Standing proud together

Pride month has just come to an end, an important moment to honour diversity and support LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Throughout June, our teams have been celebrating, embracing learning, sharing and, above all, growing together. Here is a sample of the exciting initiatives organised at our shopping destinations and at our headquarters.

Pride events and celebrations at our destinations

Pride flags and rainbows festooned many of our destinations around the world.

1. Westfield Centro in Germany raised rainbow-coloured clouds above the main entrance and transformed its logo into the rainbow colours. Inside the shopping centre, an exhibition of 27 flags was displayed, explaining the different LGBTQIA+ communities they represent.

2. A similar initiative was organized at Westfield Donau Zentrum. Partnering with renowned local drag queen Tamara Mascara, the flags of the LGBTQIA+ community were presented in an educational exhibition called “Nation of lovers”, held in the ARENA space.

3. Rainbow displays were also created in many of our destinations, including at Westfield Forum des Halles in Paris, Westfield Topanga and Westfield Century City in Los Angeles, or Westfield London. Staff at Ruhr Park in Germany wore and distributed heart-shaped rainbow badges to visitors throughout the month.

4. Some shopping centres held Pride-themed events, such as Westfield Southcenter, which hosted the Pride Spin and Win event was a fun and inclusive way to celebrate LGBTQIA+ community and support local businesses. Hosted by Sativa the Queen, the event offered fun, exciting prizes to participants

5. At Pasing Arcaden in Munich, which hosted a diversity dinner on June 27, featuring a drag show, panel discussions and competitions. Two days of public events followed at the centre, with live music, influencer meet-and-greets, DIY workshops and more.

6. Coming next, Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier will take part in Hamburg’s largest Pride event: the Christopher Street Day parade. Our newest destination will organise a branded truck to take part in the parade, which attracted more than 200,000 participants last year.

Fostering dialogue, awareness and inclusion within our community of employees

Many of our teams focused on engaging URW staff with their Pride activations, such as in the Czech Republic and Poland. Both countries hosted internal information campaigns on screens for all staff at our headquarters and for shopping centre employees, presenting conversation-starting facts and stats about LGBTQIA+ communities.

The Be You at URW team in the US hosted its third annual Drag Bingo event for staff at Hamburger Mary’s, celebrating equality and raising money for the 40^th AIDS Walk LA.

And in France, everyone received 20 Pride-themed cultural recommendations, from books to documentaries, films, series and podcasts.

At URW, we celebrate diversity every day and throughout the year our Be You at URW network strives to ensure everyone can enjoy a safe, fair and supportive atmosphere at work.

Acces Click here for more about our Be You at URW Diversity & Inclusion commitments.