Event Codes of Conduct

What’s a Code of Conduct? And why do you need one?

EVENTS RUN MORE SMOOTHLY WHEN EVERYONE AGREES UPON A SET OF RULES OR EXPECTATIONS.

Recently, this has come to be known as a “Code of Conduct,” which is a document outlining behavioral expectations for an event. This is not just for safety, but also so everyone can feel comfortable and welcome at an event.

We suggest that every event should have a Code of Conduct for guests, as well as a Code of Conduct for presenters and organizers.

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR GUESTS

Guests should know what’s expected of them in terms of behavior at an event. Post the Code of Conduct for guests on your registration website, and email it directly to guests as they register.

Here is our suggested Code of Conduct for Guests:

  • Be kind to your own body, and to the bodies around you.
  • Please feel free to move around the event space freely as you attend to the needs of your body.
  • No one is watching you if you need to leave the space to go to the restroom, stretch, get some air, or chill out. Everyone is much more focused on their own bodies.
  • Unwrap and eat your snacks with our blessing. The wrapper might crinkle, but we need you to stay fed and well throughout.
  • If you prefer wearing noise-dampening or other types of headphones to the event, please feel free to do so.
  • Everybody brought a different kind of body to this event. Be respectful of other bodies and their needs and experiences.
  • Keep your hands off other bodies unless given explicit consent by another person. This includes mobility aids such as wheelchairs, canes, and walkers, or headphones, all of which are extensions of another person’s body.
  • If you see a service animal at this event, that animal is hard at work. Please do not pet it or otherwise disturb it from doing its job without express invitation.
  • To facilitate the discussion portion of the event, we’re going to be using a system of hand-raising. To participate, raise your hand and wait for the moderator to call on you. When the moderator calls on you, they’ll hold a wireless microphone up to your face so that you can ask your question loudly enough to be heard by most guests.
  • This event is fragrance-free, and nut-free. This is so we can provide a welcoming space for guests with sensitivities to those items.
  • This event is intersectionally anti-racist. We will not tolerate any language or actions that hurt people based on race, ethnicity, physical ability, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, class, caste, or preferred language.

Code of Conduct for Presenters

PLAY FAIR WITH YOUR PRESENTERS.

As you bring presenters to your event, it’s helpful to give them a Code of Conduct as early as possible in the process, so that they can plan content that creates a welcoming environment.

Here is our suggested Code of Conduct for Presenters:

  • This event is intersectionally anti-racist. We will not tolerate any language or actions that hurt people based on race, ethnicity, physical ability, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, class, caste, or preferred language. Please review your content for any language or attitudes that might conflict with this important guideline. This includes potentially outdated terms, such as “special needs” for people with disabilities, or phrases with racist or sexist origins.
  • If you are sharing resources created by other people, please review those resources through this intersectionally anti-racist lens.
  • Please design activities that do not require physical contact between guests as much as possible.
  • Please be respectful during audience participation, and do not touch guests’ bodies without their consent. This includes mobility aids such as wheelchairs, canes, and walkers, or headphones, all of which are extensions of another person’s body.
  • If you see a service animal at this event, that animal is hard at work. Please do not pet it or otherwise disturb it from doing its job without express invitation.
  • We expect you to use the microphone for your presentation. We will also have ASL interpreters and captioning at the event.
  • We will need the contents of your presentation 7 calendar days before the event so we can send that to attendees in advance. As you prepare your materials, please consider that some of your attendees may wish to print materials to bring with them. We will also have a number of printouts of your materials for guests at the event.
  • To facilitate the discussion portion of the event, we’re going to be using a system of hand-raising. You will have a moderator who will roam the audience with a wireless microphone, while you stay at the front of the room. The moderator will ask guests to use the microphone for presenting their questions.
  • This event is fragrance-free, and nut-free. This is so we can provide a welcoming space for guests with sensitivities to those items.

Code of Conduct for Organizers

GO OVER THE GROUND RULES WITH YOUR STAFF.

It’s helpful to have all event staff on the same page about how you want your event to run. Do you want staff to greet people at the door? Are you asking them to make sure everyone has a physical copy of the program? Go over what you want from staff, and listen when they tell you what they’re comfortable doing. There are all kinds of needs and roles at an event, so there’s no need to force a shy person into greeting, when they’d rather be hooking up the audio-visual equipment. And vice versa.

A great way to go over roles and expectations with your event staff is by going over the Code of Conduct for Guests as a group. This gives you a place to start a discussion around event expectations. Take turns reading aloud each expectation. Ask if anyone has questions or concerns.

At the end of the list, turn to roles. Make a list as a group: what kinds of roles do you want or need for this event?

At an in-person event, for instance, you might need the following roles:

  • Sign-hanger (including carrying sawhorses to parking lots, taping up signs, and tracking the route from the parking lot to the venue.
  • Driver (if you have a lot of supplies, you might want one person to be in charge of bringing a vehicle, and packing it with supplies from the staging area, and then driving to the venue).
  • Announcer
  • Greeter
  • Information Desk (can be mobile. You can have a loving extrovert on hand holding a sign reading, “Questions? Ask me!”)
  • Audio-visual technician
  • Gift-bag stuffer
  • Room arranger (can be someone who simply makes sure the reserved wheelchair seating stays available, or helps move and remove chairs to make room for additional mobility aids)
  • Catering liaison (can be someone who works to make sure your caterers have everything they need, or can be someone who’s making the run to the grocery store for veggie trays)
  • Holder of keys
  • Promoter
  • Designated guest (can be someone who shows up in a guest role and is willing to provide feedback after the event)

There are so many ways to include people who like taking part in events.