Sensitive Meeting Planning

It was brought to my attention by a group of colleagues that digitalNow, considered one of the flagship nonprofit management meetings, is scheduled on Yom Kippur this year. For those not familiar with Yom Kippur, it is arguably the most important religious holiday in Judaism. It is the Day of Atonement in which individuals seek to make up for their transgressions and sins. For those who practice the Jewish faith, it is a day that cannot be skipped or double-booked.

It seems to me that some atonement needs to happen in the planning aspects of this annual event. Is there not a step in the planning process to look at a religious holiday calendar? There is the valid argument that Yom Kippur is seasonal and happens on different dates each year, but so does Easter. Again, religious calendars and calendar plug ins exist to help us consider the impact of planning decisions.

When it comes to religious holidays and observances, we tend to focus on the Big Three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. (Fun fact: The original monotheist was the Egyptian Pharaoh Aten, who replaced the Egyptian pantheon with worship of the Sun god. After he died, the Egyptians reinstalled the pantheon.)

However, there are many more religions with a pantheon which means different holidays and practices. While a meeting planner may not be able to plan around every religious holiday – check any religious calendar and you will see the many days that are important to believers of all kinds – we should all be able to identify the most important ones to the myriad belief systems on Planet Earth.

Our conversation turned to all the other issues related to sensitive meeting planning from religious observances to dietary considerations. Some things to consider when it comes to sensitive meeting planning:

1. What religious observances or holidays are occurring on or around the dates you are planning meetings or events? Can you choose dates and times that serve the broadest audience while honoring different lifestyles and identities?

2. Are there other dietary considerations besides vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian? Do you need to consider other labels such as kosher or flexitarian?

3. Will there be people from different countries at the meeting? Do you need to consider translation services or other ways to create an excellent meeting experience?

4. Does your meeting audience include those with sight or hearing conditions? What can be done to include them in the meeting and make the content accessible?

5. What about people who don’t practice a religion or have dietary restrictions? Will they feel comfortable at the meeting too?

In a way, creating and hosting a conference or other event is similar to planning a dinner party. There will be interesting and diverse people at the table, and a good host encourages dynamic and civil conversation around topics everyone can enjoy. But they also ask everyone if they have any food allergies or aversions before planning the menu, and they review the calendar for conflicts and obligations before sending the invitations.