Indy Author Event Code of Conduct 

The safety, comfort, and well-being of our community is our highest priority. Indy Author Event is intended to be a welcoming, inclusive, and respectful environment where readers, authors, vendors, volunteers, staff, influencers, sponsors, and guests can connect and enjoy the event without fear of harassment, intimidation, or discrimination.

Harassment, discrimination, intimidation, or disruptive behavior of any kind will not be tolerated.

Prohibited Conduct

Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

1. Sexual harassment, including unwanted touching, groping, inappropriate comments, sexual advances, or asking authors, models, or attendees to reenact intimate or explicit scenes.
2. Ignoring consent or personal boundaries. If someone declines a photo, conversation, physical contact, autograph personalization, or any other interaction, their decision must be respected immediately. "No" is a complete sentence.
3. Disrespecting personal space, including following, cornering, blocking exits, hovering around tables after being asked to leave, or any behavior that causes another attendee to feel unsafe.
4. Verbal harassment, including offensive remarks, threats, intimidation, slurs, bullying, or abusive language directed toward any attendee.
5. Photography or recording without permission where consent is expected, particularly after someone has declined or requested not to be photographed or recorded.
6. Interfering with service animals, including touching, distracting, feeding, or otherwise interacting with a service animal without the handler's permission.
7. Stalking, unwanted contact, or continued interaction after being asked to stop, whether occurring before, during, or after the event.
8. Aggressive or disruptive behavior, including pushing, shoving, cutting lines, threatening behavior, or conduct that disrupts the event or creates an unsafe environment.
9. Any conduct that violates venue policies or applicable laws.

Safety Measures

To help ensure a safe environment, Indy Author Event has implemented the following measures:

• Color-coded comfort bracelets available at registration to indicate each attendee's preferred level of physical interaction.
• Uniformed law enforcement and event security present throughout author setup, event hours, and teardown.
• Event volunteers and staff positioned throughout the venue and easily identifiable by branded apparel.
• Clearly defined reporting procedures for attendees who experience or witness inappropriate behavior.
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Reporting Concerns

If you experience or witness behavior that violates this Code of Conduct, please notify an event volunteer, staff member, or security officer immediately. Reports will be taken seriously, investigated promptly, and handled as discreetly as possible.

Zero Tolerance Policy

Indy Author Event maintains a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, intimidation, stalking, discrimination, threatening behavior, or any conduct that creates an unsafe or disruptive environment.

Any individual, regardless of whether they are an author, reader, vendor, sponsor, influencer, volunteer, staff member, venue personnel, or guest, who violates this Code of Conduct may, at the sole discretion of Indy Author Event and 317 Author Events, Inc., be subject to one or more of the following actions:

• Immediate removal from the event without refund.
• Immediate trespass from the event venue.
• Permanent prohibition from attending or participating in any future events organized by 317 Author Events, Inc.
• Referral to venue security and/or local law enforcement when appropriate.
  
  

Failure to comply with directions from event staff, volunteers, security personnel, or law enforcement may also result in immediate removal from the event.

Our enforcement decisions are made with one priority in mind: maintaining a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for everyone in attendance.

Every attendee has the right to participate without fear of harassment, intimidation, discrimination, stalking, or unwanted physical contact.

Acceptance of this Code of Conduct

This Event Code of Conduct applies to all individuals participating in Indy Author Event, including authors, readers, vendors, sponsors, influencers, volunteers, staff, venue personnel, and guests.

By accepting an invitation to participate, purchasing or accepting a ticket, reserving a vendor or sponsor space, volunteering, working, or otherwise attending Indy Author Event, you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to abide by this Event Code of Conduct.

Participation in Indy Author Event constitutes your agreement to conduct yourself in a respectful, professional, and courteous manner while respecting the rights, personal boundaries, and safety of others.
Failure to comply with this Code of Conduct may result in immediate removal from the event without refund, trespass from the venue, permanent prohibition from future events organized by 317 Author Events, Inc., and referral to venue security or local law enforcement when appropriate.