Code of Conduct

OPENING STATEMENT

Anthro New England wishes for all our attendees to have fun. To ensure that the greatest number of people achieve this objective we have established certain rules of conduct. By them we seek only to ensure that the behavior of any one small group does not disturb the membership as a whole, nor does it detract from the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere of the convention. Anthro New England welcomes all parties with an interest in anthropomorphic animals; however, the convention’s management reserves the right to deny or revoke the membership of any individual at any time for any reason. Anthro New England, Inc. also reserves the right to amend these rules at any time without prior or posted notice and reserves the sole right of interpretation. In any dispute, the general rule above will apply. If you have any questions, please contact the convention operations staff for assistance.

Any person who accepts a membership badge agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Anthro New England, Inc. from any claim for personal injuries or other damages or equity arising out of any individual’s activities at Anthro New England, even if such injury or damage is caused by negligence by or on the part of Anthro New England, Inc.

As a condition of membership, all Anthro New England attendees are required to abide by these standards of conduct for the entire duration of their stay, even prior to Opening or after Closing.

PUBLIC DECORUM

• Props
  • For safety reasons, only handheld glowsticks are permitted in the dances. Glowsticks on strings or on polearms must be cleared with safety staff before being used. The decision of the safety staff on any particular item will be final.
  • No items of any kind, including paper airplanes, may be thrown or dropped from the hotel balconies or patios.
  • No water pistols, silly string, or any thrown or projectile-type toy may be used in any area of the hotel or convention space.
  • At the request of the management, lighter-than-air balloons may not be brought into the convention space or hotel.
  • R/C Aircraft of any type are prohibited.
  • Portable speakers, musical instruments, and other sound generating items may be utilized for approved panels. They are also permitted in The Zoo, designated Jam Zones, and guest rooms, at a reasonable volume. However, they must not cause a disturbance to guests. Use of these items is prohibited in all other convention spaces, hallways, balconies, and all public spaces.
• Harassment Policy
  • All staff and attendees have a right to an environment free from discrimination and harassing conduct, including physical, verbal, and sexual harassment.
  • Harassment or discrimination on the basis of someone’s race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, sex, arrest or conviction record, marital status, gender, or sexual orientation is expressly prohibited under this policy, and failure to adhere to this policy may result in revocation of Anthro New England membership privileges.
• Other Decorum Policies
  • No sleeping in the lobby, the hallways, the meeting rooms, common space, or convention space.
  • Anthro New England attendees must abide by instructions given by Anthro New England safety staff. Failure to do so will result in loss of membership privileges. Any disputes or concerns may be addressed onsite at Convention Operations (“Con Ops”) or the Safety Office.
  • Anthro New England functions are open only to members, and all attendees should wear their membership badges at all times. A badge is valid only for the person to whom it was issued; badges may not be shared under any circumstances.
  • Knowingly providing transportation or housing, or otherwise knowingly enabling an individual that is unwelcome at Anthro New England to attend or enter the Convention’s property will result in permanent revocation of Anthro New England membership privileges.

MEDIA RELATIONS

• Press Entry
  • Any journalists, media photographers, or other members of the press interested in covering our event are requested to please send an inquiry to [email protected]. Upon arrival at the convention, press members will be directed to Con Operations, where they will be provided with an official Anthro New England Press Pass. Members of the press with press passes are permitted to enter areas that would otherwise require a badge. Those who have not been issued a Press Badge may not conduct interviews or take photographs, audio or video footage without an escort.
• Media Release for Use of Likeness
  • Anthro New England members should be aware that audio and/or video recordings are frequently made in convention areas and that their likenesses may appear in those recordings. Individual members agree to assign without compensation the use of their likeness(es) at Anthro New England for the use of promotional material and media content such as (but not limited to) livestreams, highlight videos, and full main event videos posted after the event has concluded.
• Brand
  • The name “Anthro New England” and the Anthro New England logo are registered service marks of Anthro New England, Inc., and must not be used in any fashion that disparages or dilutes that mark. Members agree to remove from circulation or publication any image or recording that in the sole opinion of Anthro New England, Inc. misrepresents or defames its service mark.
• Attendance by Minors
  • Anyone who is under the age of 18 years at any time during the convention must present a signed and notarized parental permission form unless accompanied by a parent or able to produce evidence of legal emancipation. There are no exceptions.
  • Minors are not permitted under any circumstances to enter areas that have been designated for mature audiences.
  • Attempting to subvert area age restrictions, including but not limited to, the use of another attendee’s badge will result in suspension from the convention.
  • Anyone providing false documentation of identity or age will be denied membership and reported to the police.

SECURITY & WELL-BEING

• Incident Response
  • Coordination will be executed only by non-attending emergency responders
  • In the event of an incident, Anthro New England team members and Westin employees will usher attendees to a safe area. Do not restrict access to any areas and do not issue orders unless you are directly affiliated with either Anthro New England management or the Westin Boston Seaport. Explicit orders and guidance should only come from Westin employees, police officers, fire marshals, and other emergency responders who are not currently attending Anthro New England. If you are found to be in violation of this rule, you may be permanently dismissed from the convention.
  • Once all attendees have been ushered to a safe area, please remain calm and wait patiently for an official statement from either Westin Boston Seaport management, or an Anthro New England director.
• Weapons
  • No actual weapons or any item that can be easily mistaken for one may be carried either openly or concealed at any time on Westin Boston Seaport or on Convention Center property, regardless of any government permits which you may possess. Personal pocket knives with single-edged blades less than 4 inches long are permitted.
  • Prop weapons as part of a costume only during costume events such as the Masquerade and Fursuit Parade, and must be approved in advance by the convention safety office. They must be cased or otherwise secured when being carried outside of costume.
    • For further information, please see the section “props” under the “Public Decorum” heading above.
• Smoking
  • Smoking, including the use of electronic cigarettes, is not permitted in any area within the Westin Boston Seaport or the convention center. Smokers are asked to use designated smoking areas, and to comply with any other smoking rules of the facility. Cigarette butts must be disposed of properly and may not be left on the ground.
• Drugs
  • The sale or other distribution of any illegal or controlled substances is not welcome at Anthro New England. Any individual found to be distributing such substances will be removed and reported directly to the local authorities.
  • Anyone knowingly or unknowingly providing alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 will be turned over to the authorities. It is the sole responsibility of persons serving alcohol in room parties to ensure that every person in attendance is over the age of 21, even if that person is not drinking alcohol. The Massachusetts Liquor Control Board is extremely serious about this law and we ask our members to respect it.
• Pet Policy
  • Anthro New England does not allow pets. This is for the protection of the pet, the pet owner, and our attendees as a whole. Service animals are permitted in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Parties and Gatherings
  • Gatherings in hotel rooms must not generate any noise that can be heard in neighboring rooms during nighttime hours.
  • Hotel doors must be kept shut during such gatherings and guests are not permitted to congregate in the hotel corridors.
  • Loud parties will be given a single warning to remain quiet. No second warnings will be given before action is taken by the hotel to remove the offending individuals.
  • Hotel guests who host any gathering are responsible for cleaning up afterward. Excessive amounts of unbagged trash must not be left for housekeeping staff to clean. Trash bags are provided by the hotel upon request.

OTHER HOTEL MATTERS

• Room Share Limit
  • Attendees of Anthro New England who have booked a room at the Main Hotel may not have more than 4 guests (including themselves) sleep in a room, with the exception of suites, rooms that have booked cots, or any other agreed-upon exception deemed acceptable by the Westin Boston Seaport.
• Damage
  • Any act of vandalism, deliberate or excessive damage to hotel property, or interference with any hotel or Convention Center worker in the performance of his or her duties will result in permanent revocation of Anthro New England membership, criminal prosecution, fines, or any combination thereof.
  • The person in whose name a room is rented is solely responsible for the conduct of all individuals in the room as well as for the condition of the room. Excessive trash, soiling or other damage to hotel property, or any circumstance that may present a hazard to hotel housekeeping staff may result in permanent loss of Anthro New England membership privileges.
  • Do not affix anything to the walls of any hotel or Convention Center, to the elevators, to Anthro New England signage, or to hotel room doors. Any official event, such as a panel, scheduled to occur during the convention may request and provide signage that will be posted in common areas by convention staff.
• Tidiness
  • Westin Boston Seaport housekeeping staff are required by policy to inspect every room once per day, even if the room is not to be serviced. Housekeepers will not begin their rounds until 10:00 AM. Thereafter they will initially bypass rooms with “do not disturb” signs on the doors, but at the end of their rounds they must return to those rooms and will knock on the door. Attendees must allow housekeeping staff access to the room at that time. That means that even if the “do not disturb” sign is displayed, after 10:00 AM the room must at some point be inspected and serviced (if necessary) by the end of housekeeping rounds.
• All the Pillows
  • Please contact the Westin Boston Seaport front desk with reasonable requests for extra blankets, pillows, towels, and other hotel room amenities. Requests for room amenities beyond the number that is considered reasonable and customary for a single room will not be honored. Kindly bring such extra items from home if they are expected to be needed.

MONEY MATTERS

• Nonprofit Type
  • 501(c)7
  • Payments not tax deductible
  • Payments
    • VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Paypal
  • Chargebacks (denying a charge) that are made for the sole purpose of avoiding payment, that are made without sufficient cause, or that are made without first attempting to resolve the dispute with Anthro New England may result in permanent revocation of membership privileges and possible legal action.
  • Checks that are presented against insufficient funds will be charged a fee of $30 per check.
  • Members who have an outstanding balance due to Anthro New England must settle that balance before being permitted to attend the convention.
  • Anthro New England cannot involve itself in financial disputes between individual members, and cannot divulge information about an individual member to any party other than to banking officials or legal authorities.
• Merchandise
  • The offering for sale of any merchandise at the convention may be undertaken only in appropriate areas in the Convention Center by pre-approved convention dealers only. In all cases the sale will be governed by the rules applicable to those areas. It is illegal to sell any other merchandise or services in any other areas.
  • The use of any form of AI-generated art piece is strictly prohibited from being used within our promotional materials, or sold within our Vendor Hall area.
• Miscellaneous Notes
  • The standards of conduct for Anthro New England will be strictly enforced by Anthro New England safety volunteers who will be clearly identified as such on site. Please remember that your con badge is the property of Anthro New England, Inc. and must be presented and/or surrendered to any Staff member requesting it. If you have any problem with any action taken by a Staff member you may take the matter up with the Head of Convention Safety or to Anthro New England’s Convention Chair.
  • Please be reminded that these rules involve, of course, “worst-case” scenarios and are put into place to ensure the safety and comfort of our members. They are also not all-inclusive; in all cases, the singular rule that supersedes all others is, “Any action or behavior that causes significant interference with convention operations, excessive discomfort to other attendees, or adversely affects Anthro New England’s relationship with its guests, its venue or the public is strictly forbidden and may result in revocation of membership privileges.” We anticipate no difficulties, as our members as a whole are rational and responsible adults. Anthro New England is prepared to deal with any or all of the above scenarios in as rapid and efficient a manner as possible should they occur. We thank our members for their past cooperation and for their continued assistance in making this a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.

Be Good, and Have Fun!