It is important to TSPA that attendees at our Conferences feel safe and secure when attending. All attendees are required to abide by this policy. Both staff and volunteers are familiar with and authorized to enforce these guidelines.
QUICK LINKS
Name Badges
Swapping Name Badges
Lost or Stolen Items
Accidents and Emergencies
Protests, Confrontations, and Demonstrations
Sessions Capacity
Events For Non-Conference Attendees
Public Wifi Use
Illnesses, Including COVID-19
Sensitive Content
Verbal Abuse / Physical Violence
Alcohol Policy
Attendee Safety
Name Badges
Although the venue is a hotel in which members of the public can come and go, anyone within the conference space, whether they are an attendee, speaker, staff, volunteer, or vendor must be credentialed and verified. Only attendees with an official TSPA conference name badge are allowed to attend sessions, events, activities; partake in meals and breaks; and be in the conference space, including hallways and foyers.
All attendees (including speakers, staff, volunteers, vendors, exhibitors, and attendees) are required to wear their name badges at all times during conference hours, within the conference area. Before you attend any activities at the conference, please make sure that you have checked in at the registration desk to pick up your name badge. If you forget your name badge, please go to the registration desk to get a new one.
Attendees who have single day passes will have the day noted on their name badge and can only attend on the day they are registered to attend. We do not offer non-delegate passes except for rare exceptions.
If you are not a registered attendee and we are offering on-site registration, you may register on-site. If you do not wish to register or we are not offering on-site registration, we will ask you to leave.
Swapping Name Badges
We do not allow name badge swaps. If you are not able to attend, you cannot give your name badge to a colleague to attend in your stead. Everyone is required to have their own registration. If we notice that you are using someone else’s name badge, we will ask you to go to the registration desk to register (if on-site registration is available) or we will ask you to leave.
Lost or Stolen Items
If you find a lost item, return it to the TSPA Registration Desk or Information Desk. Give the lost item to a TSPA staff or volunteer. If you have lost or misplaced an item, go to the TSPA Registration Desk or Information Desk to see if your item was returned. Also check in with the hotel front desk, as your item may have been returned there.
While we have never had an incident of theft at our events, it is critical that you maintain awareness of your belongings at all times. Many of our event spaces are easily accessed by the public, so you must be vigilant in keeping your belongings in your possession during the event. Please do not leave valuables, such as your mobile phone, laptop, wallet, or other valuable items, unattended.
While we will make every effort to assist with recovering lost property, TSPA is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
Accidents and Emergencies
If there is an accident or emergency, such as a medical emergency, imminent danger, or life or death situation, please dial emergency services (in the US, 911; Ireland, 112 or 999; Singapore, 999). Also immediately inform TSPA staff and/or venue staff. Follow instructions from TSPA and venue staff.
In the event of an emergency, such as a fire, natural disaster, or violence or protests outside of the conference, TSPA staff will work with the venue staff, and communicate with attendees on what to do. Follow instructions from TSPA staff, TSPA volunteers, and venue staff.
Confrontation, Protests, and Demonstrations
Please be aware that our events take place in public venues, and while we do our best to ensure that only conference attendees are able to access conference spaces, other hotel guests and the general public will be able to pass through. We also share the venue’s public spaces, such as the hotel bar, restaurant, lobby, gym, restrooms, and hallways. If someone is not wearing a TSPA conference name badge, assume they are not a fellow conference attendee.
Because of the sensitive nature of the work that our attendees do in their organizations, protests, confrontations, or demonstrations may occur. This can include individuals (non-conference attendees) seeking conference attendees out to speak to them about their work. This may even include registered attendees heckling, staging walkouts, and other disruptions during sessions. This may also include organized protests outside of the venue or conference space.
The safety of our participants is paramount, and we will take all necessary steps to ensure that the attendee experience is not disrupted. If you are in public spaces, we encourage you to use your best judgement when engaging with someone who is not a conference attendee. If protests or confrontations occur during a session, our staff and volunteers will do our best to de-escalate the situation. If demonstrations occur outside of the conference space, we will inform you of the situation and advise you on what to do if necessary. Please do not escalate the situation; instead, ask for assistance from TSPA staff or the venue staff.
Venue Security
Sessions Capacity
With some of our conferences serving over 1000 attendees, session rooms will sometimes fill to capacity. Session rooms cannot be filled beyond its capacity limits, which means that once a room is full, Room Monitors will not allow anymore attendees to enter. We will have Room Monitors who will ensure that session rooms are not over-capacity. Please follow the instructions given to you by TSPA staff and Conference volunteers. Attendees who persistently ask to be allowed into at-capacity rooms may be asked to leave. Some sessions may have additional restrictions placed on who can attend (e.g. no press, TSPA members only). For more information, see our Conference Privacy & Confidentiality Policy.
Events For Non-Conference Attendees
In some cases, there may be a separate event occurring in the same venue space as our conference. TSPA conference attendees who are also attending that separate event should follow that event’s check-in directions, and go directly to the appropriate check-in location. Only registered TSPA conference attendees, with a name badge, will be allowed in our conference area or sessions; if someone who is attending that separate event (but not TSPA’s event) is in our conference space, we will bring them to the correct check-in location or ask them to leave.
Public WiFi Use
At our conferences, we provide attendees with public WiFi made available through the venue. While the conference WiFi is password protected and intended for use by conference attendees only, the password is easily available and anyone can join the WiFi network. Venues often also have publicly available WiFi networks that do not require a password that your device may automatically switch between the conference WiFi and the public WiFi.
We encourage attendees to not use the conference WiFi to access sensitive websites, files, or data. Other general security tips include:
- Consider installing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on your device. VPNs help to encrypt data that passes through public networks.
- Keep your device’s firewalls enabled. A firewall acts as a barrier that protects your device from malware threats.
- Use multi-factor authentication when logging into websites with your personal information. Having a second verification code will further protect your information from bad actors.
Health & Wellbeing
Illnesses, Including COVID-19
The health and safety of attendees is our highest priority. Depending on recommendations by local governments and health care practitioners, we may add additional health and safety requirements to this section. In the event that we have to cancel the conference due to federal, state, or local government mandates, we will immediately inform all registered attendees and also post updates on the conference website.
If you aren’t feeling well or have been exposed to or tested positive for COVID-19 or any other contagious illness (such as the flu or norovirus), please reconsider your attendance. Contact us and we can discuss refunds or transferring your registration. Prior to attending the conference, we kindly ask that you check COVID-19 vaccine and booster recommendations as well the local government’s guidelines on COVID-19 or other contagious illnesses. If you become ill at the conference or test positive for COVID-19 or any other highly contagious illnesses during the conference, please let TSPA staff know and do not continue attending the event.
We do not require masks for this event, but welcome and embrace those who feel more comfortable wearing a mask. We will have masks available at the Registration or Information Desk.
Sensitive Content
Due to the nature of our work, there may be times when presenters or attendees will need to share, discuss, or debate material that is offensive or harmful. Participants will have different comfort levels regarding different types of sensitive content. When speaking of sensitive content (examples of what is considered sensitive content can be found here), please provide notice or warning. If it’s in a formal context (presentation or talk), provide content warnings beforehand, either verbally or in the presentation slides or materials. If being discussed informally amongst attendees, please let new people who are joining your conversation know that you are discussing sensitive content.
Verbal Abuse / Physical Violence
We do not allow any verbal or physical violence towards attendees, speakers, hotel staff, or our staff and volunteers. We do not allow any weapons, including guns, knives, or blunt instruments that can cause harm. We will ask anyone to leave if they are verbally abusive, physically violent, or have a weapon.
Alcohol Policy
Alcohol (as well as non-alcoholic) beverages will be available during some social and networking events at our conferences. Please use best judgment regarding your alcohol intake. Servers are authorized to refuse serving more alcohol if they believe someone has had too much. If you’ve had too much to drink, please take a taxi, rideshare, or public transportation rather than driving. Talk to TSPA staff or volunteers if you or another attendee needs assistance.
We do not allow outside food and beverages, including alcohol, in the conference space, except for medical reasons. Please consume outside food and beverages, including alcohol, outside of the conference space.
Updated as of April 24, 2025.
