TSURUCON POLICIES

 

 

Definitions

 

1) Terms

“Artist Alley” refers to the designated location for the sale of personal artwork. Artist Alley is also the location for sketch requests;

“Cosplay” refers the act of dressing up, and sometimes acting, as a fictional character;

Both “Event” and “TsuruCon” refer to the TsuruCon Convention;

 “Viewing room” refers the designated viewing areas for video programming;

“Weapon” is defined in Section 40 of these policies;

“Pass” refers to the proof of admission used by the Event. This may be a wristband and/or badge;

“Venue” refers to the Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School Campus and Festival Hall.

 

 

General Policies

 

2) All policies contained herein are subject to all local, provincial, and federal laws. Any policy contrary to those laws will be declared null and void.

3) The Venue, at their discretion, may override any policies contained herein.

4) The following activities are not permitted at the Event:

Engaging in any activity prohibited by law;

Any act which could result in substantial risk or harm to people or property;

Engaging in disruptive and unsafe behaviour that disturbs other patrons, staff, or the public;

Sexual misconduct, such as indecent exposure, offensive touching, or sexual harassment;

Physical or verbal harassment of the public or staff;

Loitering.

5) All patrons must abide by all Venue procedures, policies, and bylaws, as well as all local, provincial, and federal laws and bylaws.

6) Seating for events or in viewing rooms, unless otherwise mentioned, is first-come, first-serve.

7) The Event is required to adhere to fire regulations. Those regulations dictate that:

Doorways are not to be blocked and must be free of obstructions at all times;

The number of people in a room cannot exceed the maximum capacity of that room;

Sitting in the aisle or standing at the back of a room is strictly forbidden.

8)  Alcohol or intoxication is not permitted at the Event. Any incidences will be dealt with accordingly.

9) Food and drink are normally permitted during events and inside Viewing rooms, but please clean up after yourself. Please use available garbage bins to dispose of waste and available recycle bins to dispose of recyclable materials. Patrons will be informed if food or drinks are prohibited in certain areas.

10) Talking out of turn during events or in Viewing rooms is disruptive to other patrons. Please save your comments for outside the event or Viewing room.

11) All telecommunication devices (pagers, mobile phones, and such) must be running silent or turned off while inside Viewing rooms and during events.

12) Be courteous to fellow attendees and enjoy yourself but please remember the impression you make reflects on all of us.

13) With respect to some TsuruCon events, such as the Cosplay Contest, the Event Policies may be temporarily overridden for participants of that event. The only persons that may authorize this override are:

President

Vice-President

Volunteer Coordinator;

Cosplay Contest Coordinator;

Or any delegate of the above.

Passes and Admission

14) Passes must be worn and be visible at all times. Individuals without a Pass will not be granted full access to the event.

15) Any patron who has their Pass revoked will not receive reimbursement or refund of any part of their admission.

16) A fee will be charged for replacing a lost Pass. A replacement Pass will be authorized by Registration.

17) Please return any Passes found to Event staff immediately.

 

 

Attire and Costumes

 

18) All patrons are required to dress appropriately, in accordance with public decency laws, while attending the Event.

19) All patrons are required to wear footwear. Socks or bare feet are not acceptable.

20) The Event reserves the right to deem any attire or costume unacceptable and request the wearer to either change or make modifications as necessary.

21) Patrons should be aware that they may be asked to remove all or part of any costume that is bulky, difficult to manoeuvre, or otherwise presents a possible safety issue for the wearer or other patrons.

 

 

Harassment and Assault

 

22) The Event has a zero tolerance for any type of harassment and/or assault.

 a.Harassment is any behavior that annoys, alarms, or threatens another person. This includes any unwanted physical contact, following someone without a legitimate reason, or threatening to harm someone

23) Sexual misconduct is unacceptable at the Event, and will result in the revocation of the patron’s pass.

 

 

Liability

 

24) In case of emergency at TsuruCon help can be reached at 911 

25) Although we strive for the safest possible environment the Event, and its affiliates, are not responsible for any loss, damage, theft, or injury while attending the Event.

26) Patrons are responsible for their individual actions and any repercussions that may result.

27) Civil or medical emergencies are to be handled directly by the proper authorities.

Merchandise and Theft

28) All merchandise from the Event itself, the Marketplace, or Artist Alley, must be paid for.

29) Any patron caught shoplifting or stealing will be handed over to the proper authorities, have their Pass revoked, and refused service into all future TsuruCon events. There will be no exceptions.

Photography and Video Recording

30) Photography of original artwork in Artist Alley is not allowed without permission of the artist.

31) Photography may be restricted to specific events. Patrons will be informed in any event which photography or video recording is prohibited.

32) Photography of all other aspects of the Event is allowed as long as it does not disrupt events, the flow of traffic, and the subject does not object to the photo.

33) Please be considerate and ask first before taking pictures of guests, other patrons, or the general public.

34) Please be advised that you may be video recorded and/or photographed by the Event for promotional purposes.

35) Posing with a weapon for a photograph is acceptable. However, the weapon may only be drawn for that picture and no patrons in the immediate area must feel threatened.

36) Photographs of the Venue, both interior and exterior, must be approved by the Venue in advance.

 

 

Signage

 

37) Wearing any signs that offer products or services, for solicitation, financial gain, physical act, or otherwise, is prohibited at the Event.

38) Signs with inappropriate content will be removed without warning, and may result in the patrons’ expulsion from the event.

39)  Signs or displays that offer, or can be interpreted as offering goods and/or services in exchange for money, goods, and/or services in kind that are either:

Outside the Marketplace;

Not approved by the TsuruCon Staff;

Not owned by businesses located in the Venue, or;

Violates any terms or conditions of any agreements the Event has with the Venue, are banned.

 

 

Weapon Policy

 

40) A weapon is defined as any item that a reasonable person would deem a weapon, any weapon or item prohibit by local, provincial, or federal law, any item indistinguishable at casual inspection from either of the first two cases, or any item resembling a gun that is capable of firing a projectile.

41) A weapon that has been rendered inoperable, such as a firearm without a firing pin or an blunt/dull blade, shall still be considered a weapon.

42) No weapon shall be permitted at the event.

Props and Replica Policy

43) No prop or replica shall be constructed of a material that a reasonable person would consider capable of inflicting harm. This may include, but is not limited to, the following materials: softwood, hardwood, dense plastic, metal, ceramic.

44) No prop or replica shall have sharp edges, points, or corners.

45) No prop or replica may contain glass, unless it is a common item that is unlikely to break.

46) No prop or replica that can be considered to be blocking or impeding the flow of traffic at the event is permitted.

47) Any chains, whips, and similar props, whether by themselves or as part of a larger prop, must be secured from swinging on both ends.

48) No prop or replica may be brandished in a threatening manner, except in designated areas.

49) No prop or replica weapon capable of launching a projectile may be loaded or strung at any time, except in designated areas.

50) No prop or replica may be thrown at any time.

51) All gun-like replicas and props must have the muzzle area painted neon orange and the barrel blocked.

52) Roller blades, skateboards, scooters, and similar devices cannot be used on event grounds.

53)  All props and replicas are required to be peace-bonded at the designated replica and prop check area. This bonding must be kept clearly visible at all times.

54)  Any props or replicas considered in violation of this policy must be removed from event grounds or, if available at the event, checked in to storage. TsuruCon holds no liability for any items left at event storage.

55)  Designated areas or events may prohibit the transport or possession of props and replicas.

56)  At the discretion of designated event staff, certain props or replicas may be deemed unacceptable regardless of compliance with this policy.

57)  Additional restrictions or exceptions to the policy may apply, and will be available through the official event website and/or publications of the event itself.

58)  In the event of a conflict between TsuruCon’s Prop and Replica policy, and the policy of the hosting venue, the more restrictive of the two shall apply.

 

 

Contest Eligibility

 

59)  A contest is defined as an TsuruCon-run event involving skill or luck that offers prizes, or awards. (e.g. Door prizes, talent contest, cosplay contest) This does not include such things as contests at panels, or industry giveaways.

60)  An Exhibition Entry is defined as an entry in a contest that may participate but cannot receive prizes or awards.

61)  The Event applies the following policy to contest eligibility:

The Event reserves the right to make changes to these rules at any time.

The rules published on the Event’s website, www.tsurucon.net are considered to be official rules.

All decisions made by the Event’s organizing committee are final.

Anyone currently banned or blacklisted by the Event cannot participate in any contest.

Judges, ballot counters, and event coordinators cannot participate in contests in which they are acting in the capacity of a judge, ballot counter, or event coordinator.

Staff responsible for selecting or appointing judges, ballot counters, or event coordinators for a specific contest cannot participate in that contest.

Staff and volunteers are ineligible to participate in contests that conflict with their duties.

All contest entries must have both an Event badge and/or wristband to participate in contests. Both the badge and the wristband must be valid and for the current event. Certain contents may have exceptions to this policy and, if so, it will be noted in their rules.

Vendor entries may enter a contest, pending time and availability, providing they do not impede on regular entries.

In order to participate, regular entrants must pay the contest entry fee, if one exists for the particular contest. All fees must be paid in advance. Exhibition entries do not pay contest entry fees.

TsuruCon Staff must request permission from the Director of Programming to enter into any contest. Without permission, staff cannot participate in any contest.

Should conflicts arise these rules shall take precedence in the order that they are listed.

 

 

Specific Policies

62) The following additional restrictions have been imposed by the hosting site:

No Battle Dress Uniforms (BDU) are allowed on site. Dark blue or black S.W.A.T. style outfits are not permitted, without exception.

Balaclava style masks are not permitted, unless readily identifiable as part of a costume. Due to additional restrictions on the part of the venues, all other face-covering masks will need to be approved on a case by case basis.

Not all props will be allowed into the Concerts or Dance, and other events as specified in the TsuruCon Guidebook, and as per the discretion of U of L security, the TsuruCon Committee, and the Head of Mods or their delegate.

63) Pass restrictions are as follows:

Day/Event/Child/Panelist Pass – Access to all panels, viewing rooms, main events, and the Marketplace for whatever days and times the pass is valid.

VIP-Pass – Normal access to viewing rooms. Early access to Vendor Hall. Priority access to all guest panels, autographs, main events, Marketplace, and the dance. Additional VIP-Pass benefits may include access to special events.

Artist Alley Pass – provides proof of registration of participation in the Artist Alley. Provides access to the Alley during setup and take-down hours.

Vendor Pass – provides proof of registration of vendor status. Provides access to the Marketplace during setup and take-down hours.

Press/Media Pass – Access varies on a case by case basis.

Violation of Policies

64) The Event reserves the right to enforce disciplinary action against any patron who violates these policies. Such disciplinary action can include, but are not limited to:

Asking a patron to leave a particular event or Viewing room;

Revocation of a patron’s Pass without refund;

Banning a patron from future TsuruCon events.

65)  Any action prohibited by law will result in notification of the proper authorities and could result in criminal prosecution.

66)  Any attempt to induce a duly contracted party to TsuruCon to violate the terms of their contract will result in disciplinary action as outlined in this policy document.