What The F*ck Is Changing The Ratio And Why Should I Come?

In less than a month, we’re holding an event called Changing The Ratio, and we think it’s pretty damn important for our industry. But what the f*ck actually is it? Let us enlighten you.

For starters, it’s an inspirational conference; a day crammed with panel discussions, keynote speakers and short stories – all centred around the media, advertising and marketing industry being more inclusive, diverse and equal. Pretty good reason to hold an event, right?

We’ve got an amazing speaker line-up, and attendees will walk away with practical tools, case studies and things to do right now within their own organisations to drive diversity, equality and inclusion. Oh, and a whole new mindset.

If you’re already convinced (which obviously you are) grab some last minute tickets here! If you buy more than five, there’s also a $50 discount on each ticket! If you aren’t convinced just yet, here’s five reasons you should come (or send your team at the least):

1. Having a diverse team can be your competitive advantage

In today’s challenging environment, there’s no way you can win if you don’t have a full team. A diverse workforce not only gives you fresh insights into all of Australia, it gives you divergent thinking, which means you’re that much more likely to come up with the next killer idea or product.

According to a BCG study of over 1,700 businesses, companies with more diverse leadership teams report higher levels of innovation. Which basically means diversity can be your competitive advantage. But don’t take our word on it – check out this TED talk.

2. Your employees will thank you for it

Who are the future leaders in your business? It’s one thing to hire a diverse group of people, another to really tap into the potential of all of these different people. Anyone managing a team should attend this event to learn how to get the best out of their team members.

Sending your team members to the conference themselves also shows that you have faith in them; whether you’re rewarding them for hard work or see them running the business one day.

This is their (and your) chance to be inspired by stories from individuals like Deng Adut (ex-child soldier, now lawyer), Lisa Wilkinson (Channel Ten) and Dr Tim Soutphommasane who is our current Race Discrimination Commissioner.

3. Diversity is now a necessity for businesses

Society has dictated that diversity is no longer just an option, it’s a necessity. CMOs and brands look for and expect an authentically diverse team when they’re hiring as table stakes.

In 2016, HP’s CMO demanded that his agencies (BBDO Worldwide, Fred & Farid, gyro, PHD and Edelman) set their own plan on how they were planning on getting a more gender-balanced and ethnically diverse employee base within a year.

Brands get how important equality is. And in 2018, if you’re not keeping up, you could be the next to lose out.

4. Learn how to attract diverse talent

Winning the war for talent is hard. At Changing The Ratio, you’ll learn the necessary skills to attract, retain and promote the right people to future proof and grow your business.

Mandie van der Merwe from Cummins & Partners will speak about how to attract diverse talent into advertising and media and Google’s Sally-Ann Williams will also speak about bridging the gender gap in STEM education and the consequences of not doing so. And how could you miss out on that?

5. Engaging a wider audience = growing your market share

Think about who spends money in Australia. By ignoring women, the LGBTQI community, disabled people and multicultural Aussies, you’re basically leaving money on the ground.

In 2017, it was estimated that global spending by women was $18 trillion. Women drive 70–80 per cent of all consumer purchases – so you’d better be good at marketing to them. At Changing The Ratio, Bec Brideson will lead a panel discussion on “The Business of Women” to help you better tap into the female purchase power.

And according to the 2016 census, almost half of all Australians were either born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas – which means there’s a huge opportunity to reach new audiences and grow market share.

Which is why we have a “Leveraging the opportunities of multicultural Australia” panel at Changing The Ratio, featuring Tamara Howe (Kelloggs Australia), Michaela Chan (oOh! Media), Willie Pang (Mediacom) and moderated by Kirsty Muddle (Cummins & Partners).

Changing the Ratio will be held on May 28 at Sydney’s Belvoir St Theatre in Surry Hills. Grab tickets here, and for all other info, head to the website.