Policies & Privacy
We want our convention to be a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience for everyone. Since the convention committee and the sponsoring organization have neither police powers nor employ police officers, we have set the following standards of expected behavior which apply to everyone.
We expect everyone to behave as responsible people. Any action or behavior that is illegal, causes significant interference with event operations, causes excessive discomfort or denigrates others, or adversely affects the convention's relationship with its guests, its members, its venue, or the public, is strictly forbidden and may result in revocation of membership privileges. We offer the following guidance for anyone unclear on the concept, but remember that this code is not exclusive.
Accessibility
We are committed to providing the best possible experience to all our attendees, including those who need visual or auditory interpretive assistance or have limited mobility, or who require other assistance. If you have any special needs, please send your requests no later than Monday, September 24, 2018. Contact our Accessibility Coordinator, Kamilah Martin Proctor at with any questions or requests. We will attempt to assist those who send requests after September 24, 2018.
Affirmative Consent
"Yes" means yes, "No" means NO, and "maybe some other time" also means NO. Please take no for an answer, for everything from simple social requests to intimate encounters.
Badges
Wear your badge where it can be seen. This convention is a membership-only event, and your badge is your admission pass to convention activities. Badges may not be shared under any circumstances; a badge is valid only for the person to whom it was issued.
Conduct
We expect all of our members and staff to follow the normal standards of proper behavior.
We will not tolerate harassment of people at our convention in any form. Everyone is entitled to a harassment-free convention experience, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, political beliefs, body size, race, national origin, or religion.
Harassment includes inappropriate physical contact, unwelcome sexual attention, offensive verbal comments, deliberate intimidation, stalking or following someone, making harassing photographs or recordings, or disrupting talks or other events. Anyone asked to stop any harassing behavior is expected to comply immediately. A request to "stop" or "go away" means exactly that. If anyone engages in harassing behavior, the convention committee may warn the offender, remove the offender from the room, or expel the offender from the convention with no refund.
If you feel that you are being discriminated against or harassed, or if you notice someone violating convention or hotel policies, we respectfully suggest the following:
- Point out the inappropriate behavior to the person(s) involved. Often this will solve the problem immediately.
- If you do not feel comfortable talking with the person(s) involved or if talking to them does not resolve the issue, please report the situation immediately to Operations Staff or a Convention Committee member, identified by a red badge holder, or email Try to provide a name, badge name, badge number, and/or physical description of the persons involved.
- In order to take action at the convention, we need to know about any incidents during the convention. Issues can still be reported later to email as well.
- We will respect the wishes of the affected parties within the constraints of law.
- We may share information with the World Fantasy Board and future World Fantasy Conventions.
Photography
Members of the Convention acknowledge that the following policies are effective for the WFC Official Photographers:
- Photographs of WFC members may be taken by the Official WFC Photographers throughout the convention, in convention space.
- Some program items may be recorded, and the panelists' permission will be obtained prior to recording. Members of the Convention in the audience may be recorded or filmed if they comment or ask questions during the Program item, or as part of general background in the course of filming. The Convention cannot guarantee that a member will not be photographed as part of Convention Activities. If you have a significant justification for requesting a 'blackout' policy for your likeness please contact us prior to the convention.
- The official photographer will have a staff badge holder, and their badge will have "WFC Photographer" printed on it.
- If you are not the official photographer, you must respect someone's "no" if they tell you not to take their picture. Never make requests that someone may consider rude or suggestive.
Signs
Please post signs only in designated areas. Use removable painters' tape ONLY. Do not affix anything to the walls of the hotel, to the elevators, or to ANY item that is hotel property, or to convention signs. Any signs found posted inappropriately will be removed.
Weapons
Please leave your weapon at home, even if you have a license to carry it. The Renaissance does not allow firearms on the premises. Only Baltimore City Police and Maryland State Troopers are exempt from this restriction. If you have any questions please contact our Hotel Liaison.
Privacy
We collect your information to allow the convention committee and staff to provide you better services. Your personal information will be kept strictly confidential. We will ask your consent before sharing your information with anyone outside this convention committee.
- We must retain records relating to member registration and financial transactions. Other than this obligation, at a user's request, we will remove any information about the user from all online systems after the convention.
- By rule, contact information must be shared with the next two World Fantasy Conventions to allow our members the right to exercise their World Fantasy nomination rights.
- Member financial payment information such as credit card numbers do not come to us through online payment systems (PayPal and Square); such information is handled exclusively by the online payment service. Credit card information submitted physically (through a signed credit card slip) is kept secure and is not shared with anyone or used for any purpose other than the membership or other transaction requested by the member.
Who We Are
The Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS) is the sponsoring organization for this convention with the Washington Science Fiction Association. BSFS observes the laws of the United States and the State of Maryland, the rules of the World Fantasy Board, and the by-laws of BSFS. Within the practical limits and resources of a non-profit volunteer organization, we will observe international best practices for privacy as well as transparency in relation to information-storage and privacy policies.
Sources
The Convention Policies are a work in progress. We have taken suggestions from people who have complained of problems, and adopted language from several organizations, including AnthroCon, Capclave, Chicon7, World Fantasy Convention 2014, and the Geek Feminism wiki. We thank them for their help, and offer our language to anyone who wants to adapt it to their needs. No attribution is necessary.