We want all participants to be as happy and as comfortable as possible, and strongly recommend you read the Code of Conduct carefully, as it attempts to outline some differences in the law, set some behavioural expectations, and provide basic guidelines for participation at Worldcon 75 and associated events and spaces.
Worldcon 75 is an international gathering and subject to Finnish law, which can differ from the law many participants may be used to. All participants (including, but not limited to, supporting and attending members, staff, dealers, and guests), are expected to abide by this Code of Conduct.
To encourage an environment of safety for everyone, the Code of Conduct is to be followed at any Worldcon 75 associated events or spaces, physical or virtual, up to and during Worldcon 75 itself. Advocating for or encouraging violation of the Code of Conduct, venue rules or the Finnish law is forbidden.
Worldcon 75 has a Finnish-style Code of Conduct, which includes everything from venue rules to how to behave towards other people. The Code of Conduct also includes general legal regulations related to alcohol and smoking. At Finnish conventions, these are usually combined to one long text, but we have divided them into two sections, separating the venue rules and legal regulations from the rules of conduct.
Worldcon 75 is an ask-first convention with an emphasis on consent; what we mean by this is that people, particularly strangers to each other, should ask and receive explicit consent for interactions between them. This will assist in avoiding misunderstandings caused by cultural or regional differences in social expectations and can be as simple as “Is that seat free, may I join you?” or “That costume is fantastic, may I take a photo?”.
The purpose of the Code of Conduct is to help ensure the comfort and safety of all participants at Worldcon 75 and, importantly, let us all have fun! The goal of the Code of Conduct is not to list everything that is forbidden, as an exhaustive list would be unwieldy. Rather, the Code of Conduct is meant to foster a common understanding of acceptable behaviour between people of various different backgrounds and nationalities, gathering together at Worldcon 75.
Reporting an Incident
Please report incidents, misbehaviour, and other problems, as soon as possible. Pre-convention concerns or reports can be emailed to safety@worldcon.fi.
At-convention safety contact details will be added closer to Worldcon 75. All concerns brought to the convention staff will be taken seriously, and confidentiality will be maintained within Finnish legal requirements.
During the convention an incident may be reported in person in a number of ways at the convention:
- At the Security/Ops office located halfway up the ramp towards Hall 5;
- To the Info Desk;
- To the Exhibits Desk;
- To Programme Ops;
- To Volunteers Desk;
- To any member of Worldcon75 staff.
In all of these situations you can opt to either remain where you are or be accompanied to another part of the convention. A member of the Listener Team will join you in that location.
You can also email turva@worldcon.fi and we will respond to arrange a suitable time and place to fully record the incident.
If a Code of Conduct concern is raised, a trained Listener will document relevant details and discuss as needed. A person reporting a concern may choose to have someone they trust with them at any point during this process. Any breach of this Code of Conduct will be discussed separately and privately with the individuals involved, where possible. Best efforts will be made to make same-day decisions regarding the situation and to take appropriate action, with priority given to the safety of convention members.
Appropriate action includes, but is not limited to, verbal or written warning, requiring a guarantee regarding specific behaviour, dismissal from committee, staff, programming or volunteering, banning from one or more areas of the convention for anywhere from an hour to the rest of the convention, or complete revocation of membership. If any of the involved parties are dissatisfied with the action(s) taken, they can appeal this with the Turva Division Head and Deputy Division Head (turva@worldcon.fi), the Chairs team of Worldcon 75 (chairs@worldcon.fi) or to Maa ja Ilma ry (hallitus@worldcon.fi), the parent organisation of the convention.
Instructions issued by security personnel (licensed “Järjestyksenvalvoja” staff of the convention and/or Messukeskus convention centre), venue staff, convention committee, police and other authorised personnel are to be followed in all situations. According to Finnish law, licensed security personnel have the right to remove any person from Worldcon 75 for violating the Code of Conduct, harassing other people, or in other ways behaving inappropriately.
