Attendance Policies

Attendees violating any of these policies may face sanctions up to and including expulsion from the convention without a refund, and/or being banned from future Coulee Con events. Violations of these policies may be reported to any Volunteer or Staff member.

If you observe a violation of this code of contact or have a concern, please contact a staff member immediately in the hall or at registration. Staff members have red shirts with the silver Coulee Con logo. Staff members will work to address the concern as quickly as possible. Additionally, comments or concerns can be sent to coordinator@couleecon.com

COVID-19

There is no mask requirement for Coulee Con. That said, members of our community who are more comfortable wearing a mask are very welcome to do so. We will also have free paper masks available at registration for anyone who wants one.

If you have purchased a badge and feel ill, please stay home and contact coordinator@couleecon.com to receive a complimentary badge for next year's show. Anyone who attends the convention and exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, vomiting, diarrhea) will be asked to leave.

Etiquette

Coulee Con expects guests to be respectful and courteous to one another. Attendee should avoid behavior that endangers the health or well-being of others, their property, or the relationship of Coulee Con to its host site. Please remember that you are in a public space, and you should treat con personnel, fellow attendees, and bystanders, and their belongings, as well as the facility and its staff, with respect. The following behaviors constitute grounds for expulsion from the convention without a refund:

• Violating any federal, state, or local laws, facility rules or convention policies
• Failure to comply with the instructions of staff or security personnel
• Using anything in a threatening or destructive manner against person or property
• Endangering the safety of oneself or others
• Threatening, stealing, cheating or harassing others
• Failure to conduct oneself in a mature manner

Further, attendees, volunteers, and exhibitors are expected to adhere to the following:

• No alcohol is permitted at the convention.
• Be respectful of the venue. The La Crosse center has been a wonderful partner in hosting our event. Be gracious to the staff working, do not destroy or damage equipment, and be mindful of noise levels when in public areas of the venue.

Badges

Convention name badges must be worn at all times. Failure to wear your name badge can cause you to be removed from the convention. Keeping your badge is your responsibility, and replacement badges can only be issued at full cost for admission.

Coulee Con maintains a real name policy for badges. This is not necessarily your legal name, but it should be the one you use with coworkers, friends, etc.

• Both a first and a last name are required.
• The first name does not need to be your full legal name (e.g., Al, Alex, etc. instead of Alexander is fine)
• If you go by your middle name, please use it as your ‘First Name’ for badge purposes.
• We do not require you to use a deadname publicly under any circumstances.
• Nicknames/usernames/handles/etc. cannot be used for first name. Even if you do answer to a ‘handle’ type name when used in some circles, please do not use these on your badge.

Note: Coulee Con Staff reserves the right to disallow any names on badges that they feel are inappropriate or fail to meet these guidelines.

Pronouns

Coulee Con is committed to diversity, inclusivity, and safety. For some members of our community, being misgendered can be hurtful. Misgendering an individual, accidental or not, can be a troubling experience, both for the person being misgendered, and the person doing the misgendering. Consequently, Coulee Con will ask you for your preferred pronouns during the badge registration process. Pronouns will be visible on your badge. As gaming requires communication between players, having pronouns visible in this way improves the inclusiveness of the convention and cultivates better communication. If your pronouns are not listed please mark the choice that asks us to contact you. We will reach out to you and use your specified pronouns. If you would prefer your pronouns to not be printed on your badge, please select “Prefer Not to Say."

Attendance of Children and Youth

Coulee Con is intended to bring gamers of all ages together. We encourage parents to bring their children and game together. The following policies are intended to ensure the safety of any children or minors that attend the show. Neither Coulee Con, nor any Coulee Con volunteer, gamemaster, staff member, or attendee other than the parent or guardian is responsible for children who attend. Parents who separate themselves from their children at the con do so at their own risk. Failure to follow any of these policies may result in both the child and parent/guardian having their pass revoked without refund.

Ages 10 and Under

Children 10 and under will receive a complementary admission with the purchase of a regular Coulee Con Badge for an accompanying adult (weekend pass or one-day). These children must be accompanied by an adult all times and need gamemaster permission to attend any event. Guardians must discuss participation with the gamemaster prior to or at the start of the event.

Ages 11-13

Youth ages 11-13 must have a regular Coulee Con Badge purchased for them or have an add-on badge purchased with an adult badge. Emergency contact information should be provided on the back of the badge. A parent/guardian must remain on-site at all times.

Ages 14-17

Youth 14-17 must purchase a regular Coulee Con Badge or have an add-on badge purchased with an adult badge. A parent/guardian must either be (i) on-site or (ii) reachable by phone and able to come to the convention center within 30 minutes of being contacted. Emergency contact information must be provided on the back of the pass. Staff may suspend or eliminate the right of a minor 14-17 to attend the con outside the immediate vicinity of the minor’s parent or guardian if the minor is disruptive or for other reasons as determined by the conference organizers.

Sunday Family Pass

Sunday at Coulee Con is geared towards families and new gamers. As such, we offer a special family pass (one pass per family) and a range of different kid-friendly events focused on families and promoting gaming. More information can be found on the Family Day Page.

Harassment Policy

HARASSMENT OF ANY SORT IS NEITHER ACCEPTED NOR TOLERATED. This includes but is not limited to harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, or game preference. It also includes displaying sexual images, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography, disruption of events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Anyone asked to cease harassing behavior is expected to do so immediately. Warnings for harassing activities are not guaranteed, and anyone conducting in harassing activity may be ejected from the convention without a refund at the discretion of the convention staff.

If you are being harassed, see someone else being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact any convention staff member to help resolve the issue and provide resolution to the harassment.

This harassment policy also extends into the games that are being played. Harassment of another player is not excused because such action is "in character" or because it is part of the confines of the game rather than directly to another person. Harassing behavior in "real life" is also forbidden between player characters in game.

Anonymous Reporting

We endeavor to make sure Coulee Gamers, Inc. and its events such as Coulee Con are an inclusive and safe space for all. If you have any concerns about an event, the behavior of staff, volunteers, or any other issues please let us know using this anonymous reporting form. All responses are recorded anonymously and only shared with needed parties.

Confidentiality Policy

Respecting the privacy of our guests, staff, volunteers, and of Coulee Gamers, Inc. itself is a basic value of our organization. Personal and financial information is confidential and should not be disclosed or discussed with anyone without permission or authorization. Care shall also be taken to ensure that unauthorized individuals do not overhear any discussion of confidential information and that documents containing confidential information are not left in the open or inadvertently shared.

Volunteers and board members of Coulee Gamers, Inc. may be exposed to information which is confidential and/or privileged and proprietary in nature. It is the policy of Coulee Gamers, Inc. that such information must be kept confidential both during and after volunteer service. Staff and volunteers, including board members, are expected to return materials containing privileged or confidential information at the end of their service. Unauthorized disclosure of confidential or privileged information is a serious violation of this policy and anyone who made the unauthorized disclosure will be subject to appropriate discipline, including removal/dismissal.

Weapons Policy

Weapons and items that appear to be weapons are not allowed. Self defense, recreational and utility items such as knifes, tazers, pepper spray, BB guns, cap guns, air-soft weapons, paintball guns, water guns, martial arts weaponry, including wooden practice weapons, etc, are not welcome, even if it is lawful to own and carry them in other public places. Off duty security, law-enforcement and military personnel are not allowed to bring their weapons. Items resembling futuristic weapons, fantasy weapons and non-projectile boffer weapons may be allowed provided they are not handled in a careless, threatening or destructive manner against persons or property. Staff reserve the right to make a judgment call and to ask you to remove an item from the premises if it is deemed inappropriate. If you refuse to remove it, you will be asked to leave without refund.

Costumes and Cosplay Policy

Costumes and Cosplay are welcome. We ask that you follow a few simple rules:

• No modern military, security, law enforcement, or first responder costumes. Active duty military, however, are welcome to wear their government-issued uniforms.
• Keep costumes family appropriate by using good judgment and taste. Guests have a variety of tolerance levels as to the nature of “appropriate” costumes. In general, more coverage is better than less.
• Hate symbols, even historical hate symbols will not be tolerated.
• If staff deem a costume to be inappropriate, you will be asked to change your clothes. If you refuse to change, you will be asked to leave without refund.

Food and Beverages

Concessions will be served inside the convention on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 2pm. There will also be food trucks parked immediately outside the convention center. The Center also has soda vending machines inside.

Photo Policy

Attendance at Coulee Con events and related activities constitutes an agreement by the attendee to Coulee Gamers, Inc. unlimited and permanent use and distribution of the attendee’s image in various media to promote the organization, its activities, and events.