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. As a condition of membership, all Eurofurence attendees are required to abide by these rules of conduct for the entire duration of their stay, even prior to opening or after closing of the convention. When in doubt about any of these rules, please don't be afraid to ask - we will gladly answer all your questions. However, please understand that we will not debate these rules with you during the convention. The rules of conduct are enforced by the Eurofurence Security Staff who will be clearly identified as such on site. If you have any problem with any action taken by a Staff member you may take the matter up with the Chief of Security or the Chairman.

GENERAL RULES

Any action or behavior that causes significant interference with convention operations, excessive discomfort to other attendees, or adversely affects Eurofurence's relationship with its guests, its venues or the public is strictly forbidden and may result in permanent suspension of membership. This general rule supersedes all others listed below and may be invoked at any time.

• Please treat each other respectfully.
• You are liable for any damage you might cause.
• Always follow the directions by convention staff and security.
• Harassment of any kind, including physical assault, battery, deliberate intimidation, stalking, or unwelcome physical attentions, will not be tolerated.

Please be aware that the atrium, the Beer Garden and the restaurants are public areas, and that there may be regular hotel guests around who are not taking part in our convention. Please help us give them the best possible impression of our fandom!

REGISTRATION AND BADGES

• You must be at least 18 years old by the first day of the convention.
• Eurofurence functions are open only to registered attendees.
• Attendees are identified by their personal membership badge.
• A badge is valid only for the person to whom it was issued and may not be shared.
• Attendees are required to have their badge on display in the hotel's public areas at all times.
• Badges must be presented and/or surrendered to Security Staff upon request.
• Changing or obscuring information on your badge is not allowed. The lanyards issued with your badge must not be changed to one of a different color.

HOTEL RULES

• The consumption of food or drink purchased from outside of the hotel is not permitted on the premises of the Estrel hotel, with the exception of your private room and around the campfire. It is strictly forbidden to throw/dangle/hang anything out of any windows, balconies or any other elevated location.
• Attendees may not enter the service areas of the hotel. This includes backstage areas, service elevators, rooftops, emergency exits and all areas marked as "Staff Only".
• Disabling or deliberately triggering fire-protection devices (such as smoke detectors, sprinklers or door alarms) is strictly prohibited.
• The sale of any kind of merchandise outside the official Dealers' Den requires explicit permission by the Eurofurence Board of Directors.
• No sleeping in the lobby, the hallways or the meeting rooms. Get a room, please!
• For safety reasons it is not allowed to bring dogs, cats or other animals into your hotel room or any of the convention event areas.
• Gas cylinders or any other high pressure containers, regardless of content or size, are not permitted anywhere on the hotel premise without written authorization by Security. This does not apply to deo / hair sprays or medication.
• Operating large electrical appliances in your private room, including any form of heating / cooling devices or industrial fans, is not allowed. Small fans to dry out costumes, regular (CE marked) chargers for smartphones, tablets or laptops are deemed okay but must not be operated without supervision. All other electrical appliances must be checked in and tested at the Security Office.
• Personal music players such as bluetooth speakers or boom boxes may not be used in a way that may disturb any bystanders.

Portable music players can be a fun addition to all kinds of social activities. However, music that is played too loud can be a serious nuisance, and it's easy to forget how far your sound may carry. Pretending to be a one man fursuit dance may be fun to you, but sitting in the middle of a cacophony of conflicting music styles can be very stressful for your environment. Please turn down your volume, switch off your device when there is already playing music in the area, and avoid walking around with your music still playing. The only exception from this rule is the fursuit parade.

PARTIES AND GATHERINGS

• Gatherings in hotel rooms must not generate any noise that can be heard in neighboring rooms during nighttime hours.
• Hotel doors must be kept shut during such gatherings and guests are not permitted to congregate in the hotel corridors.
• Loud parties will be given a single warning. Subsequent complaints will lead to the party being shut down and possibly further consequences for the individuals involved.
• All room occupants are equally responsible for cleaning up after a party. Trash must be put into bags. Don't leave a mess for housekeeping.
• Do not leave empty bottles or glasses behind at the campfire. Please clean up after yourself.
• Security is required to clear out overcrowded rooms. For your own safety, we recommend keeping the occupancy below 10 in a regular room, or below 20 in a junior suite.

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.
• Walking barefoot is not permitted inside the hotel.
• To prevent damage to costumes and hotel property, body paint requires an individual permission to be obtained from the Security Office. Face makeup does not require permission, but please be careful!
• Sexual behavior that goes beyond a mere display of affection is not allowed in public.
• Display of fetish gear is not permitted in public, even if it is part of a costume.
• Display of adult materials (such as room signs, flyers, business cards, posters and drawings on public message boards) is not permitted in public areas of the Estrel Hotel and Convention Center.

The limit for "adult themed" materials is the equivalent of a German FSK16 rating. When in doubt, please contact us either by email before the convention (security@eurofurence.org) or ask at the Security Office during the convention.

When used as a fashion statement or part of a costume, the following items are usually allowed:

• Collars (without leash)
• Decorative Wristbands (without D-Rings)
• Sled Dog Harnesses (only if part of a matching costume)

The following items are explicitly NOT allowed in public:

• Full-body rubber or vinyl costumes.
• Costumes that are visibly "anatomically correct".
• Costumes or accessories related to age-play, pet-play or BDSM.
• Costumes indecently revealing the wearers own private anatomy.
• Muzzles and choke collars
• Electric shock devices (visible or not).

We may take the liberty to allow additional exceptions if your outfit is exceptionally discrete, tasteful and/or good looking - no promise, though.

ALCOHOL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES

• Persons who are intoxicated to the point of incapacity will be escorted to their room, and may consequentially be expelled from the convention.
• Any individual found to be in possession of or distributing illegal or controlled substances will be expelled from the convention and reported to the local authorities.
• The use of "legal highs" or the abuse of substances like glue, nitrous oxide (laughing gas), alkyl nitrites (poppers) and others is strictly prohibited.
• Smoking and vaping is not permitted inside the Estrel Hotel, the Convention Center and in the direct vicinity of the front entrances.

You are expected to drink responsibly. You will be held responsible for what you do, under the influence or not.

WEAPONS

• You may not carry any weapons anywhere on the premises of the hotel or the convention center or during the fursuit parade at any time. In this context, any object which is, according to its nature, suitable for inflicting injuries to persons or animals or to do damage to property will be considered a weapon. This includes items which are legal according to German weapon laws like i.e. Kubotans, pepper / cs spray, alarm guns (even with permit) and any other object deemed too dangerous by Eurofurence Security.
• All weapon look-alikes, LARP props, replicas, tools and weapon like toys must be approved immediately after your registration on site. Please take them to the Security Office for approval.
• Security may require your weapon to be peace-bound. Tampering with the peace bonding will invalidate the clearance immediately.
• No water pistols, silly string, or any thrown or projectile-type toy may be used inside the Estrel Hotel or Convention Center.
• Mock fights, swordplay, fire breathing or similarly dangerous activities are not allowed.

Exceptions for staged events may be granted by the Chief of Security. Please inquire ahead of time - preferably before the convention.

HATE SPEECH AND SYMBOLS

• Speech in any form that promotes or encourages discrimination, harassment, or violence based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, or nationality is strictly prohibited.
• You are not allowed to wear, display or otherwise propagate symbols of forbidden organizations according to §86 and §86a of the German Penal Code (StGB) or symbols relating to groups associated with the "alt furry" movement.

The ban includes any sign or icon embodied in a physical object but also optical and acoustical symbols qualified to give an unbiased third party the impression of being a distinctive mark of any of the organizations mentioned above. It furthermore applies to variations or modifications similar enough to be mistaken for those symbols or intentionally obscured renderings of those symbols.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO

• 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 requires written permission by the Board of Directors.
• Official Eurofurence camera teams (identified by a "Eurofurence Media" badge) may record video and take photos in all areas of the convention and during events to be used for publication. 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 not allowed in the Art Show, the Fursuit Lounge and other "headlesss fursuiter" areas.

Further restrictions and rules may apply for certain events, as posted on location.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Many of the above rules involve "worst-case" scenarios and are put into place to ensure the safety and comfort of our attendees. Since most of them are common sense, there is usually not much need to enforce them. However, we are prepared to deal with any or all of the above scenarios in a rapid and efficient manner, should they occur. We thank our attendees for their past cooperation and for their continued assistance in keeping Eurofurence a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. Have fun, be nice to each other, and we will all have a great time!