Dragon Con Policies

As a Member and attendee of the Dragon Con Convention (the “Convention”), you agree to follow this Code of Conduct during your entire time at the Convention.   Basically, you may not do anything that is illegal or immoral or be a jerk.    While that ought to be enough, we include the following to provide more guidance.    

1. You must wear your membership badges at all times to be admitted to any Convention function. In other words, yes, you have to wear your steenkin’ badge! Unless you’re 6 years old or younger. And then you don’t need a badge because Dragon Con is free for little nerdlings.  Safety will be looking for badges on everybody else, though.  To avoid being asked if your child is under 7 you may pick up a wristband in Registration, however, this is not required.  And, if you’re old enough to have a driver’s license, then you can roam the halls of the Convention by yourself. We expect that you’re old enough to behave and follow the Convention policies, or suffer the consequences if you get busted. But, children under the age of 16 need to keep a parent (or guardian) nearby at all times.  If you lose your membership badge, you will have to get a replacement badge, and we have requirements to replace your badge.  You cannot give or sell or transfer in any way your badge or membership to anyone else.
2. Possession of alcoholic beverages by anyone under 21 years of age is grounds for expulsion from the convention without a refund. It’s, like, the law, eh?
3. Please keep all behavior that polite fans would find offensive in public in your hotel rooms.
4. We’ll offer sympathy, but neither Dragon Con nor its personnel are responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged property, or for injuries sustained during the course of the Convention.
5. Announced events and guests are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice. Every effort will be made to announce any changes via the Internet, pre-Convention publications, and our onsite newsletter, but sometimes last-minute changes will occur.
6. We reserve the right to ask you to leave the Convention and refuse to refund your membership money if you are behaving – in technical terms – like a jerk.  Harassment of any kind, including physically or verbally threatening, annoying, unwelcoming attentions, stalking, pushing, shoving or use of physical force; which in any way creates a disturbance that is disruptive or dangerous, as well as any boisterous, lewd, or generally offensive behavior or language, using sexually explicit or offensive language or conduct, or profanity, obscene gestures or racial, religious or ethnic slurs will be considered harassment.  If people tell you “NO,” your business with them is done. If you continue to attempt to have contact with those people, you may be removed from the premises and your membership revoked.   We have more to say about Harassment below.
7. Dragon Con has a clear *no weapons* policy for the entire Convention that will be enforced.  All weapons must be non-working and peace bonded. No functioning projectile weapons – including water pistols, silly-string guns, and ping-pong pistols.  Bladed weapons must be cased or sheathed at all times. No clowning around or showing off in the common areas. Any weapon used in an offensive manner will be confiscated and Rule # 9 enforced. We expect you to use good judgment; with your help, we can continue to allow peace-bonded weapons – thanks!
8. Real firearms are not allowed at Dragon Con.  This includes those attendees who maintain a Georgia Weapons Carry License or a similar permit from another state.  Dragon Con Safety, hotel security, and local law enforcement officials will treat anything that looks like a real weapon as a weapon.  Attendees who choose to ignore this policy may be asked to leave the Convention and will have their membership revoked.  Since violators can also be arrested, you should know that Dragon Con does not post bail. (Sworn law enforcement are excused from this policy.)
9. NO CAMPING IN THE HALLS OR LOBBY! If you are found sleeping in the public areas, you will be asked to go to your hotel room. If you do not have a room, hotel or venue security will be forced to ask you to leave.
10. Please do not abuse our hotels or convention facilities. This includes putting signs on walls. Public locations for notices are provided. Room Parties and other announcements may also be dropped off at our Information Desks for inclusion in the Daily Dragon. Please don’t eat the facilities; we’d kinda like to do this again and under a roof.
11. It is against the rules of the Convention and all hotels to place or hand out flyers/cards in our/their space. Flyers/cards on an open table in the convention area will be cleared to a trash receptacle. If you are handing out material in an unauthorized Convention area, you will be asked to stop. If it continues, you will be removed from the Convention.
12. You will have to pay for any and all damage you cause to Hotel or Convention property.  And if you cause damage to a Hotel or Convention property, or maybe even other Members’ property, you may lose your Convention badge and forfeit your Convention membership.
13. Costumers: remember that no costume is NO costume, and there are public nudity laws in Georgia. Please wear appropriate (or at least enough) clothing in the common areas.
14. If you think you can make money doing it at the Convention, it’s probably not allowed unless you have written permission from Dragon Con. That is especially true when you’re taking pictures or video or making audio recordings of the awesome stuff and people at Dragon Con. Or, as our lawyers like to say…All Dragon Con members and attendees at the Dragon Con Convention are prevented from taking, recording, or creating film, or digital pictures, videos, tapes, sound recordings, or any other visual or auditory recreation of any kind whatsoever, of any Dragon Con guest, member, volunteer, or employee, or of any Dragon Con event, including but not limited to the Dragon Con parade, any Dragon Con forum, seminar, session, dance, or performance, for any commercial use, or for the solicitation of funds for any commercial or other purpose, without the express written permission of Dragon Con, Inc.
15. What’s more, only our Walk of Fame guests are allowed to sell photographs made at the event. If you spent all year building the perfect costume, please give freely when people want to take pictures of you. Be proud of what you accomplished, but not so proud that you demand or accept payment, tips, or donations. It’s just the way things work around here.
16. We love all the great pictures that our fans take at the Convention, and we’ve seen some really creative ways of taking photos, too. Still, if everybody at the Convention brought a selfie stick, we would have a big problem. Like your mom always told you, you’ll poke an eye out with that thing. And that would be unfortunate because dressing like Nick Fury, Slade Wilson, or Leela is only fun on Labor Day weekend. So, please leave your selfie sticks and other hand-held extenders for cameras or mobile devices at home. If you still want to get a picture with that guy in that awesome Mad-Eye Moody costume, ask a friend to take it. Or ask a stranger. And if you still want to take a selfie, it’s cool with us. Just use your arms.
17. We love seeing and hearing you.  So much so that we may use all pictures or recordings taken of you.  But we won’t pay you anything for using any picture or recording of you.
18. No devices, no drones, no lighter than air objects, either powered or un-powered, may be flown, tethered, released, or deployed at any event, common space, lobby, Vendor Hall, meeting, or function room at the Convention.
19. Ballrooms will be cleared between each panel. As we have limited space, we ask for your cooperation and assistance with the following: Please listen to our volunteers and hotel staff when forming lines (They have done this before and generally have reasons for what they are asking you to do.). “There can be only one” (line) – please do not start your own line for any event or form multiple lines for the same event. Any such lines will not be honored and you will be sent to the back of the official line started by our volunteers. The line for the NEXT panel can start forming only after the line for the CURRENT panel is inside and seated.  **Exception(s) – you may start lining up two hours prior to the FIRST panel of the day or in the unlikely event that the ballroom does not have a current panel, you may start lining up once the last panel to use the ballroom is seated. In either of these cases, we may start seating early, please make sure and check the schedule and updates. Please be considerate of others and do not break in line. If you are pointed out we will send you to the end of the line. Please be considerate of those needing special assistance and allow them access to the areas set aside for them. Please do not sit in seats or areas marked for their use. Please do not run, fly, or teleport to your seat.
20. We are still dealing with pandemic from Covid-19 and its variants. You agree to abide by any Convention Covid-19 protocols, which may change, even if you disagree with these protocols.  You understand that there the Convention will have thousands of people who will be indoors, and very near each other, and you. You will risk contracting Covid-19 or a variant while you travel to or from the Convention, and throughout the Convention. Under Georgia law, Dragon Con and its personnel are not liable to you or anyone else for an illness, injury, or death that may occur, wholly or even in part, from Covid-19 or a variant.  You assume the risk of any illness, injury, or death from contracting Covid-19 or a variant during the Convention, including traveling to or from the Convention, entering any of the Hotels, or participating in Convention activities.
21. Dragon Con reserves the right to revoke or suspend memberships and badges.  If you break a Convention rule, you may be barred from the Convention, either for several hours (to sober up, perhaps) or for the rest of the Convention. If you break the law – city, state, or federal – you may be arrested. If you have been accused of harassment and feel that you were treated unfairly you may appeal to the Convention chair, but that decision will be final.
22. Most importantly, Have fun – this is Dragon Con.