Event Safety

Events organised on FetLife are most often organised by members of the community and are commonly in public venues. It is both important as an organizer and as an attendee to take care of safety at the events. Not every organizer will have experience organize things as a professional events organizer, thus details will vary greatly. Organizers are not "special" people with extra privileges, they are usually just there to have fun just and create a space that they would like to be part of too. Be critical, ask questions and just treat them like you would anyone else. ### Staying safe at events. The event organizers will likely do their best to accommodate a healthy and safe environment for you to have the event in. However there are things that you as an attendee can do to help safeguard your safety: - Check in with the event if it and the organizer(s) have a good reputation. Like with people you can use vetting to check if you can feel safe at an event. - Check if the event is well attended, and if friends are going. Going together with someone you already know can help make you feel more safe. - Check the rules of the event. Many events will have some sort of rules, code of conduct or something similar that may already give you a good idea what things are in place for your safety. ### Considerations for event organizers. How you organize your events will depend on the venue, local laws and other considerations. But it is advised to keep these questions in mind when wanting to guarantee the health and safety of the attendees and yourself as an organizer: - What is the maximum amount of people you can safely have in the building or location? - Can everyone get out easily in an emergency? Where are the fire escapes and what is the building procedures for this? - What first aid and safety equipment do you require and do you have enough people on staff for the event who can do first aid? - Are the activities able to be preformed safety within the area if you have spectators? - Does anyone taking part have any allergies or medical conditions that could pose a risk to your guests and/or themselves? - Do you require any security to keep things safe from unexpected guests etc? Besides these physical health and safety you can also consider: - Do you have designated people a person can come and confide in if they do not feel safe (either physically and/or emotionally)? - Do you have Dungeon monitors or safety personnel and are they clearly recognizable? - Is there a way for a person to give feedback to you as an organizer (often ideally in an anonymous way)?