Convention Policies

It is San Diego Who Con’s intent to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for all our members and guests. For that reason we have established the following convention policies and code of conduct. By purchasing a membership for SD Who Con, the member agrees to abide by the stated policies at all times.

Violation of any of these policies may result in expulsion of the attendee without refund, possible permanent ban from all future SD Who Con conventions, and notification to the appropriate legal authorities. SD Who Con reserves the right to deal with each matter individually, in a manner deemed fit by the Executive Committee.

Should you note any violations of these policies, please notify the SD Who Convention staff as soon as possible.

Code of Conduct

All convention attendees are asked to be polite and courteous to fellow attendees, Guests, and convention staff at all times. We ask that the following rules of conduct be observed during the convention:

  • Avoid disruptive or inappropriate behavior. Do not engage in any activity prohibited by city, state or federal laws, or any activity that could result in harm to people or property
  • Avoid stopping to talk in doorways and in crowded hallways, and please keep belongings out of the way as much as possible
  • Please keep your voice at a reasonable level when standing outside a programming room so as not to disturb the program
  • While in a programming room, please turn off cellphones and other electronic devices or set them to silent
  • Please don’t talk during programs, except when participating in general discussions or during the Q&A segment of the presentation
  • Parents with small children who become noisy or disruptive during a presentation should leave the programming room as soon as possible
  • While in the programming rooms, please remove hats or other costume pieces that may block the view of other attendees. If removal is not possible, please sit at the back or sides of the room so other attendees have an unobstructed view.

Conduct towards Guests

  • Please do not ask a Guest for an autograph or a photo outside of scheduled autograph or photo sessions.
  • Please keep your interactions with Guests as brief as possible during autograph and photo sessions. Remember there are other people waiting for their turn.
  • If you happen to encounter a Guest during their personal time (during meals, in the restroom, etc.), please be polite and use discretion and common sense.

Harassment and Discrimination

While at SD Who Con, all persons in attendance must adhere to common sense rules for public behavior, personal interaction, common courtesy, and respect for private property. Harassing or offensive behavior will not be tolerated. SD Who Con reserves the right to revoke, without refund, the membership and badge of any attendee not in compliance with this policy.

Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Any behavior that intentionally overwhelms, threatens, or alarms another person.
  • Physical or verbal intimidation of members, Guests, the public, convention staff or hotel staff
  • Threatening physical harm to someone or to their property
  • Engaging in sexual misconduct including indecent exposure, inappropriate or unwanted physical contact, or making verbal comments of a sexual nature toward a non-consenting adult or any minor
  • Displaying sexual images in public spaces
  • Making disparaging verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, or religion.
  • Intimidating, stalking, or following another person without a legitimate reason to do so
  • Supporting or encouraging any of the above behaviors

Vendors and exhibitors at SD Who Con are also subject to these policies. In particular, dealers and exhibitors should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material. Vendors, exhibitors, and staff (including volunteers) should not use sexualized clothing/uniforms/costumes, or otherwise create a sexualized environment.

If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers retain the right to take any actions up to and including expulsion of the offender from the convention [with no refund] to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants.

If you feel that you are being discriminated against or harassed, or if you notice someone behaving inappropriately (such as violating hotel or convention policies), we respectfully suggest the following:

If you feel comfortable doing so, 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 any convention staff member, or to hotel security who will help you make contact with convention staff. In the case of harassment at an open party, you may also report the issue to the party host.

When making any report it would be extremely helpful if you could provide a name, badge name and/or physical description of the person(s) involved. Please remember that we need to know about any incidents during the event in order to take action.

SD Who Con will investigate all harassment claims to the best of our ability. SD Who Con is committed to providing a harassment-free convention experience for everyone regardless of gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion.

SD Who Con reserves the right to revoke the membership of anyone failing to conform to the letter and spirit of these policies, those of our hotel, and the laws of the City of San Diego and the State of California.

Photography and Videography

Photography and videotaping of convention activities (including cosplay, personal photos/video with the Guests, etc.) is permitted as long as it does not cause a disruption, interfere with convention events, violate convention policies, or block the flow of traffic in and around the convention space.

In public areas, attendees should assume that photography and videography will be occurring. However, if this becomes invasive, harassing, or causes discomfort, attendees should ask the photographer(s)/videographer(s) to stop. Should any convention member, guest, or SD Who Convention staff member request that photographing or videotaping be discontinued, attendees must comply with this request immediately.

While at SD Who Con, there is a real possibility that your photograph will be taken and those photos may be posted on the web. By attending SD Who Con, you give your consent to the posting of such photographs/videos by SD Who Convention staff or others, and waive all rights and claims with respect to the posting of such photographs/videos.

If your photo appears on the SD Who Con website, or on one of our official social media sites and you wish to have it removed, please contact the Webmaster at http://www.sandiegowhocon.com.  Please reference “SD Who Con photo” in the subject line to avoid being considered “spam” and include the URL of the page where your photo appears.

Membership Refund / Transfer / Rollover

We do not offer refunds for memberships.  However, we will transfer memberships to another person or roll it over to the following year.  Requests for transfer or rollover must be received no later than the day before the start of the convention, after which payment is forfeit. Please contact Registration with any questions concerning changes in your membership.  SD Who Con recognizes that extenuating circumstances may occur and will take them into consideration if a refund is requested, but can only guarantee either a membership swap, or a rollover to the following year.

Badges & Identification

Members should pick up their convention badge upon arrival at the convention. Convention badges must be worn at all times and must be clearly visible when attending convention activities and social events. Individuals without badges will not be allowed in to the convention space, or any other areas of the hotel in which convention activities are taking place.

Lost badges must be reported immediately to Registration. Depending on circumstances, a fee may be charged for replacing a lost badge. If a lost badge is located later, Registration may refund the cost of the lost badge, provided such recovery has occurred on the same day.

Costuming & Attire

SD Who Con welcomes attendees of all ages. Please keep that in mind when choosing costumes or other attire to be worn in the convention areas. Overly revealing, highly sexualized, or tasteless attire will not be allowed. SD Who Con reserves the right to decide whether a costume or other attire is unacceptable, and request the wearer modify their attire as necessary.

Hotel policy requires attendees to wear footwear at all times while in the convention areas. Bare feet are not permitted.

Smoking

The City of San Diego has ordinances restricting where a person may smoke.  All convention facility space and convention-run hotel rooms are NO SMOKING areas.  Those of you who smoke, please be considerate of others and smoke only in designated smoking areas outside the convention space.

Weapons

SD Who Con encourages the wearing of costumes in and around the convention site. But if your costume includes a prop weapon, please use common sense. If your actions with regards to your prop weapons might be dangerous to others around you, you will be asked to put your props away. Failure to comply may result in expulsion from the convention without refund.

Real weapons are not permitted at SD Who Con. Any attendee in violation of this rule will be reported to security, and/or to the San Diego Police Department as appropriate.

  • All weapons must be non-functional, and peace-bonded* if possible
  • No projectile weapons of any kind are allowed in or around the convention areas
  • Bladed weapons (swords, daggers, knives, etc.) must be kept sheathed at all times.
  • No explosives or chemicals of any kind are permitted at the convention.

The hotel may not allow weapons that the convention otherwise would. In such a case, hotel policy takes precedence. If hotel staff asks you to put your weapon in your room or car, please comply graciously and promptly.

* A peace-bond is a conspicuous lock, tie, or marking (such as an orange tip) which makes or identifies the weapon unusable, and shows that the owner’s intentions are purely peaceful. To have a weapon peace bonded, it should be brought to Con Security.

Disability Access at SD Who Con

The Hotel and convention areas do meet ADA guidelines. But there are some points to keep in mind. Carpet can make wheeled travel more challenging. Fluorescent lighting is present in almost all of the convention areas which may cause discomfort to some of our members. Microphones or other sound amplification equipment may not be available in smaller program rooms. 

SD Who Con welcomes clearly identified Service Animals (i.e. wearing service vests). We ask our members to remember that these are working animals so please don’t pet or distract them.

SD Who Con reserves the right to move panels and other activities and events without notice if necessary to accommodate our mobility impaired attendees.

Liability

SD Who Con is not accountable for any loss, damage, theft, or injury with respect to any attendee at any time. Attendees are responsible for their own individual actions and any consequences that may result from those actions. Emergencies must be reported immediately to Hotel staff who will then contact the proper authorities.