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POLICIES

CODE OF ETHICAL CONDUCT:

Clarion Events, Inc. (“Clarion”) prides itself on providing an inclusive and supportive environment where all people are treated with dignity, decency, and respect.  Clarion expects all parties associated with its events to behave appropriately throughout the year and requires that all individuals associated with its events act in a considerate, respectful, and collaborative manner. Demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech are not permitted.  While involved with Clarion or Awesome Con, we ask that you use best efforts to be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants, and to alert event venue security or Awesome Con staff if you notice a dangerous or harassing situation or someone in distress. Additionally, you may also reach out to [email protected] year-round with any questions or comments.

UNACCEPTABLE CONDUCT:

All who participate in any Clarion event deserve respectful treatment, regardless of the capacity in which they are attending or participating. Unacceptable behaviors include, but are not limited to, the following: intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning conduct by any attendee, speaker, partner, exhibitor, or volunteer of the event or related event activities. Clarion prohibits any and all offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, national origin, gender identity, or disability; use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces (including presentation slides); deliberate intimidation, stalking or unwelcome following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; unwelcome physical contact or attention. Attendees often combine professional activities with social interaction, and while Awesome Con encourages such networking and strengthening of connections between participants, Awesome Con reserves the right to remove anyone who appears inebriated and who engages in conduct that interferes with the ability of other attendees and/or exhibitors to participate in and enjoy the event, and anyone whose social attentions become unwelcome toward a staff member, attendee, exhibitor, or any other person associated with the event. Event participants are not permitted to bring firearms to the event.

CONSEQUENCES OF UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR:

Unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated at the events whether by attendees, media, speakers, volunteers, organizers, venue staff, sponsors, exhibitors, or anyone else even remotely related to the event. Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. Awesome Con, at its discretion, may remove and bar those who violate this Code from continued attendance or participation in some or all of the events in its sole and absolute discretion, without refund of any fees paid, and may bar violators of this Code from attendance or participation of any future Clarion events in its sole and absolute discretion. This code provides general guidelines and cannot cover every possible type of unacceptable behavior. Awesome Con reserves the right to apply corrective action to instances other than the specific examples noted.

This Code of Conduct may be modified at any time and for any reason.

We want Awesome Con to be an awesome and safe event for every fan, guest, and exhibitor, and in response to recent events, we’ve worked closely with our security team and the DC Convention Center to review and heighten our overall security plan.

– All attendees with bags, backpacks, purses, etc. will need to go through a bag check at both the Mount Vernon Square entrance and the L Street entrance.

– Attendees with cosplay props will go through a weapons check at both the Mount Vernon Square entrance and the L Street entrance.

– We will have uniformed police and police dogs at both entrances and throughout the con.

– Our Cosplay Prop Policy will not change, but please read it again before you attend. Functional firearms and realistic props that could be confused for real guns are not and have not been allowed at Awesome Con.

– All Awesome Con participants must follow these rules.

To make your entry to Awesome Con quick and smooth, we suggest you arrive early, don’t bring a bag, and make sure any cosplay props don’t conflict with our prop policy. We’re not looking to restrict your fun, and we want to keep Awesome Con a community that is inclusive, welcoming, and safe – and we want to thank our security team and the DC Convention Center for all their hard work to assure Awesome Con remains the most Awesome weekend of the year.

Awesome Con is committed to fostering an atmosphere where fans can count on a safe, inclusive, and rewarding comic-con experience. Awesome Con is meant to be an inclusive space for fans, with a zero-tolerance policy against harassment, groping, stalking, and inappropriate photography. Gender-based harassment doesn’t have to happen in the workplace to be unacceptable.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to, verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion; deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention. Harassment of any kind is unwelcome at Awesome Con and will not be tolerated. Violation of this policy will result in removal from the event.

Should you feel like you are being harassed, please find the nearest staff member so that a report can be made.

Review LeftField Media’s Cosplay & Prop Weapons Policy here.

All of the panel rooms at Awesome Con this year are considered “free flow,” which means you may come and go from each room as you please.

Lines for photo-ops start 30 minutes before the scheduled start time. Lines will be created by Awesome Con staff. Any lines created prior to 30 minutes before the scheduled photo-op start time are not “official” and will not determine your place in line.

Please have your photo op ticket ready while you are in line BEFORE you enter the photo-op room.
When you are in the photo-op room, personal photos and videos are strictly prohibited. Selfies are not allowed.

You are welcome to have up to 4 individuals per Photo Op (this limit does not apply to the talent or children 10 years or younger) unless otherwise noted on the talent sales page.

If you have items that you do not want to be in the photo, please place them on the designated table when you enter the photo-op room.

If you want to do a special pose, please be prepared before entering the photo-op room. The celebrity guest has the right to refuse to participate in a special pose.

Please remove glasses; they can reflect the lights and potentially ruin your photo.

Be respectful to all celebrity guests in the photo-op room, and please be respectful to other fans while in line. Try to move quickly through the line as there are other people waiting behind you. Do not ask for autographs or give gifts to the celebrity guests in the photo-op room. Guests are scheduled for autograph signings and Q&A sessions separately, this is to be fair to everyone and to make sure that all attendees have a great experience.

Photos will be available for pick-up within 1 hour of the end of the session. Please check frequently for photos as they are usually done earlier.

JPEGS are available for an additional charge at the Photo-Op Ticket Booth. Additional printed copies are also available for an additional charge.

Photos are for personal use ONLY. They are subject to copyright and cannot be sold to a third party or altered in any way.

If you have special needs, please speak to Awesome Con staff or a volunteer for assistance.

Photo op tickets are sold separately from autographs. Autographs can be paid for at the guest’s autograph booth. Photo op tickets will be available for purchase in advance until a specific date and then will only be sold at the photo op ticket booth onsite.

Each guest is carefully scheduled and we are only selling the appropriate amount of photo ops for the amount of time we have.

Finally, HAVE FUN! Celebrity guests are all nice people and are happy to be here, so relax and remember to enjoy yourself!

ALL CREW MUST BE 18 OR OLDER

• We ask that all crew work a minimum of one full 5 or 6 hour shift.

• We prefer all crew work at least 1 Saturday shift. Saturday is our busiest day and we will need all the help we can get, so anyone who is able to work a shift on both Saturday AND either Friday or Sunday will get preference. If you have special scheduling needs, and are only able to work Friday and/or Sunday, please note this on your application.

• All crew must wear their name badge while in the convention center or while working any pre-con events.

• Floor crew are not allowed to carry cameras or take photos while on duty.

• Volunteer shirts are to be worn during the work shift at all times. They are not to be worn inside the event after your shift ends, but they are yours to keep after the event.

• All crew should wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Please refrain from wearing torn or dirty clothing or open-toed shoes. Comfortable walking shoes are best as most crew will be doing a lot of standing and/or walking.

• We ask all crew to act in the best interest of Awesome Con by respecting attendees, fellow crew, and staff, as well as promoting a safe and healthy environment. Please familiarize yourself with the Harassment Policy.

• Crew must refrain from any deliberate acts that may create a dangerous or unhealthy situation during the show. This includes, but is not limited to, the use of illegal drugs, consumption of alcoholic beverages and assaulting, threatening or disregarding the safety of an individual. Anyone who might be under the influence or is exhibiting dangerous or risky behavior, will be reported to security immediately.

• Crew are not permitted to use their volunteer status to promote or conduct personal business. Anyone caught doing so will be escorted off the premises and have their badge revoked.

• The Green Room is OFF LIMITS to all crew. If you are escorting a celebrity guest to the Green Room, your duties end at the door.

Please see our full accessibility policy here.

Awesome Con is committed to supporting our awesome exhibitors. As such, counterfeit items, bootlegs, knock-offs, or other pirated items are not welcome at Awesome Con. If you see something, please report it to an Awesome Con staff member. Exhibitors selling counterfeit items may be removed from Awesome Con, banned from future events, and risk criminal prosecution.

  • All badges gain entry to Awesome Con.
  • Separate badges may need to be purchased for certain events.
  • Any pass purchased by the mailing deadline will be mailed. BADGES WILL NOT BE MAILED IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOUR ORDER.
  • Badges purchased after the mailing deadline will need to be picked up at the convention.
  • Badges are non-refundable and cannot be rolled over to a future year.
  • Badges are subject to a 6% DC sales tax.
  • Badges will be cheaper before the event than during the convention online and onsite.
  • Lost badges cannot be replaced.
  • If you have a problem with your badges, please contact [email protected].

By presenting programming at Awesome Con (AC), programming participants (also referred to as panelists) agree to the following terms and conditions.

  • Panelists understand that by accepting to present a panel at Awesome Con, they are agreeing to abide by all of Awesome Con’s policies including but not limited to our anti-harassment policy, security policy, and cosplay policy.
  • Only confirmed panelists will be allowed to present on approved sessions at Awesome Con.
  • Panelists agree to begin and end their program on time. Typically, there are 15 minutes in between each session, so beginning and ending on time allows for the room to clear and transition to the next event.
  • Panelists must make every effort to communicate with the programming staff if their program needs to be canceled for any reason.
  • Hate symbols (even as part of a cosplay) are not permitted at Awesome Con. Behavior deemed in violation of our panelist policy shall be determined by Awesome Con in its sole discretion.
  • Hate speech or harassment directed toward a group of people based on race, gender, sexual orientation, appearance, age, disability, religion, etc. is not permitted before, during, or after your presentation. Behavior deemed in violation of our panelist policy shall be determined by Awesome Con in its sole discretion.
  • In taking questions from the audience, panelists understand that they have no obligation to respond to any questions that make them feel uncomfortable and that they may ask the room monitor or other Awesome Con staff or crew to intervene if anyone is making the panelist or the audience uncomfortable or violating our anti-harassment policy.
  • Panelists agree that Awesome Con reserves the right to adjust the time and/or location of my programming at any time. The staff will do their best to communicate any changes that occur in advance.
  • Panelists understand that most panel rooms will have microphones, a screen, a projector with either a VGA or HDMI connection, and an audio patch and that panelists will need to provide my own laptop or other way to present the information. Panelists must submit needs as far as room setup and AV to the Programming Coordinator at least 2 months before the show.
  • If you have any problems that cannot be resolved, seek help from the staff immediately.
  • Late programming applications will not be accepted under any circumstance.
  • If you would like different passes such as VIP Passes, you may purchase them separately. In keeping with Awesome Con’s badge policies, all sales on passes are final and cannot be refunded.
  • Awesome Con DOES NOT pay speaking or appearance fees nor does it cover travel, lodging, or meals.