Industry Insights: The Importance Of Inclusive Scheduling When Planning Events

Good morning!

Recently, I've had a lot of emails pop into my inbox that mention trips, events, and dinners that overlap with the upcoming Jewish high holidays.

This is nothing new, and has happened for years, and has resulted in everything from me not being able to cover NYFW (back when NYFW was something I covered, that is!), to me having to pass on dinners during Passover (for obvious reasons!).

But I think it is something that goes way beyond Jewish holidays (which I reference specifically only because those are the ones personally impact me), but any time that an event or a trip is scheduled to overlap with any religious or cultural events or holidays, you are excluding anyone who celebrates those holidays from participating in, attending, or even being able to cover your event or news. Which, very often, is something they actually would really want to cover or attend.

When scheduling any event, it's important to consider public and legal holidays, as well as holy days of any religions to make sure you are not excluding any attendees who celebrate them.  As these holidays often happen on different calendar days each year, it's just a good idea to do your research before proceeding with scheduling an event -- it's simply as easy as Googling!

(I myself do this all the time when maintaining my own schedule!)

Yes, it's true there's tons of variations and interpretations around ritual observance in every faith. But it's important when organizing an event to organize the event in a way that everyone who you invite has the option to attend. Holding it on a religious holiday removes that choice for many people. It's about sensitivity and being inclusive, but it's also about you and your client, and making sure your event is as successful as possible.

Considering religious and cultural aspects is one way to be inclusive when scheduling events — but not the only way. Here’s some other important considerations when planning your events if you want to be inclusive and accessible to those attending…