At UKREiiF, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and social value are at the core of everything we do. With the dedicated efforts of our team, the support of the UKREiiF Advisory Group, and our valued partners, we strive to create the most inclusive, collaborative, and knowledge-sharing platform and event possible.

Here’s how UKREiiF prioritises EDI and social value at the forefront of our approach:

Forging Relationships

The industry continually talks about collaboration – and that’s why we partner with over 70 organisations who’re doing amazing things in the world of D&I and social value. From leading CIC’s working with young people, to those highlighting and changing perceptions to create a more diverse workplace.

One example of this is with Constructive Futures, a not-for-profit that aims to empower young people and support them into careers in the built environment. UKREiiF works with them in 2024, which saw them run a pre-UKREiiF event to enhance skills that might be useful for the event, such as tips of networking and LinkedIn, before a walk around the UKREiiF venue with our Managing Director Nathan Spencer to be comfortable with their surroundings a week before the event. At UKREiiF, the 45 young people worked with mentors in areas of interest whilst attending specially organised workshops, including designing the future of Leeds South Bank.

Another example is Young Entrepreneurs in Property, who co-created the idea of a ‘Hackathon’ before UKREiiF, which saw YEP’s regional offices run five hackathons in different cities on how we can attract more young talent to see our industry as the one for them. The results of this hackathon were presented on the Main Stage at UKREiiF.

Collaboration creates opportunities.

We have many examples of this.

From listening to pre- and post-event feedback from the team behind Neurodiversity in Planning to helping to organise LGBTQ+ fringe events with Freehold LGBT and Cratus Group, from the coachful of students from the Manchester School of Architecture to engagement heavy workshops with CIC’s such as PLACED and Onside Youth Zones.

Clear Requirements: Our Diversity Charter

Sign up as a sponsor to UKREiiF, and you’ll receive a Diversity Charter, which must be signed before becoming an official partner.

This sets our requirements around things such as the diversity of those taking part in discussions such as panels and roundtables and outlines the requirements for young tickets to ensure you’re providing people of all backgrounds an opportunity to attend. Complimentary U25 tickets are part of this to help us attract the next generation of talent to the event.

We want to ensure UKREiiF is representative of society more than the industry, and that’s why 48% of the 1,600+ speakers in 2024 were female, and it’s why 14% were from minority ethnicities… and our attendance mirrored these positives, with 33% of attendees female and 8% from minority ethnic backgrounds, a major increase on the industry itself, although much to do to mirror society. But that’s where we’d love to get to – our event talks about the communities we live, work, play, and learn – how they should be designed, the legacy they should have, and more, and we therefore need to ensure this is representative across the event.

Measuring Social Value

After each event, we assess the social value generated by UKREiiF, enabling us to track our impact.

If we’re honest, the tool isn’t used to ‘set targets’ to try and score higher social value results based on measurement tools… Instead, we work tirelessly with D&I and social value at the heart of what we do. It’s difficult to track the true results of what we do, but the Loop Social Value report allows us to review and set a base, which is really rewarding.

The bigger rewards come from the stories we hear. Like Homeboy Pizza Co. in Leeds who attended UKREiiF in 2022 as a food supplier, their owner said at the time the success of their attendance “helped them purchase more equipment to open a residency in a local bar.” In 2023 they were back with the busy period at UKREiiF, helping them fund their first physical restaurant in 2024. And when the Regeneration Brainery team confirms young professionals “have gained apprenticeships and direct job offers from the contacts made at UKREiiF” … These are difficult to capture but will be a legacy beyond our reporting.

The social salue UKREiiF has generated over 2022-2023 has hit £3.35m with 2024 results due in soon… incredible results, and we look forward to building on it.

Supporting Charities

At UKREiiF, we leverage our platform to raise awareness and funds for a range of charities, having successfully raised approximately £250,000 over our first three years.

In 2022, we contributed £40,000 to charitable causes through initiatives such as the LandAid Special Achievement Award, supporting Club Peloton’s Ride to UKREiiF, the Pagabo Foundation’s Feel Good Games, and hosting a fringe event to raise funds for Angels for Freedom.

Our efforts grew in 2023, raising over £100,000 through continued support for these activities, along with new initiatives like the UKREiiF Cycle Sportif and the involvement of NOTAPHASE in the Freehold LGBT+ event.

In 2024, we expanded our charitable impact further with events such as Rock! @ UKREiiF, which raised funds for LandAid, and a charity comedy night. Additionally, we proudly donated £20,000 to the Peabody Trust in memory of Lord Bob Kerslake, formerly the UKREiiF Advisory Group Chair.

Accommodating for All

At UKREiiF, we collaborate closely with an EDI consultant and numerous D&I groups, alongside actively gathering attendee feedback to ensure the event is welcoming and inclusive for everyone, regardless of background.

Several initiatives contribute to this inclusivity, such as providing a prayer room conveniently located near the main event area, a quiet space for attendees seeking a calm environment amid the hustle, and a diverse range of food options, including halal, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free choices.

A standout example of our inclusive approach is our policy of not serving alcohol on-site until after 3pm, a decision that has been widely praised compared to other industry events where alcohol is available from morning until late. We also get in touch with anyone who outlines during registration that they have additional needs; we provide, for example, British Sign Language Interpreters for those that need it for free and much more.

There are so many ways UKREiiF puts EDI and social value at the forefront of everything it does; if you’d like to learn more about this, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

You can also find out more here: https://www.ukreiif.com/social-value-and-edi/