League Event Participation Agreement

The League of American Orchestras is committed to celebrating the diversity of experiences, talents, skills, cultures, and opinions that its members bring to the League community. The League puts people first and recognizes, appreciates, and respects the lived experiences of all its participants.

We welcome contributions from everyone who shares these goals and wants to engage in a healthy and constructive manner within our communities. We ask all participants to agree and adhere to these guidelines to help us create a respectful and helpful community experience for all.

These guidelines aim to support a community where all people feel safe to participate, introduce new ideas, and inspire others with respect for everyone’s background, family status, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, native language, age, ability, race and/or ethnicity, caste, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, or geographic location.

(What are we missing? Please email us with suggestions at member@americanorchestras.org)

At a League event, you agree to:

• Be inclusive, actively seeking and inviting diverse perspectives.
• Participate in an authentic and active way, being direct but respectful and professional.
• Be considerate, kind, constructive, and helpful in your language and actions.
• Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and language.
• Respect confidentiality requests by speakers and other attendees.
• Refrain from conversations that relate to your orchestra’s specific plans for pricing, bargaining, or compensation in keeping with anti-trust rules (PDF).

The following actions and speech – whether physical, verbal, written, or visual – are not welcome at a League event and are grounds to refuse admission or require removal from the event:

• Invasion of privacy, intimidation, or threatening behavior or language against another person.
• Racist, homophobic, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory or derogatory behavior, language, or jokes about or directed at any individual, group, or class of people.
• Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes sexualized comments or jokes, inappropriate physical contact, and inappropriate sexual advances.
• Sustained disruption of community conversations, talks, and presentations.
• Threatening or taking actions adverse to members’ interests.
• Advocating for, or enabling, any of the above actions, behavior, language, or speech.

Resolve peacefully

We believe peer-to-peer discussions, feedback, and corrections can help build a stronger, safer, and more inclusive community. While we assume good intentions, we are also attentive to impacts. If you see someone behaving inappropriately, you are encouraged to respectfully discourage them from such behavior. Expect that others in the community wish to help keep the League community respectful and welcome your input in doing so.

Apologize for mistakes

If you behave inappropriately or are confronted with your own inappropriate behavior, own up to your words and actions, and apologize accordingly. No one is perfect, and even the most well-intentioned people make mistakes. What matters is how you handle them and that you avoid repeating them in the future.

Contact us to report an incident

If you experience disrespectful behavior and feel in any way unable to respond or resolve it peacefully (for any reason), please promptly bring it to the attention of League staff or email member@americanorchestras.org. We want to hear from you about anything that you feel is disrespectful, threatening, or uncomfortable in any way. We will listen and work to resolve the matter.

Consequences

Attendees who do not meet these expectations may be denied admission or removed from the event. Participants who are asked to stop any unacceptable or harassing actions, behavior, or speech as described above are expected to comply immediately. The League will seek to resolve conflicts swiftly, and in a manner that is positive for the community. If, however, in the League’s sole judgment the best thing to do is to ask such an individual to leave the event without warning or refund, we reserve the right to do so.

Thank you to every League community member for helping to foster an inclusive and respectful environment for all League events.

Photography and Video Release

Please be aware that by participating in the public forum of these events, you are automatically authorizing the League of American Orchestras (hereinafter “League”) and its employees, agents, and assigns to use your photograph or other likeness for purposes related to the mission of the League, including but not limited to publicity, marketing, websites, other electronic forms of media, and promotion of the League and its various programs.

Waiver and Release of Liability

Participant acknowledges and agrees that participation in any event offered by the League of American Orchestras (hereinafter, the “Events”) is voluntary. Participant hereby warrants that he or she is in good health and suffers from no physical or mental condition that would create an unreasonable risk of harm to himself or herself, or to any other participant of the Events. The participant further understands and acknowledges that there are potential risks involved related to participation in the Events. Participant hereby assumes all risks, known and unknown, foreseeable and unforeseeable, in any way connected with Participant’s participation in the Events. Participant accepts full responsibility for any liability, illness, injury, loss, damage, or death in any way connected with their participation in the Events. Participant acknowledges that participation in the Events is at Participant’s sole risk.

Release of Claims

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, participant hereby releases the League of American Orchestras (hereinafter, “The League”) from any and all liability or claims which may arise from participant’s participation in the Events, and participant agrees to indemnify The League for all third party claims, actions, or demands asserted against The League, and all damages, costs, and expenses incurred by The League in connection therewith, to the extent such claim, action, or demand arises out of participant’s participation in the Events. This paragraph shall be inclusive of, but not limited to, any injury or death resulting from exposure to food or beverage allergies, communicable diseases, illnesses of any kind, food borne illnesses, theft of or damage to Participant’s property or the Events venue’s property, transportation or commute, exposure to adverse weather conditions, or choking. Participant further acknowledges that the League is in no way liable for any injury or illness resulting from Participant’s own conduct or behavior while in transit to, or present at, the Events. Participant herebyaccepts full financial responsibility for any personal medical expenses or treatment which may result from participation in the Events, and hereby releases the League in full, from any potential claim for such medical expenses.