Welcome to our first ever Anthro Weekend Utah! We are excited to Legalize AWU with you guys, and hope to make the experience fun and enjoyable. Towards that end, below are listed our convention policies and liability waiver. Please ready so you can be ready to have fun!!
General Rules
- This is an all-ages family-convention; please keep your dress and behavior in line with this fact. If you are doing or wearing anything offensive, obscene, or disruptive, you may be asked to leave. If you are asked to leave repeatedly, your badge may be revoked.
- Obey all laws. If it’s not legal for you to do it anywhere else, it’s not legal here.
- Please don’t ignore any reasonable request by the staff.
- Please don’t block any doors, pathways or high-traffic areas, step to the side as necessary. If you’re in a line and the line goes past a door, please leave a space for the door.
- Do not display, draw conspicuously, or otherwise ‘have out’ any sexually explicit or adult artwork that you may have purchased or brought with you.
- Please be mindful of the safety of yourself and others; don’t tackle people, swing props, start fights, or generally act in a manner that may harm others.
- Don’t be heckle performers or other fursuiters, we’re all here to have a good time!
- Remember that there are other guests in the hotel who are not furries. Please remember that your behavior and appearance will be their first impression of the furry fandom. Respect their personal space; don’t approach them unless they invite you for a picture/hug/etc. Fursuiters: go out with a handler until you have assessed the crowds.
Under 18
- For those 16-17 years old, a signed, notarized Parental Consent Form is required. Bring the original, not the copy.
- You must bring a photo ID
- You do not need to attend with a parent
- You must attend with a parent and they must stay with you at all times
- The parent must buy a badge
- All badges are free for children 15 and under and will be provided when you pick up your regular badge
Illegal Stuff
- Drugs (other than alcohol) are not allowed in the hotel, or in the convention space. Hotel security will eject you from the hotel without a refund if you possess illegal drugs.
- The authorities will be called and the hotel will be informed in the event of:
- A minor caught in possession of or intoxicated with alcohol
- Any illegal drug use, sale, or possession
Don’t do any of it, your money will not be refunded and your mom will not be happy
Weapons
- Weapons, firearms, and explosives will not be allowed anywhere in the convention space WHATSOEVER.
- This extends to guns, water guns, nerf guns, swords, knives, pocket knives, machetes, atomic bombs, Loki’s mind control staff, and anything else that you can think of that may fit in this category. It’s too easy for these things to damage hotel property and you will be liable for it.
- If you have a prop that looks like a weapon, please check it in at registration. AWU staff has final say on allowed props.
- If it’s dangerous to carry around due to size, shape, or pointiness, we will ask you to keep it in your car or in your hotel room.
- If you are acting in an unsafe manner with a prop, (i.e. swinging it around and endangering others) we will ask you to stop. Repeated occurrences will result in being asked to leave the con, and may result in you being ejected from the con.
- We don’t mess around with this, if you are found to have a real weapon, you will immediately be ejected from the con and the appropriate authorities will be called. You also run the risk of being banned from any future AWU conventions. We hold the safety of the larger population of attendees as more important than letting you carry around things like pocketknives, etc. If you don’t feel safe enough to attend the con without a weapon, please don’t attend. If you know of anyone who has stated an intention to cause harm at the convention, please alert AWU staff or the authorities.
Hotel
- If you are hosting a room party, please remember that the person who is renting the room is responsible for anything that happens at your party. This includes responsibility for any damage or clean-up costs and checking IDs if you’re serving alcohol or doing 18+ activities. The hotel personnel can shut down your party if it is too disruptive to the other guests.
- Don’t ruin the fun for everyone else. Please be nice to the building and the property. Don’t write on the walls, chew on the furniture, claw the wallpaper, break hotel decorations, claw up the carpet, etc.
- Please act responsibly! We are here to have fun and make friends. If you’re doing something against the rules or are a danger to yourself and others, then security will ask you to stop. If it continues, you will be asked to leave. If you’ve been asked to leave repeatedly, then you will be ejected from the con, no refunds.
Photography
- By attending AWU, you are authorizing our staff members to take your picture in the convention area for promotional use only. You have no claim or ownership over these pictures.
- If you prefer not to have your picture taken, please notify the person with the camera. We will try to respect everyone’s wishes, but if your picture has already been taken we can not guarantee it won’t be used.
- Please ask before taking pictures of fursuiters or other interesting individuals; you will get much better pictures from them that way. If they decline, please don’t insist. They may be tired, hungry, or are late for a very important date. Please respect the wishes of others if they do not want to be caught on your camera.
- Cameras are not allowed in the headless lounge, any other areas where cameras are not allowed will have signs posted. Respect the signs.
- The convention will never sell or give pictures to any media entity.
Hygiene
- Bathe. If staff can smell you, then you will be asked to leave until you can shower. This is very important.
- Make sure your fursuit is clean and presentable to the public, we want to have a good time and it’s hard to do that if you’re gross.
- For safety, please wear shoes (or fursuit paws) when walking around.
Liability and Staff
- PLEASE tell us if there is a staff member being rude or acting inappropriately.
- If you think any staff member is acting inappropriately or unfairly (or you just want to complain), please report it to any senior staff member/committee member. You may not know who they are, but find a staffer and ask for one. We will make every effort to remedy the situation.
- Please don’t try to get around any of these policies on some technicality. We will work with you if you didn’t understand a policy, but we aren’t going to tolerate ‘but you said right there…’ Please don’t be a smart-aleck about the rules if we missed something, okay?
- Just because it’s not listed here, doesn’t mean you can do it. Please use your head and act responsibly. If it endangers anyone, including yourself, you aren’t allowed to do it. Remember: If it’s not legal outside the convention, it’s not legal inside the convention. If a staff member decides you can’t do something, then you can’t do it!
- Just because it’s not here now doesn’t mean it won’t be soon. Please read over the policies again before the convention. Rules are subject to change at any time, which includes on-the-fly during the convention due to necessity.
- If you feel any of these policies are unfair, please contact a staff member for an appeal for change. Remember, we are willing to work with you. If you’re not sure, ASK! Staff is there for a reason.
- The volunteers, staff and directors (the staff) of AWU will make every attempt to create a safe environment for our attendees.
- By attending the con, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the con and its staff of and from any and all claims, demands, actions, causes of action, losses, damages, lawsuits, including reasonable attorneys fees and court costs, but only to the extent caused by, related to, or arising out of the work performed by the con.
- Liability is limited to the cost of attendance.