Anime Expo® expects a reasonable level of behavior (code of conduct) from all attendees attending this year’s events. Please be considerate of your fellow attendees, Anime Expo® staff, volunteers, hotel and convention center staff, as well as other non-AX hotel guests and attendees to other conventions.
All attendees of Anime Expo® are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct. Violations may result in suspension of membership, expulsion, or permanent ban from the Anime Expo® Convention(s). Any attendee caught breaking a state, local, or federal law in an Anime Expo® function area or event will have their badge confiscated, and will be reported to the local authorities. The SPJA reserves the right to revise the Code of Conduct at any time.
- General
- Costumes and Clothing
- Harassment and Assault
- Buying, Selling, and Solicitation
- Prohibition Against the Use of Signs
- Parties, Alcohol, and Zero Drug Tolerance
- Water Pistols, Silly String, and Weapons
- Photography and Videotape
- If you need Assistance…
Anime Expo® strives to give as many people as possible a fun time. Most of the convention is for general audiences (PG-13 or less). Please be prepared to show your badge any time you need access to convention space or events – it identifies you as a fully-paid attendee of the convention.
Anime Expo® hopes that each attendee enjoys the fun that our event and our wide-ranging community can provide. Please consider how your actions reflect on the convention and how they may impact or affect others, and respect others enjoyment and sensibilities. Use your common sense in public areas; if you wonder at all about whether it is appropriate to do something in public, or you notice others are uncomfortable with your costume or activities, take it to your hotel room. We take pride in our appearance and we want you to do so as well while still having fun. To this effect, if Anime Expo becomes aware of any of our attendees engaging in illegal activities either in convention space or in private hotel rooms, we will be forced to inform the proper authorities. Please refer to the City, State, and Federal laws for reference.
Although this year we are using a significant amount of the event/convention space at the Los Angeles Convention Center and surrounding hotels, please keep in mind that there are always other guests of the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the surrounding hotels. Offending the hotels’ other guests is inappropriate. Impressing them with how much fun and enthusiasm we have for our fandom IS appropriate. What you consider to be acceptable behavior may not be so for others. Consideration of others is the hallmark of a mature individual and a healthy fandom. We encourage that courtesy be extended to others in the vicinity from all participants in our community.
Safety and security matters are generally handled by Los Angeles Convention Center Security. Los Angeles Convention Center security can be contacted through convention staff. Security and convention staff may ask you to stop an activity or to move it to a private room. Repeat offenders may even be required to surrender their badges and to leave the convention premises. We ask our attendees to comply with requests promptly.
Public exposure of genitalia, buttocks or (female) breasts is not permitted. When choosing and creating your costume, please keep in mind the constraints of local laws and customs concerning public decency. Just because an anime character wears only a face mask, you may not do so. Sturdy and fitted costumes are required; you should not be falling out of your costume and it should not be falling apart around you. Also, remember to have proper support such as bras and athletic cups, especially if you plan to be physically active, i.e., dancing or running.
“No” means “no.” “Stop” means “stop.” “Go away” means “go away.” If someone is harassing you and does not respect these simple rules, contact a member of Los Angeles Convention Center Security or convention staff. Convention staff and security personnel have the right to remove an attendee’s badge for not following these rules and their commands, and may eject a person from the convention. Harassment is any behavior that seriously annoys or alarms another person. This includes unwanted physical contact, following someone in a public area, verbal assaults, or threatening physical violence. An offender may lose their badge and the matter may be referred to the proper law enforcement authorities. If you are being harassed, immediately contact security, or a nearby member of staff.
• Buying, Selling, and Solicitation
Anime Expo® has a few main areas where merchandise is sold – the Anime Expo® Merchandise Booth, the Exhibitors’ Hall, and the AniMatsuri / Art Show / Artist Alley area. Anyone who receives payment for goods in convention space must comply with all the convention’s rules regarding this. For any sale of merchandise, the exhibitor rules apply, regardless of the location, and vendors must ensure they have a California Seller’s Permit. Other restrictions may apply.
Anime Expo® takes very seriously its obligations in this area. Any solicitation, whether verbally or using signage, for monetary payment or exchange of services at the convention that does not comply with these restrictions may result in the offender losing their badge, the requirement to return all payments, and expulsion from the convention area. Some examples of solicitation or sale that are prohibited are musicians requesting tips, setting up artwork for sale in the hotel lobby or in the halls, and passing out signs or cards to people soliciting their business in areas other then the aforementioned commerce areas. Please also note that certain solicitations are ILLEGAL and will result in membership badge forfeiture, and possible referral to the proper law enforcement authorities. Any solicitation or selling outside requires a street vendor license from the City of Los Angeles. Should you be caught engaging in uch activities, you may be ticketed and fined, as well as possibly sent to jail. Signs offering favors for sale such as kisses, hugs, dates, gropes, spankings, etc. Are strictly prohibited as they may be viewed as forms of prostitution. Attempts to circumvent any of these rules such as throwing money and merchandise on the ground and other such tactics are also prohibited.
• Prohibition Against the Use of Signs
All signs are prohibited unless approved for specific use by Anime Expo®. This is to reiterate Anime Expo®’s policy against solicitation and to help maintain a safe convention environment. We understand that signs may be part of certain costumes, but cosplaying is not an exception from the prohibition. Unapproved signs will be confiscated and/or destroyed. Repeat offenses may lead to your being required to forfeit your attendee badge and result in a ban from the convention.
• Parties, Alcohol and Zero Drug Tolerance
Anime Expo® does not tolerate intoxication or the serving of alcohol to minors. If you are hosting a party where alcohol is being served, it is your responsibility as host to ensure that the age of anyone drinking alcohol is checked. You should also designate someone not to drink, so that there is a fully competent person present to deal with any emergencies that might arise.
Anime Expo® DOES NOT tolerate the use or abuse of illegal substances in or around Anime Expo®.
Violation of these policies could subject you to the immediate loss of your badge and convention privileges and referral of the matter to law enforcement authorities. The last thing we want is for someone attending our convention to end up in the hospital, or even worse, dead.
• Water Pistols, Silly String, and Weapons
Due to the potential damage to property, filled water guns, silly string and the like are prohibited in public areas of the hotel or convention space.
If it looks like a real gun in any way, shape, or form, it should not be brought to the convention. Replica weapons and their use and possession is strictly regulated by the State of California. You must scrupulously adhere to the Anime Expo® Weapons Policy and all applicable laws. This applies to and includes Airsoft.
There should be no “live” steel or whips being wielded in any area of the convention. If a bladed weapon or whip is part of your costume, please have it peace bonded. This can be done with any Access Control member at any time. Look for the people in the Red Vests. You must comply with Anime Expo®’s Weapons Policy. For futher details please see Anime Expo®’s Weapons Policy.
Anime Expo® wants you to have great memories from a fantastic convention. Photographs and videotape footage by attendees are generally allowed in all common areas of the convention with the exception of the Art Show. Specific rules and restrictions regarding video, audio, and photography apply to certain other events. Please consult the program guide at the convention for information relating to specific restricted events, and pay attention to signs or announcements regarding restrictions when entering a panel or event room. When photographing or videotaping individuals or costumes, please use common courtesy and ask before photographing them. Please respect their rights if they do not wish to be photographed or videotaped. If someone asks or otherwise indicates (remember many folks in costume do not speak English) that they do not wish to be photographed, DO NOT PHOTOGRAPH THEM.
Photography or videography of Anime Expo® events, staff, or attendees for the purpose of sale, or publication to the press is expressly forbidden unless written permission has been obtained from Anime Expo® and the SPJA as well as the Los Angeles Convention Center in accordance with its press policy. Individuals may take pictures and videotapes for private viewing. We ask our attendees to be courteous to those they wish to take pictures of, especially if you wish to place those pictures or video clips onto a personal web page or similar Internet archive. In this case, please ask your subjects for their explicit permission to post their image, or video. Please also identify all images, soundbites and clips of Anime Expo® events as Anime Expo® events.
Attendees should also be aware that footage of the convention and attendees is gathered by staff members, including public areas, events, and panels, and may be used in a highlights tape, marketing endeavor or other use. Acceptance of an Anime Expo® membership constitutes consent to be filmed or photographed by Anime Expo® staff or approved industry or media during the Anime Expo® event without compensation to you. Your acceptance of a membership and attendance at any Anime Expo® event, including the convention, constitutes a grant of rights to Anime Expo® to reproduce, display, distribute, perform, create derivative works from and otherwise use any footage or parts of the footage that it affixes in any media and in any manner throughout the world in perpetuity, including on the internet, broadcast, satellite and other transmissions.
These rules apply to all attendees (exhibitors, guests, press, or any level of regular membership). All members of the press and staff are additionally required to conform to Anime Expo®’s Press Policy and we encourage attendees to become familiar with those rules as well.
During the convention, comments, complaints or basic assistance can requested from either Information Services (Check your Event Map or program guide for location) or in case of more serious or specific issues you may be directed to Convention Operations (Con Ops). We will make reasonable efforts to address any problem brought to us, but we cannot address complaints we are unaware of. We will happily accept compliments as well, and if brought to Information Services, they can be relayed on to the rest of the staff at the close of the convention. There will be a general convention feedback panel at the end of the convention where we will discuss how to improve future events.
If you would like to speak with someone on the Executive staff it is best to leave a message with Anime Expo® Convention Operations. Information Services can relay messages on to Convention Operations, or send you there directly. If you need immediate assistance, please don’t hesitate to approach anyone on the Anime Expo® staff. We are happy to assist you.
Thank you for reading over these guidelines and complying with them. We hope everyone will have a fun and safe convention at Anime Expo® 2008!
If you have any questions or comments regarding Anime Expo® policies, please use the contact form.
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