CONvergence Policies

CONvergence policies are designed to ensure that you have a safe and fun convention. If you have questions about any of these policies, please contact us via email (ops@convergence-con.org) or stop by The Bridge during the convention. You can also contact the Board directly by sending email to board@convergence-con.org.

Emergencies and First Aid

Although we do not provide direct first-aid services, we are always willing and able to help should an emergency arise. Call us at x7215. For serious medical emergencies, call the hotel front desk from the room you are in or any hotel house phone, or ask for aid in obtaining help from the nearest Convention Committee member or hotel staff.

Badges

Your convention badge is necessary for your participation in convention activities. It allows you access to the convention areas and proves you are a member. CONvergence reserves the right to revoke the membership of any member who breaks the rules, or acts in a manner that is unsafe or unacceptable.

City, County, State and Federal Laws

Please remember -- If it's a law outside the convention, it's a law inside it. (Sorry...if we could teleport the whole shebang to another dimension where anything goes, we'd do it. Unfortunately, we're still a few years away from the perfection of such a device, so you'll just have to be patient and put up with the vagaries of this Solar System.)

Lost Children/Lost Parents

Parents: please, please, please know your childrens' badge names. If you misplace your offspring, call the Bridge at x7215 or come to us in Verandas 6 & 8 and let us know. We're pretty good at finding them. Our young fans have an extraordinary network and they love to be of help! If you have a picture, it would be very helpful. Also, talk to your children as soon after check-in as possible. Make sure they know the phone numbers for the Bridge and the front desk of the hotel, and how to identify, locate and use a hotel house phone. Your children will be less prone to panic if they know how to find safe, reliable help should you get separated in a crowd.

To Our Guests: If you find a lost child, contact the Bridge at x7215. Please do not attempt to move the child or bring him/her to the Bridge as it may cause misunderstandings. We'll be happy to send people to help locate the parents. Sit with the child and talk calmly to him/her until help arrives.

Lost Badges

If you lose your badge, go to the Registration department (which has moved to that lobby area in between the two sets of whooshing doors this year) for help in replacing it. If they're closed, come to the Bridge in Verandas 6 & 8 and we will page someone for you. Please bring picture identification.

Lost and Found

If you find something, bring it to the Bridge in Verandas 6 & 8. If you've lost something, find out if your personal lost-article deity is looking favorably upon you by coming to the Bridge. We'll look in our box o' stuff for whatever you're missing. You might be surprised how often we come up with the goodies! If no one has turned in your something, you can leave a description and contact information so we can reunite should someone turn it in.

Unclaimed Lost and Found Items

Found items from previous years which have not been returned by the end of the new convention become the property of CONvergence and will be divided into three categories and disposed of as follows:

1. Donate to GPS Silent Auction - Items which are deemed "nifty" by the discerning eye of the Ops staff will be donated to the Silent Auction
2. Donate to charity - Items which are usable but not "nifty" will be turned over to GPS for their annual fund-raising garage sale or given to some other charity.
3. Dispose - Items of a private nature (checkbooks, exposed film, etc. will be destroyed to protect the privacy of the former owner.

So, to clarify, if you lost something at CONvergence last year, you have until the end of this year's convention to claim it. If you don¹t claim it during that time, it may appear in next year's Silent Auction. Ops will also try to contact you if there is any useful information on the item.

If you lost something at at CONvergence last year and want to be proactive, please contact Ops at ops@convergence-con.org and we'll make sure it doesn't end up in the Silent Auction.

Smoking... er, well, No Smoking.

Smoking is not permitted in the hotel. By hotel policy, smoking is prohibited in all of the official spaces CONvergence inhabits, including all of the party rooms.

Pet/Animal Policy

Pets are not allowed at CONvergence. This means NO dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, snakes, lizards, etc. While one pet is usually not a problem, we would soon have many pet related problems if we allowed them. During our convention the Sheraton Bloomington follows CONvergence policy on pets, not their regular policy.

An exception is made for Service Animals such as Seeing Eye Dogs, Guide Dogs, and other Helper or Aid Animals, which are allowed. These are easily recognizable as Working Animals with appropriate harness. Some even have logos or signs as part of their apparel stating that they are Working Animals. For more information on Service Animals as defined by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), please visit http://www.usa-people-search.com/content-service-animal-law-and-discrimination-facts.aspx.

Because of CONvergence's No Pets policy, we foresee that a Service Animal's owner would face constant reminders that animals are not allowed and requests to remove the animal from convention space and the hotel. We would like to help avoid any inconvenience and confusion by providing badges for the Service Animal to be worn by the animal or carried by the owner that would readily identify to our staff that the animal is a recognized exception to the policy.

Registration is working with Operations regarding service animals. Make sure you see a Registration Head (or their designated subhead) when you pick up your badge, and a badge will be issued for the Service Animal at no charge. If you do not get a badge for your service animal at that time, come to the Bridge (verandas 6 & 8) and Registration will be called.

The goal of the convention and its staff is not to single out individuals that use service animals or to keep those individuals from participating in the convention. Our goal is actually quite the opposite. We want ALL of our members to have the best convention experience possible.

Pool Area

CONvergence does not provide lifeguards for the normal hours that the pool area is open. Please keep a close eye on your children and read the posted signs. We have been able to provide lifeguards for the late-night, extended hours of the pool. This is done on a volunteer basis, when a volunteer is available. These hours are for the use of adults attending the convention, and is not a place for children (generally after 10 p.m.). We reserve the right to ask that children be removed, or not allowed entry.

Litter

Please pick up after yourself. There are trash and recycling containers around the hotel and it makes a big difference if we try to keep things clean.

Adhesives and Posters

You may post non-adhesive signs with low-tack tape, specifically beige masking tape, on hotel surfaces such as painted or wallpapered walls, tile and metal in approved areas. The removal of any other type of adhesive is damaging and will be treated as vandalism by the hotel. This is a requirement of the hotel, therefore not open for interpretation or debate. If signs are posted using any other kind of tape, they will be removed and taken to the Bridge.

Weapons Policy

We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable time while at CONvergence, so please leave your weapons in your quarters. Otherwise, please adhere to the following policy, or risk being ‘uninvited’ to the convention, without refund from the convention or the hotel.

1. Firearms are not allowed, nor are working projectile weapons (see #9 below for clarification).
2. Bladed weapons must be sheathed and peace-bonded (see #9 below for clarification) and cannot be drawn under any circumstances.
3. Realistic looking firearms must be holstered and peace-bonded and cannot be drawn under any circumstances. If they cannot be peace-bonded, they are not allowed.
4. Non-realistic looking firearms must be holstered and peace-bonded if possible.
5. Non-realistic looking firearms that cannot be holstered cannot be pointed at any other member of the convention under any circumstances. These weapons must be marked (see #9 below for clarification).
6. Any costume that contains realistic looking firearms and gives the appearance of a member of law enforcement will not be permitted as the potential is too great to create confusion for other members of the convention.
7. Costumes such as those listed in rule #6 or accompanied by weaponry that would not be permitted under the other rules may be worn when the wearer is participating in a convention function or programming item such as the Masquerade or other programming item. They may only be worn for the duration of the function.
8. The CONvergence Board of Directors reserves the right to amend these policies without prior notice and any ruling made by the Board of Directors is final.
9. Clarifications:
   • Projectile weapons - If it projects a solid, liquid, gas or energy, it is considered a working projectile weapon. Laser-light pistols emit a beam that can be damaging to the corneas. Under this policy, it is a working projectile weapon. Water pistols are allowed only if they are empty and must be holstered and peace-bonded or marked according to rule #3, #4 or #5.
   • Peace-bonding - A peace-bonded weapon is one tied to its sheath, holster or container with a functional, decorative binding. It prevents someone else from taking your weapon without permission and is a traditional and visible sign to everyone that you are a responsible person. We will have peace-bonding material on the Bridge for those who need it.
   • Marking - Non-realistic looking firearms that cannot be holstered under rule #5 will have peace-bonding material tied to the weapon as a visible sign that it’s been checked out and approved by the Exec or one of the Heads of Operations. We will have marking material available on the Bridge for those who need it.