Code of Conduct
Our code of conduct covers expected attendee behavior at SparkTogether to help promote kindness and inclusivity.
SparkTogether is an opportunity for professionals of all stripes to come together, learn, network, and share. SparkToro created this event with the goal of expanding growth opportunities for all attendees. We believe an explicit code of conduct helps align this goal with our core values, BELUX.
We value the participation of each member of the SparkToro community and want all attendees to have an enjoyable, rewarding experience. Accordingly, all attendees are expected to show respect and courtesy to other attendees, speakers, and staff throughout SparkTogether.
To make clear what is expected, all delegates/attendees, speakers, exhibitors, organizers and volunteers at SparkTogether are required to conform to the following Code of Conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event and won't hesitate to remove anyone who is not conforming to the code without the option for a refund or compensation.
Short Version
SparkTogether is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.
All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate at any part of the event, including presentations, the livechat, or social media postings by attendees concerning SparkTogether.
Be kind to others. Don’t insult or put down speakers or other attendees. Behave professionally. Remember that harassment and sexist, racist, ableist, or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate for SparkTogether.
Attendees violating these rules will be asked to leave the event without a refund at the sole discretion of the conference organizers.
Thanks for helping make this a welcoming, friendly event for all.
The Longer Version
Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Warnings may be issued or participants may be asked to leave without the option for a refund at the sole discretion of the conference organizers.
Speakers, advertisers, partners, staff, and attendees are all subject to the anti-harassment policy. No one at SparkTogether should use sexualized images, activities, or other material. Staff, including volunteers, should not wear sexualized clothing/uniforms/costumes, or otherwise create a sexualized environment.
Be careful in the words that you choose. Remember that sexist, racist, ableist, and other exclusionary jokes can be offensive to those around you. Excessive swearing and offensive jokes are not appropriate for SparkTogether.
If a participant engages in behavior that violates this code of conduct, the conference organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the conference with no refund.
Contact Information
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns during the event, please contact the SparkTogether team or a SparkToro employee. They can either directly help or contact the right person, who can.
If the matter is especially urgent, please contact any of these individuals:
Rand Fishkin, CEO ([email protected])
Amanda Natividad, VP Marketing ([email protected])
SparkTogether organizers will be happy to help participants who are experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference. We value your attendance.
Procedure for Handling Harassment
Attendee Procedure for Incident Handling
- Keep in mind that all SparkTogeher organizers will have an identifier with the words "Staff," for our virtual events, this may look like a ribbon or badge on their profile and for in-person it may be a piece of clothing or tag on a name badge. All of our staff are informed of the code of conduct policy and guide for handling harassment at the conference.
- Report the harassment incident to a conference staff member. All reports are confidential. Email is preferred, but we can accept other forms of messaging as well.
When reporting the event to staff, try to gather as much information as available, but do not interview people about the incident. The organizers will assist you in writing the report and collecting information.
Important information consists of:
- Identifying information (name/company) of the harassing party
- The code-violating behavior
- The approximate time of the incident (if different than the time the report was made)
- The circumstances surrounding the incident
- Other people involved in the incident
If everyone is presently physically safe, we will involve law enforcement or security only at a victim's request.
Licensing
This Code of Conduct was adopted from the example policy from the Geek Feminism Wiki, created by the Ada Initiative and other volunteers, which is under a Creative Commons Zero license.