Inclusion & Diversity Policy

1. Purpose

Events are deeply personal, and the professionals behind them matter. A couple planning a traditional Sikh wedding needs Event Pros who understand their rituals. A family navigating a dietary restriction needs caterers who can accommodate it. A guest with mobility needs deserves a venue that is genuinely accessible.

Inclusion attributes on Zamala help Event Hosts find Event Pros who are the right cultural and logistical fit — not just the right price. This policy explains how those attributes are collected, displayed, and kept accurate.

2. What Are Inclusion Attributes?

Inclusion attributes are structured tags that describe an Event Pro’s identity, capabilities, and specialties. They are grouped into six categories:

• Identity — Ownership identity (e.g. Women-owned, LGBTQ2S+-owned, Immigrant-founded, Veteran-owned)
• Languages spoken — Languages the team can work in (e.g. French, Punjabi, Mandarin)
• Cultural specialties — Cultural ceremonies or events the pro has experience with (e.g. South Asian weddings, Jewish ceremonies, Indigenous celebrations)
• Accessibility — Physical and sensory accommodations the venue or service can provide
• Dietary accommodations — Food preparation capabilities (e.g. Halal, Kosher, Vegan, Nut-free)
• Sustainability — Environmental practices (e.g. Zero-waste, Locally sourced, Carbon-neutral delivery)

3. Self-Declared Attributes

Most attributes are self-declared — the Event Pro adds them to their own profile through the Zamala dashboard. By declaring an attribute, the Event Pro affirms that the description is accurate and applies to their business.

Self-declared attributes appear on the public profile without a verification badge. Event Hosts can see all attributes and decide how much weight to give them based on context.

Zamala does not independently verify self-declared attributes unless they qualify for admin verification (see Section 4). However, we reserve the right to remove attributes that are reported as inaccurate or misleading after review.

4. Admin-Verified Attributes

Some attributes can be admin-verified by the Zamala team after reviewing supporting documentation. Verified attributes appear with a verification badge on the public profile.

Verification is currently available for a subset of high-signal attributes where documentation is practical (e.g. business registration documents for identity claims, professional certifications for specialty claims).

Admin verification is a trust signal, not a guarantee. Zamala does not endorse or warrant the quality of any Event Pro’s services.

5. Identity Badge Tiers

Identity attributes follow a tiered approach to balance inclusivity with accuracy:

We intentionally limit Tier 1 to business-ownership identity claims where the declaring person has direct knowledge. Broader community identity categories that require more nuanced verification are reserved for Tier 2 and 3 to avoid misrepresentation.

6. How Event Hosts Use Attributes

Event Hosts can search and filter Event Pros by inclusion attributes via the Event Pros directory. Zamala’s AI assistant (Zamala) also uses attributes when recommending Event Pros for a specific event — for example, prioritizing bilingual photographers for a multilingual ceremony.

Hosts are encouraged to communicate directly with Event Pros to confirm any specific inclusion needs before booking. Attributes are a starting point, not a contract.

7. Accuracy & Disputes

If you believe an Event Pro’s inclusion attributes are inaccurate or misleading, please report it to us at contact@eepic.ca with the Event Pro name and the attribute in question.

We will review reports within 5 business days. If a self-declared attribute is found to be materially inaccurate, we will remove it and notify the Event Pro. Repeated inaccurate declarations may result in account suspension.

Event Pros who believe an attribute has been incorrectly removed may appeal by providing supporting documentation.

8. Requesting a New Attribute

Our attribute dictionary is not exhaustive. If your community, language, cultural specialty, or accessibility need is not represented, we want to hear from you.

Send attribute requests to contact@eepic.ca with the subject line “Attribute Request”. Include the proposed label, the category it belongs to, and why it matters for event matching. We review all requests and add new attributes on a rolling basis.

9. Changes to This Policy

We will update this policy as our inclusion attribute system evolves. Material changes — such as new verification tiers or changes to how attributes affect search ranking — will be announced via the platform dashboard. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

10. Contact

Questions about inclusion attributes or this policy? contact@eepic.ca