Creating Safe Virtual Conventions

As a convention organizer, having a safe, welcoming community event is a priority, and that does not change when the event is held online! Here are some suggestions for how to make a virtual event as safe as possible.

Zoom call with coffee

Code of conducts and harassment policies

• Make the code of conduct clear, readable, and easy to understand.
• Include zero tolerance harassment policies — make it clear to attendees that such behavior will not be tolerated. This way, attendees can attend the event feeling assured that the leaders won’t accept such behavior.
• Include guidelines for being respectful of other attendees (i.e. respect choices of attire, respect boundaries).
• Establish that the convention is an inclusive space for people of all genders, races, abilities, sexualities, etc..
• Include the importance of event privacy- it is important that links and passwords to enter are not shared with individuals who are not registered for the event.
• Use waiting room style features to ensure that everyone entering the event is registered and has recognized the code of conduct.
• Harassment can often occur through private messages over event spaces- encourage attendee connection, but ensure that it is specifically clear in the code of conduct that harassment over DM would still be a violation of event policies.

Reporting harassment

• Ensure event leaders are actively online during the event and that these leaders are there to respond to any reports. At the beginning of the event, establish who the online admins are for the event, and how to contact them.
• Provide a variety of ways to report harassment- perhaps via email, chat, and an online anonymous form. Since the event is online, make it as easy as possible to get in touch with an admin.
• Ensure online staff are trained to understand the code of conduct and how to apply it.

Gender inclusivity

• Make the language in con materials gender inclusive to create a welcoming and safe environment for people of all genders
• Having an online space provides the opportunity for pronouns to be present next to the names of speakers and panelists. If possible on the platform, allow attendees to include their pronouns in their profile as well. Normalize use of pronouns without pressuring attendees to share information about their gender identity they are not comfortable with

Accessibility

• One of the great things about online events can be accessibility- people can log in from wherever they are, but it is still important to be proactive.
• Ensure your programming is accessible to people of all abilities- ie, ASL Interpreters, Captions, etc. When the sessions are pre-recorded it can be even easier to require captions to be included as part of the recorded material. Consider securing a license to an auto-captioning software (ex: Loom, Veed) to support presenters in captioning their content.
• Proactively share accessibility accommodations and provide an option for attendees to share what accommodations they need as part of registration.
• Because so much your online events may depend on visual and audio experiences, include image descriptions, transcripts of events- in as many languages as you can!
• Consider providing a recording of all major sessions so attendees can explore them later. This allows attendees to experience events on whatever timeline is best for them. It may work best to only keep the recordings up for a few weeks to encourage attendees to catch up soon after the event.

After the con

• Survey attendees to understand how you can improve including how to improve accessibility, safety, and inclusivity of your con for future years.
• Use feedback to plan for next time.

Uplift is dedicated to combatting sexual violence in online fandom spaces through education and advocacy. Can we help you make your next event better? Contact us at conresources.org.

Read more resources at uplifttogether.org