Shiny Garden Event Accessibility Policy

We are committed to being a safe space for all fans to obsess over fandoms!

To that end:

We plan for our convention spaces to be on the ground floor or reachable by a public elevator from the ground floor. Where appropriate, wheelchair friendly entrances/exits will be displayed clearly on the convention map.
We plan on having accessible aisles in our atrium, hallways, art shows, exhibitor hall, and other areas of multi-directional activity.
We will work with the event location to provide extra space near the front of panel rooms and main events for accessible seating.
We will request the event location provide written allergen information for any convention-provided food.
We will provide free attendance to handlers, helpers, assistants, translators, etc. upon request. Please email info@costumecon42.org to arrange your passes.
For those who have trouble reading the printed program, the elements of the printed program are always made available on our website. If there is an alternative and/or better way we can provide this information in, please let us know!

We are open to any other accessibility requests that we have not yet addressed. Please contact us if you have further suggestions or inquiries! If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties at the con, please find and inform a volunteer and we will address the issue to the best of our ability.

Illness and Pandemic Policy

By accepting a badge (purchased or otherwise), you understand that you attend this event at your own risk and Shiny Garden will not be held liable by any infectious illness you contract at this event.

Please stay home if you are feeling ill, especially with contagious illness symptoms including but not limited to fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, or loss of smell or taste.

Disposable masks, sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes will be available at the information / registration table, and throughout the event. We encourage everyone to practice good health precautions, such as covering coughs and sneezes, washing your hands thoroughly, and staying home when you are sick.

For further recommendations from the CDC on staying healthy at our events, please see this page.

Costume and Prop Policy

Costume-Con 42 enthusiastically encourages costuming and cosplay. When planning your costumes, please consider the following guidelines.

Costumes and props must abide by all facility regulations, as well as local and federal laws and regulations for the state of Colorado and the City surrounding the facility
Costumes may not contain or display elements that disparage, harass, or attack any person, gender, gender presentation, pronoun choice, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, national origin, language, culture, religion, age, or affiliation.
Costumes may not represent any national or international tragedies.
Costumes must adhere to local decency laws. In practical terms, this means “bikini areas” must be covered at all times for all genders. Footwear is required on convention premises.
No real weapons (including but not limited to firearms), even if you have a permit or a license, are permitted on convention premises. No live steel (aka blades of metal that can take an edge), projectiles, or realistic-appearing firearms. No liquids, aerosols, silly string, or projectile foam.
Props resembling futuristic or fantasy weapons, boffers, or oversize objects are allowed provided they are not handled in a careless, threatening, or destructive manner against persons or property.
Weapons and other prohibited items purchased from vendors or the art show must be wrapped and immediately removed to private hotel rooms or vehicles and are not permitted on convention premises.
Convention / Event Staff or security personnel may ask to inspect any item or costume at any time during the convention.

Failure to comply with these policies and/or the instructions of staff or security personnel may result in immediate removal from the convention without refund.

Email costuming@costumecon42.org with questions or for clarification.

Clothing and Weapons Policy (Shiny Garden Generic)

Please feel free to dress up as your favorite character(s) during the convention. When planning your costume, please mind the following guidelines, which are always in effect:

Keep it PG: This is a family-friendly convention, and we want to maintain the goodwill of the event location, so please keep your bits covered.
Be nice to strangers and to your friends.
No real weapons (including, but not limited to firearms), even if you have a permit or a license.
No realistic-looking weapons: If security (event location or ours) can’t tell from a distance that it is a fake weapon, then it is too real. We applaud your authenticity, but must ask that you leave it at home.
Specifically: metal weapons are not permitted. Working projectiles are not permitted.

If there is a costume contest at the event, do not point non-realistic-looking weapons at any attendee as part of your presentation. In a darkened room, all weapons can look realistic.

Code of Conduct Policy

General Positive Behavior

We ask the following of all present, be they panelists, vendors, authors, artists, other content providers, staff and volunteers, or attendees:

You agree to treat yourself and everyone else present with respect.
You agree to not be under the influence of recreational drugs during convention hours in convention space.
You agree to not drink enough alcohol to become intoxicated during convention hours in convention space
If you are visibly impaired or acting in any way that seems inappropriate for a member of our community, we will ask you to remove yourself from public view until you are able to be a better part of our community.

Safe Space & Anti-Harassment

The convention is a safe space for everyone on site, including but not limited to attendees, volunteers, hotel staff, and members of the public passing through. We gather together to support each other in our love of what the event is about, and the expression of that (also known as geeking out).

Safe space means that our attendees are free to express themselves and their interests without fear of being attacked for their love or passion for the subject material. It is an inclusive space for all people regardless of gender, gender presentation, pronoun choice, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, age, or affiliation.

Safe space means that harassment will not be tolerated. Harassment is any activity or behavior that annoys persistently, bothers, creates an unpleasant or hostile situation or threatens another person or group of people. For example: unwanted or uninvited physical contact, unwelcome verbal conduct (including but not limited to intentionally misgendering someone) , following someone around (also known as stalking), or making threats against their person.

If you wish to not harass or threaten, here are some guidelines you can follow:

Before you touch (for example: hug, glomp, touch a cosplayer’s costume), ask permission, e.g. “May I give you a hug?” “May I touch that fabric?” Also clarify if this is a one-time permission or if it extends longer (that day, that weekend, etc.).
Ask before you take anyone’s picture.
Accept no as a reasonable answer without follow-up questions. Their reasons are not your business unless they choose to share them with you.
If you find someone’s outfit interesting, it is acceptable to tell them so, but do not expect further interaction after giving your compliment.
Appropriate compliments include “Nice craftsmanship”, “You captured the character really well”, “Thank you for representing my favorite character”
Inappropriate comments can include (depending on context) “You look sexy”, “Here’s my number”, “My cosplay is better than yours”. If you are unsure, ask a friend to help you phrase your compliment.
We recommend you avoid comparisons. (For example: “Your outfit is much better constructed compared to his”.) Let each person’s work stand for itself!
Absolutely inappropriate behavior includes groping, looking up skirts/kilts, positioning yourself to look down shirts/up dresses, coercing someone to do or say anything, hate speech (using words that purposely offend or insult).

If you or another person are being harassed, please find a con staff member to report the situation, or email harassment@shinygarden.org.

Public Displays of Affections (PDAs)

Conventions are a great place to celebrate the things we love with the people we love. However, there are some behaviors which are not appropriate for public spaces at our events. PDAs such as hugs, hand-holding, and a small kiss are fine. Deep/passionate kissing, groping, and overtly sexual energy should be saved for your hotel room, not in any spaces used by the convention. (Examples of convention spaces include, but are not limited to: main events, vendor room, panel rooms, game rooms, quiet rooms, volunteer break rooms, convention offices, hospitality suites, elevators, atriums, and the hotel lobby.)

Exhibiting / Vending

We believe in striking a balance so that there are enough vendors to provide a great shopping experience, without there being so many that none of the exhibitors / vendors can be successful. Unfortunately, under this policy, we can’t accept all applicants into our vendor room.

In order to provide a good experience for our attendees, we require all exhibitors and vendors to be vetted ahead of the convention, and to sign our vendor contract which includes our Code of Conduct policies. Anyone vending without our permission is in violation of our Code of Conduct.

Other conditions

In any cases not explicitly covered by our policies, or if there are questions about interpretation, event organizers have the final say.

Property Damage Policy

Conventions can only exist through the good behavior of all attendees, and all of our cooperation with our host locations (e.g. hotels). To that end, we want to set expectations regarding damage/theft to location property. These rules will also apply in the case of convention property damage/theft, or damage/theft of the property of other attendees.

If any attendee is determined by convention staff to have intentionally damaged and/or stolen location, convention, other attendee property, or anything not their own:

They will be removed from the convention;
It will be explained to them that they are not welcome to return;
They will not be allowed to attend future conventions;
Their picture will be taken for our files to help enforce the ban;
Their legal name will be taken from their state-issued ID to help enforce the ban;
All details about the damage and all collected identifying information will be shared with the location, so they can make informed decisions about their potential guests;
If requested, all details about the damage and all collected identifying information will be shared with staff of other conventions, so they can make informed decisions about their potential attendees;
Any passes they purchase to future convention will be forfeit with no refund;

If the property in question was the convention’s or Shiny Garden’s, the attendee will be required to pay the replacement cost (if the item is commercially available), or our estimated value (if it is not currently available).

Photo Policy

When you enter a Shiny Garden event or program, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur.

By entering the event premises, you consent to interview(s), photography, audio recording, video recording and its/their release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for news, web casts, promotional purposes, telecasts, advertising, inclusion on websites, social media, or any other purpose by Shiny Garden and its affiliates and representatives. Images, photos and/or videos may be used to promote similar Shiny Garden events in the future, highlight the event and exhibit the capabilities of Shiny Garden.

By registering for the event, you release Shiny Garden, its officers and employees, and each and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication and use of interviews, photographs, computer images, video and/or sound recordings. By entering the event premises, you waive all rights you may have to any claims for payment of royalties in connection with any use, exhibition, streaming, webcasting, televising, or other publication of these materials, regardless of the purpose or sponsoring of such use, exhibiting, broadcasting, webcasting, or other publication irrespective of whether a fee for admission or sponsorship is charged. You also waive any right to inspect or approve any photo, video, or audio recording taken by Shiny Garden or the person or entity designated to do so by Shiny Garden.

You have been fully informed of your consent, waiver of liability, and release before entering the event.

Policies