Event Policies and Procedures
GASLIGHT STEAMPUNK EXPO EVENT POLICIES:
Gaslight Steampunk Expo is a family-friendly, responsible convention that takes pride in providing its members with both a weekend full of wonderful entertainment and a safe place to socialize and have a good time with the greater Steampunk community. To that end, the following code of conduct and convention policies are in place to ensure a safe and secure environment for all of our guests. By purchasing a ticket for the Gaslight Steampunk Expo, all guests acknowledge that the registrant will follow all of these policies at all times.
Should you experience any form of harassment or note any violations of policy, please report any incidents to the Gaslight Steampunk Expo Operations Center during the event or send an email to gaslightexpo@gmail.com.
NEW: EVENT COVID 19 REQUIREMENTS – Please read!
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the State of California strongly recommends that all guests be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to attending any indoor convention, festival or expo. Unvaccinated individuals should not travel or attend large indoor gatherings during the current rise of the Delta variant.
Due to the recent increase of COVID cases in San Diego County, EVERYONE attending Gaslight Steampunk Expo will be required to wear a proper mask that it at least two layers while inside convention spaces including the vendor hall, workshop rooms, programming rooms, indoor walkway, gaming lounge, maker room, and VIP Lounge.
Gaslight Expo COVID Policies:
- EVERYONE IS REQUIRED to wear a proper face mask while inside indoor event space at Gaslight Steampunk Expo.
- A proper face mask is a minimum of two layers that covers both your nose and mouth. It may be purchased or handmade. Single layer masks such as gaiters, bandanas, or masks with valves will not be allowed.
- The CDC recommends that anyone unvaccinated should not travel or attend indoor high risk events.
- There will be many outdoor areas setup for guests to sit outside near the Vendor Hall and West Lawn for attendees to unmask and get some air.
- Guests who are immune compromised are absolutely encouraged to wear a face mask at all times during the event and should seriously consider not attending to protect their health.
- If you cannot wear a mask, you should not attend. There will be no exceptions. Please contact us at the email below if you have questions.
If you have any questions about this revised policy, please email us at info@gaslightexpo.org.
FIREARMS POLICY
As of this time, all steampunk weapons are allowed at the event with the exception of: NO REAL FIREARMS. NO REPLICA FIREARMS WITHOUT AN ORANGE TIP. NO LIVE AMMUNITION. As this is an all ages and family friendly event, we do encourage you to find other steamy substitutions for your firearms including: Modified Nerf or obviously plastic guns with Orange tip, lawn flamingos, wands, plush animals, creative signs (Pew! Pew! Pew!), candy bars, parasols, fans, or other imaginative props that do NOT look like guns.
We recognize that costume-related weapons are sometimes an important part of the costume experience, so Gaslight Steampunk Expo has the following weapons policy for costume-related weapons in place:
• Bladed weapons must be cased, sheathed, and peace bonded at all times. Canes, armor, mechanical arms, and bandoliers (no live ammunition is permitted) are allowed. Please get your firearm weapons peace-bonded in the Fairfield Room.
• There will be absolutely no play-acting with props in the public areas.
• Explosives or chemicals of any kind including, but not limited to, live ammunition, smoke powder, sparklers, and fireworks, are not permitted at the con.
Peace-bonding is the act of making it clear that your weapon cannot be used (either by a brightly colored tie, or trigger lock) and that your intentions are peaceful. In order to display a costume related weapon on your costume, your weapon must be peace-bonded; to do so, it must be brought to the Gaslight Steampunk Expo Convention Operations in the Fairfield room (see event map). Do not presume that the peacebonding from another or a previous convention will do. Items producing light or sound must be checked with ConOps for decisions about peace-bonding.
These rules apply solely to costume weaponry. Gaslight Steampunk Expo does not permit any real weapons to be used or brought to the convention at all as per our general policies above; violation of this rule will require immediate reporting to proper authorities.
GENERAL CONVENTION POLICIES
The following activities will not be tolerated during the Gaslight Steampunk Expo conventions:
• Physical or verbal harassment of other members, guests of the convention, convention workers, the public or hotel staff
• Sexual misconduct, such as indecent exposure, offensive touching, or other sexual harassment
• Engaging in disruptive and unsafe behavior that disturbs other members, guests of the convention, convention workers, the public or hotel staff
• Possession or use of any illegal drug, narcotic or banned substance
• Possession or use of any item defined as a weapon, illegal or not, with the exception of costume weapons (as defined in our Weapons Policy, below)
• Distribution of alcoholic beverages to any person under the age of 21
• Disruptive or inappropriate behavior, or any engagement in activity prohibited by law
• Any act which could result in substantial risk of harm to people or property
Please note that harassment is any behavior that intentionally overwhelms, threatens, or alarms another person. This includes any unwanted physical contact, verbal sexual comments toward a non-consenting adult or toward any minor, following someone without a legitimate reason, or threatening to physically harm someone.
Remember, if someone approaches you and you tell them to leave you alone, their business with you is done. If they do not leave you alone as you have requested, their actions may be grounds for a complaint of harassment. Gaslight Steampunk Expo will investigate all harassment claims to the best of our ability. Gaslight Steampunk Expo is committed to providing a harassment-free convention experience for everyone regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion.
Violation of any of these policies will result in consequences up to and including the revocation of an attendee’s membership without refund; a possible permanent ban from all future Gaslight Steampunk Expo events; and contact with appropriate legal authorities. Gaslight Steampunk Expo reserves the right to deal with each matter individually, in a manner deemed fit by its Board of Directors.
COURTESY POLICY
Gaslight Steampunk Expo requires all convention attendees to abide by our Courtesy Policy, which is the exhibition of courteous behavior to fellow attendees. We require cooperation on the following rules of conduct during our convention:
• Cellphones and other electronic devices must be silenced or turned off while attendees are in our programming and video rooms
• Attendees must remain quiet during panels and not speak amongst themselves, except when participating in discussion with the panel
• Parents with small children who disturb the audience during any of the presentations or special events should depart the program room they are in immediately and are welcome to return when they have quieted down
• Attendees wearing hats or tall costumes should remove them when sitting in a panel room so the view of other attendees is not blocked
• When panel rooms have closed their doors due to hallway noise, attendees are asked to open and close the doors quietly
• Attendees (including costumed attendees and attendees inside other mechanical objects) immediately outside the doors to a programming room must keep their voices at a reasonable level so as not to disturb the program
• Attendees are asked to respect other attendees by not disrupting or intruding in their private conversations, videotaping/photography sessions, podcasting/recording sessions, or other activities
Additionally, attendees must respect personal boundaries of each of our guests, and are therefore asked to ensure the following:
• Attendees may not monopolize the time of a particular guest, either in an autograph line or in any other setting
• Attendees are asked to practice discretion when approaching a guest in a social setting (i.e. the bar/restaurants), so as to not intrude upon the guest’s existing conversations or personal time (including dining)
REGISTRATION POLICY
REFUNDS: Tickets are non-refundable, however, they may be transferred to another person. If you are unable to attend due to medical or other “Act of God” like fire, etc., please see the Registration Deferral section below.
**NO TICKETS WILL BE MAILED TO YOU. YOU WILL PICK UP YOUR BADGES AT OUR REGISTRATION AREA AT THE EVENT.
Registration Transfers: We allow a registration to be transferred to another person at any time without restriction. To do so, send an email to the Registrant at gaslightexpo@gmail.com with the following information: your name and email address, the name and email address of the person to whom the registration is being transferred, and the receipt number from the email receipt received upon initial registration. Registration may not be sold to another person except at the original cost it was purchased. Also, we do permit a registration to be upgraded, i.e. child to teen/teen to adult/child to adult, but not downgraded to a lower tier; to do so, please contact us via the Contact Us page on our website.
Registration Deferral: We do not defer memberships from one year to another, except on a case by case basis due to extreme emergency situations, such as medical emergencies or “acts of God”, and only if the request is made ahead of time; we will not do so after the convention! Deferrals must be discussed via email and are never guaranteed.
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOTAPING
Photography and videotaping of other activities including general cosplay, personal photos/video of our guests and presenters, etc, are acceptable provided that subjects being photographed or videotaped give their consent. You may not photograph or videotape anywhere that may disrupt events or the flow of foot traffic. Should any convention guest or staff member request that videotaping of a particular event/item be discontinued, attendees are to comply with this request immediately.
BADGES & IDENTIFICATION
Registrants will pick up their convention badge upon arrival at the convention facility (there are no tickets mailed). Convention badges must be visible at all times on your person. Individuals without badges will not be granted access to convention space or any other function rooms in the hotel in which convention operations are occurring. A member of the convention staff who does not see your badge visible upon your person may ask you to make certain it is visible, or ask you to leave the convention space.
A fee will be charged for replacing a lost badge; replacement badges will be authorized by our Registration desk. Should a lost badge be located later, Registration may refund the cost of the lost badge, provided such recovery has occurred on the same day.
COSTUMING & ATTIRE
Gaslight Steampunk Expo reserves the right to deem a costume unacceptable and request the wearer to make modifications as necessary. This convention is a family-friendly event. Please keep this in mind when choosing costumes and allow common sense and good taste to prevail. Button down cotton shirts and vests are definitely encouraged for those who wish to stay casual, yet in theme, for our event.
All attendees are required by the hotel to wear approved footwear while in the convention space, which includes shoes, sandals, flip-flops or slippers. Bare feet are not allowed.
LOST & FOUND
Please visit the Convention Operations Room at the event to turn in or seek any items that may have been lost or found. The hotel has their own separate Lost & Found that can be requested at the Front Desk or Hotel Security.
LIABILITY
Gaslight Steampunk Expo and/or the San Diego Speculative Fiction Society, Inc. (SANSFIS), Inc. are not responsible for any loss, damage, theft, or injury with regard to any attendee at any time. Attendees are responsible for their individual actions and any repercussions that may result. Civil or medical emergencies must be reported to hotel Loss Prevention staff who will contact the proper authorities.
DISCLAIMER
Gaslight Steampunk Expo is NOT affiliated with Gaslight Gathering or any CAASM Inc. sponsored events.
Updated: August 23, 2022
