment when the voices and actions of a few are attempting to dim the light and progress of an entire movement. And while it may seem overwhelming, we must remember our potential, our strength, and our value. In times of adversity, doubt, and challenge, Queer joy and resilience will always outshine and persevere.
The “Illuminate” theme is a reminder that each one of us possess this light inside of us, which when nurtured and joined by others magnifies to become brighter.
Through the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, we will harness, nurture, and grow that light. We will remind our collective community and the world of the brilliance and power we hold. We will remind them that we are an unstoppable, radiant force.
A tentative Summit schedule will be released on our Summit page in the coming weeks.
Out & Equal provides SHRM professional development credits for Workplace Summit. Per SHRM policy, Activity Codes are available once the event concludes. Details will be available in our event app, automatically sent to all Partner Primary Contacts post-event, and upon request from learning@outandequal.org.
At this time, Out & Equal does not provide bespoke certificates of attendance or any other certification PDCs. We recommend that you reference the program book, your conference badge, and session details / materials from the app if you need additional documentation. Government attendees are welcome to connect directly with Audrey Lipps alipps@outantequal.org.
The deadline for Outie Award nominations is Wednesday, July 10.
For information on becoming a member of the Out & Equal Partner community, please complete this form.
Out & Equal strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact events@outandequal.org.
Yes. To ensure a seamless Summit experience, exclusive and complimentary transportation will be available between all three venues throughout the event.
Unfortunately, no. The 2024 Workplace Summit is exclusive to the Out & Equal Partner Community only, and therefore Out & Equal-hosted Workplace Summit events are not available to non-registered spouses/partners.
Business casual attire is appropriate for Summit. For inspiration on what to wear, take a look at photos from our past events.
Out & Equal follows all state level mandates. Masking is encouraged but not required.
No, there will not be a Career Fair at 2024 Workplace Summit.
For more information or to share interest in future Career Fair opportunities please contact partnerships@outandequal.org.
Registration
To register for Summit, you are required to have an Access Code, which will be distributed, along with registration instructions, by your organization’s designated Partnership contact.
All attendees are required to register individually.
For assistance, please contact your company’s Partner Success Manager or email Partnerships@outandequal.org.
As a Partner, you will receive an access code giving your company access to your contracted allocations as stated in your Partner Agreement(s). Access codes MUST be distributed by the designated primary Partnership contact at your organization and cannot be distributed by Out & Equal. If you believe you should have received a code for registration, contact your company representative. If you do not know who the company representative is, contact Partnerships@outandequal.org.
If you have not received your 2024 Workplace Summit registration confirmation e-mail, please check the Spam, Junk, or Other folder of your inbox.
If you still cannot find the confirmation email, contact your IT department to locate the email from registration@outequal.org.
Leadership Lab Day (pre-conference) programming is available as an “add-on” during the registration process. Depending on your Partnership agreement, Partners may receive a Discount Code to use in-conjunction with their Access Code to receive their agreed upon allocations for the Leadership labs.
No, attendees from Partner organizations will be able to participate in person or virtually (via ePass). nnAttendees will make their attendance selection during the registration process. All In-Person attendees will also have access to ePass.
In-person Summit registration includes the full 3-day event, October 8-10, with access to all Out & Equal-hosted programming (with the exception of invitation-only events).
All registration codes expire Friday, September 6th and cannot be carried over to future Out & Equal events.
There is no limit of virtual attendees.
Speakers from Partner organizations will be required to use one of the allocations provided within a Partner’s Summit benefit allotment. Speakers from outside of our Partnership community will be asked to pay for their Summit registration.
The easiest way to cancel or transfer your registration is to email registration@outandequal.org.
Please note the following event policy restrictions:
No refunds will be granted for no-shows. A $100 Cancellation Processing Fee will be charged for all cancellation requests using credit cards and the following additional fees will apply:
- Through September 6th: registration purchases are 100% refundable (minus mandatory $100 processing fee when processing credit cards), and transfers are permitted
- Starting September 7th: refunds will not be granted for credit card transactions, and transfers cannot be guaranteed.
For the 2024 Workplace Summit, all additional registrations and add-ons purchased during the registration process must be paid for with a credit card. Registrations will not be considered complete without the application of a credit card.
Lodging/Housing
Attendees will be provided booking information upon completing their Summit registration. The link to the housing site will be provided in the registration confirmation email.
To secure Out & Equal’s special group rate, your hotel reservation must be booked by Friday, September 6th, 2024.
Hotel bookings close on September 6, 2024. As rooms are available on a first come, first served basis, we cannot guarantee room availability through September 6.
Book now to reserve your spot and secure the best pricing available!
Yes! We are thrilled to be partnering with three unique properties to provide accommodations for our attendees to relax, enjoy Summit, and connect with other Workplace Summit attendees. Rooms at each property are booked on a first come, first served basis.
Venues Include:
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
- Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
Attendees will be provided booking links in their registration confirmation email.
For sub-blocks are available and can be requested by completing this form.
For additional questions related to housing contact the Housing team at: housing@outandequal.org.
Sub-blocks are only available to Partners who are Silver level and above (Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Titanium) OR have 15+ attendees per night. To request a sub-block complete this form.
Sub-blocks are subject to availability and booked on a first come, first served basis. All sub-block holders are required to follow all sub-block guidelines as provided when confirming the block.
For assistance, please email Housing@OutandEqual.org.
Out & Equal does not restrict who stays in the same room as a delegate. However, additional guests will not receive access to event areas and may incur additional room charges.
Speakers
Out & Equal Partners can utilize the Summit Message Board available on the Partner-exclusive online Global Hub. Please contact your company’s Out & Equal point of contact for access. For Global Hub technical support, please contact globalhubsupport@outandequal.org.
In 2024, we anticipate 90 learning sessions will be programmed. In 2023, the session acceptance rate was 19%.
If your proposal is selected, the Primary Contact listed within your session proposal will be notified via email by July 8.
In that email you will receive further details on all the things you need to know before Summit, including the Presenter Town Hall, action items and deadlines for session materials, speaker profiles, etc.
Please note that the Primary Contact for each session is responsible for updating speakers and other internal stakeholders. This is especially important if you are collaborating with other Partners in submitting proposals.
If your session is selected, you will be invited to the Presenter Town Hall. In this session you will learn more about next steps, details around branded materials, uploading session materials, and more.
We realize that this news may be disappointing. As we selected the Summit slate, many factors were considered including unique content, speaker diversity, and venue logistics. The process was highly competitive, and we encourage you to submit again in the future.
If you have any questions about the decision of your proposal, you are welcome to reach out to us through email at learning@outandequal.org
The Stova Proposal Portal allows you to save drafts of your proposal as you are entering it, but once you click SUBMIT you will not be able to make any edits or changes. After you SUBMIT when the “Congratulation you have submitted” popup appears, there’s an option on the left-hand side bar to PRINT your proposal (save as pdf).
We encourage you to save your submission text or files in a separate document for any internal use or approval. If you do find that you need to access your submission to update us on a change, please contact us through email and we can work with you.
Yes. The Out & Equal team will share a PowerPoint deck template for use in your session.nnAll sessions must use the Out & Equal Summit template to create their session title slide to display until the advertised start time of your session. After that, you can use as much or as little of the template as you prefer. Additionally, the template includes logos, colors and other design assets for your use.
Yes. To evaluate accessibility and technical compatibility of your presentation, Speakers are required to send us a final draft of their presentation.
Session materials are due for review by August 30th, with the final submission for materials by September 20th.
We’ll confirm the room tech at the Presenter Town Hall on July 26, but the standard setup for breakout (general) sessions is a projector with an HDMI input, a wireless slide advancer, a screen, audio speakers, a podium, 4 wireless lapel mics for speakers, and one handheld wireless mic for Q&A.
You’ll need to bring your own laptops and be able to plug into the HDMI. Each room will have a table and four chairs for speakers and also a resident technician.
In the event you require additional equipment, we can connect you with the AV or Decor vendors to arrange rentals directly. Please reach out to learning@outandequal.org.
No, we are not able to share our Mentimeter account with speakers for use during Summit. However, Mentimeter has several account options, including free and paid versions. There are also other third-party platforms with similar functioning that you can incorporate into your session.
Speakers can access their assigned room 20 minutes before the session start time for tech setup and a last-minute huddle. There is also a Speaker Ready Room in each venue.
Speakers are welcome to book their accommodations using the already discounted conference hotel blocks. There are no separate discounts for speakers.
Engagement Center
Exhibit booth upgrades will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Please reach out to your Partner Success Manager for more information or email partnerships@outandequal.org. Deadline to upgrade exhibit space size is July 31, 2024.
This year, Exhibitor Staff (Engagement Center Only) registrants will only have access to the Engagement Center and are invited to Night Out on October 10th, from 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM.
For priority placement, confirm your exhibitor space by July 31st, 2024. After this date, we cannot guarantee placement with like-level participants, and placement will be handled on a rolling basis.
All exhibitor confirmations must be completed by September 6th, 2024.
For the most updated information visit the Partner Engagement tab of the Summit Success website.
For more information about the In-Person and virtual Engagement Center, visit the Partner Engagement tab on the Workplace Summit Success website.
Information regarding the exhibitor services kit and the virtual Engagement Center will be distributed on July 9th, 2024. For additional information contact: engagementcenter@outandequal.org
Exhibitor Staff (Engagement Center Only) registrants register using their Partner company Access Code. After completing registration, they will receive access to individual booking. nnIf your organization has a sub-block, we recommend including the “Exhibitor Staff (Engagement Center Only)” registrants on the rooming list or share the customized housing code/link to these registrants in the same manner as full-Summit delegates.
If Brass and Community Partners are interested in purchasing an exhibitor space, we encourage them to connect with their Partner Success Manager.
Partner primary contacts will begin to receive email invitations to create their organization’s virtual Engagement Center booth starting July 10th. New Partner’s will be invited within 7-business days of signed agreement.
Once you’ve created your admin account in the Virtual Engagement Center Portal, you will be able to log in and complete the tasks required to build out your virtual Engagement Center booth. More information about virtual booth content can be found here.
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