Gamehole Con Policies

Refund/Credit Policy

There are no refunds under any circumstances. 

If you are unsure about being able to either afford or attend our show, please do not buy a badge to our show. Like a concert ticket or a ticket to a sporting event, there will be no refunds.

However, we acknowledge that things happen. So, if you do buy a badge and/or game tickets and you have to cancel, we will credit your account with those amounts for you to use at a future Gamehole Con. The only limitation on this is that the request for a credit must be received by us by the close of Pre-Registration. After that, only game ticket returns will be honored in person at the show. There will be no badge returns after this point. Again, if you are unsure that you can either afford or attend our show, please do not buy a badge. 

Covid-19 Policy

As an event organizer, these are challenging times to craft a Covid policy that is acceptable to everyone. There is no question that the Covid virus is still present while at the same time, even many medical institutions are dropping their mask requirements.

As we have always done, we will continue to follow the guidelines and policies set forth from Public Health Dane County. Unless infection rates dramatically change as we approach the show, we most likely will not require either masks or proof of vaccination, consistent with current Public Health Madison & Dane County recommendations.

That said, mask wearing is encouraged and welcomed. We encourage everyone to respect the choices that individuals will make about their own masking.

Finally, keeping everyone safe when it comes to communicable illness at our show to a large extent is in all of your hands. If you are not feeling well at the time of the show, please stay home and do not attend Gamehole Con. If you become ill in the week the show starts, please notify us before Wednesday of the show by noon central time by sending us an email at contact@gameholecon.com and we will roll your badge over to the next year. This is the only way to be eligible for a roll over credit because of illness.

For your information, symptoms of Covid -19 include:

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

Despite the size of our show, we have had very few "con crud" or other illness related complaints secondary to attendance at Gamehole Con. This has less to do with our policies and much more about you all being responsible and making the right decision if you are feeling sick and electing to stay home. We have to look out for each other. As gamers, we know this better than most communities. Thank you.

Anti-Harassment Policy

If at any time during our show you feel unsafe or feel you were subjected to harassing conduct, please locate a staff member (always in orange shirts) and your concerns will be addressed immediately.

Gamehole Con seeks to provide a welcoming, fun, and safe convention and community. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Discriminatory language and imagery (including sexual) is not appropriate for any venue, including any game sessions and any community resources such as the Gamehole Con social media pages. Gamehole Con staff (in orange shirts) have both the power and the duty to investigate all reported incidents of harassment and to remove confirmed harassers from Gamehole Con venues both physical and virtual.

Harassment is understood as any behavior that threatens another person or group or produces an unsafe or un inclusive environment. It includes offensive verbal comments or non-verbal expressions related to gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religious beliefs, sexual or discriminatory images in public spaces (including online), deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. Advocating or encouraging any of the above is also considered harassment.

Harassment at Gamehole Con does not include respectful disagreement or critique offered in good faith. Gamehole Con reserves the right to alter or broaden its definition of harassment at its sole discretion.

Conflict Resolution

No one should tolerate any conduct of this type. Should you experience or witness harassment, you may choose to take any of the following actions:

  1.   If you feel safe and comfortable doing so, ask the offender to stop. Whether the offending behavior is intentional or unintentional, expressing your discomfort to the offender directly often puts a stop to that conduct. Oftentimes, the offending behavior is unintentional, and the accidental offender and offended will resolve the incident by ceasing the behavior and/or apologizing.
  2.   Leave the area. While this may be unfair to you, it is sometimes best for your safety and well-being if you to choose to leave the area, especially if you feel uncomfortable around the offender or their conduct. After separating yourself from the conduct, you may still choose to take additional actions.
  3.   If the offender insists that he/she did not offend, or if the offender continues the harassment after being asked to stop, then you will need a third party to step in. Find a Gamehole Con staff member (orange shirt) and let them know about the incident. Or, please email us at contact@gameholecon.com.
  4.   Contact the police or other appropriate authorities. Your health and safety is our most important concern. If you require immediate assistance from law enforcement, medical services, or other governmental entities, please do not hesitate to contact such services directly.

Investigation

Based on any informal or formal complaint or report of harassment, Gamhole Con may take the following steps. Note that this list is not exhaustive, and other appropriate action may be taken as necessary. That said, Gamehole Con staff (orange shirts) will investigate thoroughly any reported incidents of harassment, seeking private accounts of the incident from all concerned parties.

Read and investigate all reports. Reporting parties may be contacted for further clarifying information, unless they have submitted a report anonymously or asked to not be contacted further. Note that Gamehole Con will not share the results of these reports with anyone, including the person who filed the report, unless required by law.

Intercede if and when appropriate. Gamehole Con staff may take immediate action to address harassment concerns, including but not limited to, escorting participants to a location in which they feel safe, refunding tickets, cancelling events, moving event locations, requesting participants leave a specific area, removing offenders from the event, or banning offenders from the show. Bans and removals may be on a temporary basis, for the duration of the show, or permanent.

Contact police and medical authorities when appropriate. If, upon review, Gamehole Con finds that relevant local government officials should be notified, Gamehole Con may contact such entities and/or share confidential information as required by law.

Sanctions

Gamehole Con participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, staff may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender, expelling the offender from Gamehole Con, or banning the offender from the Gamehole Con user community.

Specific sanctions may include but are not limited to:

  •   Warning the harasser to cease their behavior and that any further reports will result in other sanctions
  • requiring that the harasser avoid any interaction with, and physical proximity to, their victim for the remainder of the event.
  •   Requiring that the harasser immediately leave Gamehole Con without refund and not return.
  •   Not allowing a person who violated the policy to attend future Gamehole Cons.
  •   Ending immediately any gaming events or other event responsibilities and privileges the harasser holds and requiring that the harasser not attend future Gamehole Cons (either indefinitely or for a certain time period)
  • publishing an account of the harassment.
  • 5)  Permanent ban from any Gamehole Con sponsored events or online services.
  • 6)  Reporting of the incident to the appropriate authorities.

Gamehole Con staff (orange shirts) will help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event.

We expect participants to follow these rules in all Gamehole Con venues, Gamehole Con-related social events, and online communication channels.

We value your participation in the Gamehole Con community, and your efforts to keep Gamehole Con a safe and friendly space for all participants!

Ethics & Conduct

Any of the following will be grounds for expulsion from the Gamehole Con without refund:

  • Violating any federal, state or local laws, facility rules or Con policies
  • Failure to comply with the instructions of Gamehole Con Event Staff or security personnel
  • Using anything in a threatening or destructive manner against person or property
  • Endangering the safety of oneself or others
  • Threatening, stealing, cheating or harassing others

If at any time during our show you feel unsafe or feel you were subjected to harassing conduct, please locate a staff member (always in orange shirts) and your concerns will be addressed immediately.

Gamehole Con's Code of Conduct applies in all physical spaces within Gamehole Con's control. This includes, but is not limited to, event venues and Gamehole Con social media pages. Occasionally Gamehole Con is made aware of behavior by participants (or potential participants) that has occurred outside of Gamehole Con, either online or offline, and is a gross violation of our Code of Conduct. These actions need not occur in Gamehole Con-affiliated spaces to be considered for sanctions by Gamehole Con. Gamehole Con expressly reserves the right to take any action, at Gamehole Con's discretion, that they deem necessary including banning the person or persons involved. These potential violations include, but are not limited to:

  1. Individuals who have not attended Gamehole Con but have a history of abusive behavior and/or known incidents that took place outside Gamehole Con that may cause risks to a participant's safety, or which may contribute to a hostile or non-inclusive environment at the convention.
  2. Gamehole Con participants who have been reported for outside incidents, including, but not limited to, conduct at other conventions, threatening or abusive behavior online, or assault

We understand that, at times, participants will have disagreements or interpersonal conflicts that do not necessarily escalate to the point of harassment or abuse. Gamehole Con will not arbitrate such disagreements, we ask that you please leave these conflicts at home.

Privacy Policy

We are the sole owners of the information collected on this site. We only have access to/collect information that you voluntarily give us via email or other direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone.

We will use your information to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted us. We will not share your information with any third party outside of Gamehole Con, other than the below.

*Please note* By buying a game ticket to any specific gaming event at our show, you are giving us the express permission to share your contact information with the GM or organizer of that event, should they request it. GMs/organizers often want to contact their players before their event in order to share information about that specific gaming event.

Event Ticket Exchanges

Event-specific ticket exchanges must be requested at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the event. Event ticket exchanges will be managed at the Games Desk and will only be exchanged to the person whose name is on the ticket (whether it is the purchaser or the receiver). A valid government-issued photo ID and a Gamehole Con badge are required to process any type of ticket exchange. For ticket exchanges, please present the ticket for the event you would like to exchange and provide the Game ID number for the event you wish to replace. If at any time during our show you feel unsafe or feel you were subjected to harassing conduct, please locate a staff member (always in orange shirts) and your concerns will be addressed immediately. 

Fire Arms Policy

Real firearms are not allowed at Gamehole Con. This includes those attendees who maintain a conceal carry weapons permit from any state. (Sworn law enforcement are excused from this policy.) Attendees who choose to ignore this policy may be asked to leave the convention and may have their badge revoked. 

Event Cancellations

If an event has been cancelled, please see the Games Desk for further instructions.

Lost or Misplaced Badges & Event Tickets

We cannot replace lost, stolen or forgotten badges and/or event tickets Please be responsible with your Gamehole Con materials. Lost, stolen or forgotten items must be re-purchased at full cost. It is recommended you check with the Gamehole Con Registration Desk to see if your materials have been turned in to Lost & Found. Gamehole Con LLC assumes no responsibility for lost, stolen or forgotten materials. We are not sending anything through the mail. All badges and tickets will be will call.

Special Rules for Children

  • Kids 12 and under can enjoy free admission to the convention if they are accompanied by a badge owning adult. However, kids 12 and under are still required to buy individual game tickets if they wish to participate in games. If you wish to obtain a badge for a child age 12 or younger, that badge is free as long as the child is accompanied by a badge owning adult at all times while at Gamehole Con. To apply for such a badge, you will need to create a family member account for your child on this page and then follow the normal registration process and select the Child's Badge option on this page.
  • Kids 12 and under who are merely accompanying a badge owning adult may be present in the convention. However, if these children are 13 and older and wish to participate in any convention activities they must register and pay for a badge and must buy individual game tickets to participate in games.

Waiver of Liability

The purchase of a Gamehole Con badge admits one person to all basic activities and exhibits at Gamehole Con during regularly scheduled hours for the day(s) it is purchased. Some designated activities may require payment of a separate, additional fee. In accepting a badge and in consideration for being admitted to Gamehole Con, the holder consents to being recorded (by audio and/or visual means) for exhibition and exploitation by any means in all media, including without limitation the Internet, worldwide in perpetuity. The badge holder releases Gamehole Con LLC from any liability for loss or damage to persons or property, infringement of any right, or any other claim or course of action of any kind; authorizes and permits Gamehole Con LLC and its designees which includes but is not limited to all sponsors, exhibitors and contractors to use and authorize the use of his/her name, voice, likeness and all reproductions thereof by any means and in all media now and hereafter known, including without limitation the Internet, for all purposes worldwide in perpetuity; and agrees to comply with all the rules and regulations of the Event. Gamehole Con LLC reserves the right to deny entry or remove from the Event facilities any person who in its sole and absolute discretion is behaving or threatening to behave in a manner which it reasonably considers to be disruptive of the Gamehole Con.