-= [ AlligatorCon Europe - How to Join & Code of Conduct] =-
New to the AlligatorCon? Here's what you need to know to join!
Been here before? Here's what you need to know to not get our boot up your ass!
See, this guide has something for everyone.
You'll all surely find the code of conduct pretty clear and the rules quite obvious. But it never hurts to spell things out.
The no assholes rule
Our main goal is to make the event fun for everyone, and for that we need to keep the assholes out. It only takes one of them to ruin the whole party. This is the basic concept from which all other points in this list are derived. Only kids who know how to play well with others get to join in the fun!How do I get invited?
Since we tried having the event open to everyone and THAT blew up in our faces right away 🤦♀️ we have implemented an invite-only system. So in order to attend, you need an invite voucher, which you use to register. If you've got a voucher from a previous year... congratulations! Go to the next step. If you're new and don't have a voucher, here's what you can do:- Present a talk. This is basically a fast track into the conference since speakers are always guaranteed a seat (obviously).
- Present a lightning talk. We obviously prefer a full talk but this is the next best option. It does not guarantee a seat but does dramatically increase your chances.
- Ask someone who is already invited to vouch for you. This is our main way of keeping the assholes out. If you misbehave and get banned, whoever vouched for you may also get banned, depending on how bad things got - so try asking someone who really knows you to vouch for you, because random strangers on Twitter won't be so kind.
- Introduce yourself. Don't know anyone who's already in? No problem! Send us an email introducing yourself so we know a little bit of who you are and what you do. Y'know, basic stuff, so we can make sure you're not an asshole.
I have a voucher for myself. Is it ok if I show up with a friend? Or two? Or an entire rugby team?
Hell no. There's an invite system for a reason. One person, one voucher, no sharing.Ok, so I've got a voucher, what's next?
When the registration opens, enter your voucher on the website so we can reserve a seat for you. The system is first come first serve, so hurry up! If you got a seat, then on the first day of the event you have to show us your voucher and we'll give you a wristband, that way we don't have to bug you about it anymore. If you didn't get a seat but really want to come anyway, send us an email and we'll see if we can work something out (i.e. someone had to cancel last minute and there's a seat available). And while this should go without saying... if you've already registered but later on know you're not going to make it, even if it's one day before the event, do let us know so we can free your seat. Y'know, have a little respect for your fellow alligators waiting for a seat. If you don't say anything and simply do not show up, well... good luck getting in next year.How much does it cost?
Absolutely nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. This has and always will be our commitment. We also take no sponsors, for the same reason. This was never about money and we don't want it to condition us. Some years we may have workshops, and some may not be free. However these are managed entirely by whoever runs the workshop and we get absolutely no money from them. We do accept donations, however, generally from individuals but it can also be for companies as long as this comes with no strings attached, no publicity deal, anything. There is a (literal) black hat on stage where you can put your donations in. Companies can donate by sponsoring a party for example, just not the main event.But speakers at conferences should get paid for their hard work!
Absolutely! And we encourage commercial conferences to do so in every case. However this is a community event that literally makes us lose money every year, so paying for expensive plane tickets and hotels is pretty much not an option for us. Think of AlligatorCon as a get together for fellow hackers, not a paid professional event. We love you folks, but our pockets ain't deep. That being said, we are not heartless monsters (or at least not always). If you're strapped for cash and you can't make it do let us know and we'll try our best to accommodate. We've all been there!The Banhammer
People who get caught harassing other attendees, being creepy to women, discriminating anyone or trying to ruin it for anyone else, will get immediately banned from this and every future event. Depending on how bad these people fuck up, there may be consequences for whoever vouched for them too. If you witness such behavior and think we should intervene do let us know - it's a small event and it ain't hard to find us.Politics
Our politics are simple: anything goes, as long as it's not a form of fascism. We don't care if you're left, center or right, and your hat can be white, grey or black, it's all fine as long as you're not racist, sexist, transphobic, ableist, or any other kind of creepy fascistoid asshole. Because fuck that.But I wanna wear a MAGA hat in the name of free speech something something!
Then if you end up getting a fistful of pain, we won't stop it. Be the next Richard Spencer at your own risk.Drinking
We're all grown ups here and drinking alcohol is fine - but so is not drinking, so no pressure. Have fun! Just be mature and don't get wasted during the talks, cause nobody wants to see that and there are parties every night anyway.