« Overview | General Policies : Terms and Conditions | Liability Waiver | Rules of Conduct

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Eurofurence Rules of Conduct

Eurofurence likes to present itself as a professional convention of friendly, respectful and open-minded members of the furry community and their friends. To avoid any misunderstandings about what kind of behaviour is generally acceptable on an event as big as Eurofurence, you are advised to read and follow these rules of conduct. Please keep in mind that these rules are in effect during the whole convention time, including early arrival and late departure day.

Registration and Badges

• You must be at least 18 years old on the first day of the convention.
• Only registered attendees may enter the convention space, which consists of the entire hotel's function space. The restaurants, the bar and the main lobby are publicly accessible.
• Other hotel residents who are not registered with Eurofurence may enter the public areas of the hotel according to their individual contract with the hotel.
• You are required to wear your badge prominently so that you can be identified and recognized as a member of the convention.
• Changing or covering up any information on your badge (i.e. by using stickers or drawings) is strictly forbidden.
• If you have lost your room key please contact the hotel front desk or EF registration immediately. Eurofurence does not accept any liability resulting from lost room keys.

General Behaviour

• Please treat others respectfully.
• If someone asks you to stop, then STOP. If you're asked to leave them alone, then LEAVE. There is NO discussion.
• It should go without saying that some people reserve any kind of physical contact to their close friends and family only. If you're not sure somebody wants to be hugged, tackled, pounced or otherwise assaulted, please ask him or her first.
• Appropriate and respectful behaviour is expected, especially in the sauna and pool area.
• You are liable for any damage you might cause to the property of another.

Clothing and Decency

• Wearing costumes, accessories or displaying items made out of real fur is not allowed.
• Nudity exceeding the equivalent of a non-thong bathing suit is not allowed in public.
• Sexual behaviour that goes beyond a mere display of affection is not allowed in public.
• Display of adult-themed materials is not permitted in public areas of the hotel. This includes (but is not limited to): room signs, flyers, business cards, posters and drawings on public message boards.
• Blatant exposure of fetish gear is not permitted in public, even if it is part of a costume.

The limit for "adult themed" materials is the equivalent of what you can see on the magazine covers at an average German newsstand. If you're unsure, feel free to approach a member of our staff and ask. Drawing the line for "fetish gear" is much harder, and the issue will always be highly subjective. So please be aware that our Chief of Security might have a different opinion about your outfit than you, and that it is our policy to NOT discuss our policies during the convention. So again, if unsure, by all means, please ask. However, not all cases are hard to figure out. There are a few things that we definitely do not want to see in public:

• No inflatable costumes
• No visibly "anatomically correct" costumes
• No costumes or accessories related to age-play, pet-play, bondage or sadomasochism.

On the other hand, the following items are usually considered okay:

• Collars without a leash attached
• Leather wristbands
• Accessories used in an "innocent" context, such as a dog harness that is part of a sled dog costume, for example.

We may take the liberty to allow individual exceptions from the "fetish gear" rules if your outfit is exceptionally discrete, tasteful and/or good looking – but please don't count on it. If in doubt, ask!

Alcohol and other Drugs

• You are expected to drink responsibly. You will be held liable for what you say and what you do, even if intoxicated.
• Persons who are intoxicated to the point of incapacity may be escorted to their rooms or expelled from the convention, at the Chief of Security's discretion if it happens on more than one occasion. Furthermore, at the Board of Directors' discretion, such persons may be banned from the convention.
• Smoking is not permitted anywhere within the entire hotel building, except the smoker's lounge in the lobby on the ground floor and hotel rooms explicitly designated as smoker rooms. A considerable cleaning fee will be charged for smoking in a non-smoking room.
• The possession, consumption or sale of illegal substances (including, but not limited to: THC, LSD, Ecstasy, Amphetamines, etc.) will not be tolerated. Attendees found in possession of such substances will be handed over to the police and indefinitely banned from the convention.
• Furthermore, the abuse of any other substances (such as nitrous oxide, alkyl nitrites, glue, etc.) as a drug will also get you immediately expelled and possibly banned from the convention.

General Hotel Rules

• The consumption of food or drink purchased from outside of the hotel is not permitted, unless it is consumed in your private hotel room.
• It is strictly forbidden to throw any objects from the galleries in the main hall. Violators will be expelled from the convention.
• For the safety of all hotel guests, no reckless behaviour is permitted in the gallery areas. Please be especially careful in these areas if you have consumed alcohol.
• Attendees may not enter the service areas of the hotel. This includes all backstage areas, service elevators, the rooftops, emergency exits and all areas marked as "Staff Only".
• Tampering with any fire-protection devices – in particular, abusive triggering of fire doors or alarms – is prohibited and will have serious consequences. The same goes for disabling smoke detectors.
• Please ask the Chief of Security for permission to wear any kind of body paint. No body paint is allowed during the dances, except for smear-safe face makeup.
• Do not deliberately crack open glow sticks or similar items, i.e. anything containing dyeing, sticky or corrosive material.
• The sale of any kind of merchandise outside the official Dealers' Den requires explicit permission by the Eurofurence Board of Directors.
• It is not permitted to bring any animals with you except for those that have been registered in advance.

Hotel Rooms and Privacy

• You are expected to treat the hotel rooms and property of the hotel reasonably and with care. You will be held personally liable for any damage you may cause.
• The cleaning crew is required to check your room at least once a day. "Do Not Disturb" signs will therefore only be respected until 11:00 am.
• Leaving a tip instead of a mess would certainly be held in a much higher regard.
• Pets are not allowed on beds or any other furniture. If you disregard this rule, you might have to pay a considerable extra cleaning fee.
• You are required to ask your roommates for permission before running a room party or inviting guests.
• You must not disturb people in any other hotel rooms. Please keep the noise down after midnight.

Hotel Pool and Sauna

• The hotel pool may only be used while wearing appropriate swimwear.
• Please be considerate of other pool users and be careful when playing with large pool toys.
• You may not overcrowd the pool, try to create a vortex, or do anything else that might cause the pool to overflow.
• Entering the pool area in fursuit is strictly prohibited.
• It is not allowed to operate any kind of electrical equipment (like air compressors) inside the pool area.

To avoid cultural misunderstandings, please make yourself familiar with local sauna customs. The hotel sauna is a nude sauna – the most common type of sauna in Germany. Entering the sauna in (possibly wet) swimwear is considered inappropriate. If you absolutely have to, you can cover yourself up with a dry towel. However if seeing other sauna visitors in the nude makes you feel too uncomfortable, we would like to ask you to reconsider going there. In any case, please read the instructions posted in the wellness area.

Weapons, Lookalikes and dangerous Items

• All weapons, including look-alikes, replicas, tools and toys must be approved by the Chief of Security immediately after your registration on site.
• Water guns, nerf guns and similar items are prohibited inside the buildings. Even outside, care should be taken to avoid hitting any bystanders and/or damaging anyone's property.
• Mock fights, swordplay, fire breathing or any other activities that may adversely affect bystanders or hotel property are not allowed without explicit permission by the Chief of Security, who will appoint a staff member to take precautions and to observe the activity.
• The Chief of Security may require your weapon to be peace-bound. Tampering with the peace bonding is not allowed.

Photography and Videotaping

• Eurofurence e.V. reserves all rights to video and photo material gathered at the convention with the exception of footage from private rooms.
• Eurofurence e.V. grants you the right to use videos and photos you have taken at the convention for private and/or non-commercial purposes.
• Publication in for-profit media (such as press, television or other commercial mass media) requires written permission by the Board of Directors.
• Official Eurofurence camera teams may record video and take photos in the public areas of the convention and during events to be used in various publications, such as the convention's official highlights DVD. You agree that videos and pictures taken of you can be used in such publications without release or compensation. A release will only be required for material filmed in situations where a reasonable expectation of privacy exists.
• Photography and filming is strictly forbidden in the Art Show and Dealers' Den. Cameras and cell phones will have to be left outside.
• Other restrictions or rules may apply for certain events, and will be announced on location.

The Bottom Line

• When in doubt, please ask – preferably before the convention starts. We will gladly answer all your questions.
• These rules will not be debated during the convention. The Chief of Security will, however, be available for you in case you feel you have been incorrectly or wrongly been accused of violating any of the rules.
• Decisions by the Chief of Security or the Board of Directors are final.
• The Chief of Security reserves the right to impose any and all sanctions against violators of these rules or those persons involved in any other unacceptable behaviour. The definition of unacceptable behaviour remains at the sole discretion of the Chief of Security and the Board of Directors. Sanctions may range from a friendly reminder to an indefinite ban from the convention.

That being said – In the past, Eurofurence has generally been a quiet and pleasurable experience with only very few cases of misbehaviour, and we expect the convention to be as friendly and open as always. We hope you will have a great time!