Awoostria likes to present itself as a professional convention of friendly, respectful, and open-minded members of the furry community and their friends.
The primary purpose of Awoostria is for everybody to have fun. To ensure that the greatest number of people do so, we have established these Rules of Conduct. These rules are to ensure that the behavior of any one small group does not disturb the attendees as a whole and does not detract from the comfortable atmosphere of the convention.
General
Awoostria welcomes all parties with an interest in anthropomorphic animals; however, the convention's management reserves the right to deny or revoke the attendance of any individual at any time for any reason. In the event of revocation of the attendance due to failure to follow these Rules of Conduct, there will be no refund of convention fees.
As a condition of attendance, all Awoostria 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 Awoostria Security Team 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 at the Security Office or with the Board of Directors.
The Golden Rule
Any action or behavior that causes significant interference with convention operations, excessive discomfort to other attendees, or adversely affects Awoostria’s relationship with its guests, its venues or the public is strictly forbidden and may result in permanent suspension of attendance. 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.
We do not tolerate harassment of any kind.
Please be aware that the spaces around the hotel are public areas, and that there may be people 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.
Attendees are required to always have their badge on display in the convention exclusive areas. Fursuiters are not required to wear their badge openly but must have it with them.
Awoostria convention exclusive areas are open only to registered attendees, who are identified by their attendance badge. A badge is valid only for the person to whom it was issued and may not be shared.
Badges must be presented and / or surrendered to staff members upon request. Changing or obscuring information on your badge is not allowed and the lanyard issued with your badge must not be changed to one of a different color.
Knowingly aiding and abetting, or otherwise enabling an individual that does not have a valid attendance badge for the Awoostria convention to enter convention exclusive areas will result in permanent revocation of Awoostria attendance privileges for all parties involved.
General Behavior Rules
No items of any kind may be hung, thrown, flown, or dropped from the hotels balconies or patios.
Only handheld glowsticks are permitted at the dances. Glowsticks on strings or on poles must be cleared with the Awoostria Security Service before being used.
Please do not sleep in the convention areas; return to your hotel room or home.
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".
Gas cylinders or any other high-pressure containers, regardless of content or size, are not permitted anywhere in the convention exclusive areas without written authorization by the Awoostria Security Service.
Personal music players such as Bluetooth speakers or boom boxes may not be used in a way that may disturb any bystanders.
Do not leave empty bottles, glasses, or other trash behind. Please clean up after yourself.
Please do not affix anything to the walls or doors in the hotel, to the elevators, or to Awoostria signage.
Display of adult materials (such as signs, flyers, business cards, badges, stickers, posters, and drawings) is not permitted in public areas of the hotel.
Unaccompanied cups, bottles, any types of beverages, any type of food, will be removed by Awoostria Staff for safety reasons.
Pets and Animals
The only Animal that is allowed to be brought to the hotel are dogs. Dogs can be taken into your Room (for additional cleaning fees) and to the Lobby as well as Public accessible hotel areas. Dogs are not allowed into Con-space.
Service Dogs are allowed to accompany an attendee on all premises. You are obligated to provide a license for your service dog upfront of the convention. This must be cleared by the convention ahead of time in all cases.
Sales of Goods and Services
The sale of any kind of goods and services outside the authorized parts of the convention exclusive areas requires explicit permission by the Awoostria Board of Directors.
Clothing Guidelines
Any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as masks, if required by venue or other Awoostria policies, must be worn.
Wearing costumes, accessories or displaying items made from real fur is not allowed.
To prevent damage to costumes and venue property, body paint requires an individual permission to be obtained at the Security Office. Face makeup does not require permission, but please be careful!
When in public areas of the hotel, attendees may not wear clothing or accessories which are overly revealing, inappropriate to the atmosphere of the convention, or likely to draw reasonable complaint or offense. This includes clothing or accessories that are obviously fetish related.
When in convention exclusive areas, attendees may not wear clothing or costumes which are visibly "anatomically correct" or indecently revealing the wearers own private anatomy.
Please keep in mind that your behavior reflects on the fandom as a whole. All convention exclusive areas and daytime convention programming are considered to be rated PG-13 at all times. Some events may be rated non-PG, sometimes also referred to as "After Dark or AD" events. Those may feature mature topics and will be properly marked on our schedule and on site. A "relaxed dress code" may be defined to be used for those events.
Smoking, Alcohol, and other Substances
Smoking is not permitted inside the hotel area. This includes vaping. Smokers are asked to use designated smoking areas, to properly dispose of cigarette butts, and to comply with any other venue rules.
You are expected to drink responsibly. You will be held accountable for what you do, under the influence or not. Persons who are intoxicated to the point of incapacitation will be removed from the event area 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.
Weapons
You may not carry any weapons anywhere on the premises of the hotel 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 Austrian weapon laws like i.e., Kubotans, pepper / cs spray, alarm guns (even with permit) and any other object deemed too dangerous by Awoostria Security.
All weapon look-alikes, LARP props, replicas, tools, and weapon like toys must be checked and approved in the Security Office immediately after your registration on site.
Awoostria Security Service may require your weapon to be peace-bond. Tampering with the peace bonding will invalidate the clearance immediately.
No water pistols, silly string, or any thrown, flown, or projectile item (i.e., NERF guns) may be used in any area of the hotel.
Mock fights, swordplay, fire breathing, or similarly dangerous activities are not allowed. Exceptions for staged events may be granted by Awoostria Security. Please inquire ahead of time, preferably before the convention.
Harassment, Hate Speech, and Symbols
Harassment of any kind, including physical assault, battery, deliberate intimidation, stalking, or unwelcome physical attention, will not be tolerated.
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 VerbotsG 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
Awoostria - Verein zur Förderung der Subkultur der Darstellung von anthropomorphen Mischwesen reserves all rights to video and photo material gathered at the hotel. Awoostria - Verein zur Förderung der Subkultur der Darstellung von anthropomorphen Mischwesen 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 Awoostria camera teams (identified by a "Awoostria 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 are not allowed in the Art Show, the Fursuit Lounge and other "headless 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 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 Awoostria a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.