Summercon runs on chaos, but it still has rules. Keep it strange. Keep it technical. But keep it together.
Summercon comes from a tradition that goes back almost forty years. A lot has changed since Summercon ’87. The computers changed. The networks changed. The scene changed. The jokes changed. The expectations changed. So did we.
That does not mean losing the things that made Summercon matter in the first place. It means protecting them.
Summercon has always been more than a schedule of talks. The talks matter, but the real event is what happens around them: the conversations, arguments, introductions, reunions, hallway debates, late-night stories, and strange little moments where people realize they are on the same frequency.
That only works when people can actually share space. Summercon depends on trust, good faith, and enough self-awareness to know when your bit, your argument, your joke, your flirting, your volume, or your behavior is starting to make the room worse.
We want you here. We want you to meet people, argue about computers, learn something strange, make friends, and have the kind of weekend that becomes a story later.
The ground rules are not complicated.
1. Don’t harass people.
Summercon is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. That includes harassment at the venue, at official events, at parties, online, or anywhere else your behavior affects the Summercon community.
2. Respect the humans.
Everyone at Summercon is a person first. Speakers, attendees, sponsors, volunteers, venue staff, organizers, press, friends, strangers, and people you only know by handle all deserve to be treated with basic respect.
You do not have to agree with everyone. You do not have to like everyone. You do have to share space like a functioning adult.
3. No means no. Stop means stop.
If someone sets a boundary, respect it immediately.
No debate. No negotiation. No “I was just joking.” No repeated attempts. No following someone around to continue the conversation. If someone tells you to stop, leave them alone.
4. Don’t threaten, stalk, abuse, or intimidate.
Threatening behavior, stalking, intimidation, abusive conduct, and patently offensive behavior are not welcome at Summercon.
This applies whether it happens in the conference venue, in sponsor areas, at official parties, in online spaces connected to the event, or anywhere else it becomes our problem.
5. Don’t make the room worse.
Summercon works because people bring energy without making the event miserable for everyone around them.
Do not disrupt talks, interfere with speakers, harass volunteers, abuse venue staff, create safety problems, or otherwise make shared spaces harder to enjoy. Heckling can be part of the culture. Being an exhausting menace is not.
6. Breaking the law is still illegal.
Yes, this is a hacker conference. No, that is not a legal defense.
Do not break things, set off alarms, damage venues, tamper with equipment, attack networks, interfere with safety systems, steal things, or create legal problems for yourself, the venue, other attendees, or Summercon.
If you love anarchy, want to break things, set off fire alarms, or generally behave like a twelve-year-old, you should probably stay away — even if you are a twelve-year-old. Especially if you are a twelve-year-old. It is not that kind of event, and we are not those kind of people.
7. Don’t make official spaces creepy, gross, or uncomfortable.
Summercon is strange on purpose. That does not mean every space is open season for every joke, image, comment, bit, shirt, prop, slide, or conversation.
Talks, sponsor spaces, registration, official events, and official parties need to remain comfortable for the people who came for the conference. Do not bring material or behavior into those spaces that turns the room creepy, gross, hostile, or uncomfortable.
Read the room. Then do better than that.
8. Staff in red shirts are empowered to maintain order.
Anyone wearing a red Summercon Staff shirt is empowered to step in, redirect behavior, separate people, escalate concerns, remove people from an area, or otherwise maintain order.
If staff gives you a direction, follow it. Arguing during an active situation only makes it worse. Questions can wait until things are stable.
9. Report problems early: 720-586-HACK.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concern, please contact Summercon staff immediately.
You can speak to any staff member in a red Summercon Staff shirt.
If you do not feel comfortable approaching staff in person, call us directly:
720-586-4225
720-586-HACK
We would rather hear about a problem early, while it is still small, than hear about it later after it has already harmed someone or damaged the event.
10. Organizers have the final call. No refunds. No drama.
Summercon reserves the right to remove anyone, at any time, for any reason, at the discretion of the organizers.
Conference participants violating these rules may be removed from the conference without a refund. This may include removal from the venue, official events, parties, online spaces, or future Summercon events.
No drama. No debate. No refunds. No takebacks. Please, don’t test us.
Thanks for helping.
Keep Summercon weird, welcoming, and worth coming back to.