Industry Group Sets Conference for Christmas Day!  Members are Outraged!

Pet Camp is active in several different business groups – some are local, some are geared to small businesses, some are run by consultants in the pet care industry, and there is one entity, the International Boarding and Pet Services Association (IBPSA) that is our “industry group.”  As a rule, various counselors attend between 1 and 3 industry events a year.  Frankly, we would like to be able to attend more, but for third time the IBPSA has scheduled their annual conference such that it precludes even moderately observant Jews from attending.

Now we’re not talking about scheduling a conference that overlaps with Tu Bishvat (the Festival of Trees); nope, we’re talking about scheduling a conference so that you can’t observe Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur (what many Jews feel are the two most important holidays of the year) and attend this conference.

In 2019, when the IBPSA scheduled their meeting to start on the second day of Rosh Hashanah this conflict was pointed out to them by both potential attendees and speakers.  They were informed that even though many American Jews only celebrate the first day of the holiday, members could not both be observing the first day of holiday AND be traveling to the conference location (in Palm Springs California) to be ready at 9:00 the next morning for the conference to begin.  IBPSA’s response was to offer a one-third discount and to advise impacted members to attend the second two days of the conference.

So, what did IBPSA do based on the 2019 experience?  They scheduled the 2020 conference to begin the morning after Yom Kippur in Orlando Florida!  Since all Jewish holidays begin and end at sundown (ok, officially when you can see 3 stars in the sky), IBPSA was again requiring that Jews travel on a holiday or miss a portion of the first day or, for many potential attendees, the entire first day of the annual 3-day conference.

Both times the issue was brought to the attention of IBPSA leadership and both times IBPSA leadership claimed they would do better.  But in neither case did IBPSA take any action to remedy the situation.

Well, IBPSA is back to their old ways.  The 2025 conference (what they are calling “The Forum”), is schedule to be held over Rosh Hashanah.  The Forum is scheduled from September 21 to 23 with the substantive presentations primarily on Monday, September 22^nd and the morning of Tuesday, September 23^rd.   Rosh Hashana begins at sundown on Monday, September 22^nd and ends (at the earliest) at sundown on September 23^rd.  One simply cannot attend the 2025 IBPSA conference and observe Rosh Hashanah.

I appreciate that scheduling a conference can be difficult, but it should not be too hard to avoid scheduling an annual conference (three times now) so that it doesn’t conflict with the most holy days in Judaism.  In both 2019 and 2020, IBPSA’s response to this conflict was to distance itself from the knowledge of when the Jewish holidays occur, that members might observe them, and of the obligation to avoid the conflict.  Even after raising this conflict AGAIN – a THIRD TIME – to IBPSA leadership, I have yet to get a response (not even a non-substantive one).

In the past IBPSA could claim ignorance – apparently from both the Jewish holidays and how to use Google Calendar – but a 3^rd conflict with the Jewish High Holidays is not ignorance, it is arrogance.  IBPSA should do better by its members; it should change the date of the 2025 conference as it should have done in 2019 and 2020 and IBPSA should consider updating its technology and its leadership.

Thanks for reading.

Pet Camp is San Francisco’s most award winning pet care facility, we are proud to provide San Francisco’s pet parents with dog day care, overnight care for dogs and cats, dog training, bathing/grooming and pet transportation.  If you have questions about any of our services or our involvement with the pet care industry, just give us a call.