Code of Conduct & Anti-Harassment Policy

Revised 11/30/23

Please review the following guidelines put in place to make TAGGS a fun and safe environment for everyone. If you have a question about a certain policy or guideline, be sure to read through all of our policies, but if that still doesn’t answer your question, email hello@TAGGSummit.org.

Jump to:

• Code of Conduct
• Anti-Harassment Policy
• Photo/Video/Image Disclaimer

Code of Conduct

TAGGS asks that you not share any of the invite codes for attendance in events to anyone else. Attendees with purchased badges are expected to individually sign up for sessions.

• We ask that you remember this event is about development of a community to encourage advances in the area of using geek culture and gaming for applied and therapeutic use. Inappropriate or offensive behavior will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, sexual harassment, homophobia, transphobia, bullying, or hate speech. TAGGS event staff reserves the right to mute, ban, or kick any attendee from a session, without refund, if they are not in compliance with this policy.
• In the spirit of encouraging many voices in a shared environment of collaboration, any disparaging of persons or companies will not be tolerated. This includes being openly dismissive of others due to degree or area of interest or profession. This includes TAGGS organizers, event staff and volunteers.
• Event conduct rules extend to content occurring during sessions or event programming as well as any TAGGS organized and presented forums such as Discord servers, Facebook pages, etc.
• Session spots are first come, first serve.
• Any questions or concerns may be directed to event staff via emails. Complaints will be responded to as soon as they are reported and a resolution will be sought in as expedient a matter as possible given the nature of the complaint.

Anti-Harassment Policy

TAGGS and their event partners are committed to providing a safe environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Harassment or unwelcome conduct, whether verbal, visual, or in any other form, is strictly prohibited. TAGGS’ anti-harassment policy applies to all persons involved in the operation or attendance of the event. TAGGS will not tolerate harassment of anyone by anyone, including participants, vendors, hosts, panelists, or staff.

TAGGS defines harassment as any behavior that threatens a person or group or produces an unsafe or non-inclusive environment. Harassment includes, but is not limited to, offensive verbal comments or non-verbal expressions related to gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, political affiliation, or religious beliefs. Harassment also includes, but is not limited to, sexual or discriminatory images in public and quasi-public spaces (online and offline), intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, and unwelcome sexual attention. Harassment may take the form of comments, epithets, slurs, jokes, teasing, display or discussion of written or graphic material, or giving gifts of an unwanted or sexual nature. Advocating or encouraging any of the above is also considered harassment.

Harassment at TAGGS does not include respectful disagreement or critique offered in good faith. TAGGS reserves the right to alter or broaden its definition of harassment at its sole discretion.

No one should tolerate any conduct of this type. Should you experience or witness harassment, you may choose to take any of the following actions:

• If you feel safe and comfortable doing so, ask the offender to stop. Whether the offending behavior is intentional or unintentional, expressing your discomfort to the offender directly often puts a stop to that conduct.
• Leave the chat or session. While this may be unfair to you, it is sometimes best for your safety and well-being if you choose to leave the area, especially if you feel uncomfortable around the offender or their conduct. After separating yourself from the conduct, you may still choose to take additional actions.
• If you are comfortable doing so, ask a moderator or event staff/volunteer for help.
• Report the incident formally to TAGGS staff. You may use the anonymous report form [link] to file an incident report in person. This can also be done anytime during or after the show by emailing info@taggsummit.org.
• Contact the appropriate authorities. Your health and safety are our most important concerns. If you require immediate assistance from law enforcement or medical services or any third-party platform software or provider, please do not hesitate to contact such services directly.
• Based on any informal or formal complaint or report of harassment, TAGGS may take the following steps. Note that this list is not exhaustive, and other appropriate action may be taken as necessary.
• Read and investigate all reports. TAGGS documents and reviews all reports. Reporting parties may be contacted for further clarifying information unless they have submitted a report anonymously or asked to not be contacted further. Note that TAGGS will not share the results of these reports with anyone, including the person who filed the report, unless required by law.
• Intercede if and when appropriate. TAGGS staff may take immediate action to address harassment concerns, including but not limited to refunding tickets, removing offenders from the event, or banning offenders from the show. Bans and removals may be on a temporary basis, for the duration of the show, or permanent.
• Contact police and medical authorities when appropriate. If, upon review, TAGGS finds that relevant local government officials should be notified, TAGGS staff may contact such entities and/or share confidential information as required by law.
• Sanction participants based on our investigations. TAGGS participants found to have violated the Code of Conduct may be subject to sanctions, including but not limited to:
• Verbal or written warning
• Requiring the participant to avoid any interaction with the party or parties involved
• Temporary suspension from any TAGGS sponsored events or online services or TAGGS affiliates
• Permanent ban from any TAGGS sponsored events or online services or TAGGS affiliates
• Immediate expulsion from the convention without refund
• Reporting of the incident to the appropriate authorities

TAGGS Code of Conduct applies in all online spaces within TAGGS control. This includes, but is not limited to, event channels, social media pages, streamed programming, and Discord servers. Occasionally TAGGS staff are made aware of behavior by participants (or potential participants) that has occurred outside of TAGGS—either online or offline—and is a gross violation of our Code of Conduct. These actions need not occur in TAGGS-affiliated spaces to be considered for sanctions by TAGGS. These include, but are not limited to:

• Individuals who have not attended TAGGS but have a history of abusive behavior and/or known incidents that took place outside of TAGGS that may cause risks to a participant’s safety, or which may contribute to a hostile or non-inclusive environment at the convention.
• TAGGS participants who have been reported for outside incidents, including, but not limited to, conduct at other conventions, threatening or abusive behavior online, or assault.

We understand that, at times, participants will have disagreements or interpersonal conflicts that do not necessarily escalate to the point of harassment or abuse. TAGGS staff will not arbitrate such disagreements—we ask that you please leave these conflicts at home.

TAGGS staff continuously strive to create a safe and welcoming space. Should you have any suggestions for how we can improve, please email us at info@taggsummit.org.

Photo/Video/Image Disclaimer

TAGGS will be recording portions of the event programming for later storage and access to persons purchasing an event Media Pass. Sessions that will be recorded will be identified on the event website as such. Additionally, sessions that will be recorded will announce that the session is being recorded at the beginning of the session. This will give attendees the opportunity to mute themselves or turn off their camera.

Recorded Session content will be maintained for at least one year following the end of TAGGS for persons with a Media Pass to view via the event website.

Images and clips from sessions from TAGGS may be used in future promotional material or in discussing and promoting the success of the event. Persons wishing not to have their likeness utilized in this fashion are advised to abide by the behavior of muting their voice and disabling their camera during recorded sessions.

Any person or organization not affiliated with TAGGS may not use, copy, alter, or modify TAGGS photographs, graphics, videography, or other, similar reproductions or recordings without the advance written permission of an authorized designee from TAGGS event organizers.
Intellectual Property Policy

All content created for TAGGS by external parties is the sole property of the creator and not TAGGS. Recorded sessions are distributed by TAGGS with the explicit permission of the intellectual property owner. The owner may request that their content be removed at any time.

Any use of intellectual property not owned by the presenter must abide by established copyright and trademark laws. Violations of such laws are not the responsibility of TAGGS or its staff. It is the responsibility of the presenter to secure appropriate rights or adhere to fair use laws.

Note: These agreements and policies were drafted via accepted policies of similar events, predominantly the Code of Conduct and Anti-Harassment Policy of Virtual Horror Con, developed by Gehenna Gaming.