Volunteer Agreement

Definitions

BronyExpo (BX/The Event) – A staffer-run fan convention hosted at the San Jose Marriott in San Jose, CA.
Horse Events – The organization that hosts BronyExpo events.
Chairs – the head organizers of the event, responsible for the overall operations and planning of the event.
Staffers (you!) – the most important people at the event, as without your help as a volunteer, there wouldn’t be an event to speak of!
Department Lead (DL) – The staffer that you report to, in most cases the head of your department or team.
Pre-Con – work and activities performed prior to the start of the event, primarily focused on planning and organizing the event.
At-Con – work and activities performed during the course of the actual event. This includes physical setup prior to the event, and teardown at the conclusion of the event.

General Rules and Definitions for Staffers

By volunteering to staff, you agree to all provisions and rules within this agreement. Your agreement is acknowledged upon joining the BronyExpo staff Discord server.
As a staffer for BronyExpo, you are also given staff status in the Horse Events group effective from your time of joining the organization and will be maintained as long as you are engaged in staff work for an active event. This staff access provides you access to communication throughout the scope of the Horse Events group, some of which may be outside of the scope of your assigned work. Any information which you are exposed to in this capacity is still pursuant to the Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure section of this agreement, seen below.
In addition to this agreement, BX staffers are expected to adhere to the event’s code of conduct.
Staffers act as the face of the event, and therefore are expected to maintain a professional and friendly attitude when working with any attendee, guest, exhibitor, or fellow staffer.

a. Staffers for any Horse Events event, including BX, are expected to assist the attendee as best as possible and ensure a positive experience for them. If an attendee asks a question that you do not know the answer to, please escalate it up the chain of command. That chain of command goes: General Staffer -> Department Leads -> Chair.

Staffers are expected to perform their duties to the best of their ability.

a. Staffers with at-con duties are expected to show up for their shifts on time and in the appropriate attire (if/as required for their position).

b. Staffers with pre-con duties are expected to complete their assigned tasks in a reasonable time frame as determined by their DL.
The safety of our staffers is paramount. If a staffer witnesses a security incident or potential security incident, it should be immediately reported to their DL. Staffers should not attempt to handle security incidents themselves unless it is part of their explicit responsibilities (e.g., Chairs, Security/Safety Lead or member of Security/Safety department).
Staffers who are presenting themselves as BX staff should remember that their actions may reflect on the event. Please be mindful of your words, especially on social media and within the public BronyExpo Discord server, and do not represent yourself as someone authorized to speak on behalf of BX.

a. When speaking within the public BronyExpo Discord server, please understand that you are speaking as a member of BX and therefore what you say will be interpreted as reflective of the opinions of the organization. Please take special care when speaking within this context.
All staffers are expected to attend a pre-con orientation meeting, at which general briefings regarding expectations and procedures for all staffers will take place. Staffers who cannot attend may be excused but are expected to read the notes/minutes from that meeting.

Rules and Definitions for Department Heads

Department Leads are determined and assigned by chairs. They are considered the subject matter expert(s) of their department and will often have staff that report to them to complete the duties responsible of their department.
Department responsibilities will be provided by the chairs. These responsibilities may be provided verbally or in writing; regardless of delivery method, Department Leads are responsible for carrying out the tasks necessary for completing the assigned responsibilities or delegating them to staffers within their department.
DLs are highly encouraged to provide at least one (1) training meeting for their staffers prior to the event if they have at least three (3) direct reports. This training meeting does not count towards staffer hours for badge compensation and BX staffer status. This training meeting ensures that all staffers understand their at-con responsibilities and can carry them out with minimal oversight.
DLs, alongside their regular DL responsibilities, work directly with the chairs to ensure that all top-level operations for BX are running smoothly and to provide direct input for growth of the organization.

Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure

You may have access to non-public information relating to the event in the course of your duties. This includes (but is not limited to) information relating to planned guests and events, personally identifiable information (PII) of attendees, staffers, exhibitors, and guests, financial and contractual information related to the event, and information related to the operation of the event.

You are expected to hold all non-public information with the strictest confidence. You may not share, discuss, or disseminate any non-public information related to the event without express permission from the chairs or a designated staffer who may grant such permission. If there is doubt relating to if information can be shared or not, you should consult with your DL.

You are also expected to make reasonable effort to safeguard any non-public information or data in your possession related to the event. BX confidential information should be stored on BX-approved mediums such as the shared Google Drive(s), the staff Discord server, and through email to addresses ending in @bronyexpo.com. You may not store data on any system that is openly shared with others who are not authorized to access BX confidential information. If you believe data may have inadvertently been accessed, report it immediately to the chairs.

Age Requirements

All BX staffers are required to be at least 18 years of age at the time of the event. At this time we do not offer waivers for minors below the age of 18 to staff for the event.

Creative Output and Copyright

Any creative output produced by a BX staffer in the course of their duties (including, but not limited to, digital artwork, layout designs, photographs, and videos) shall be considered the property of the Horse Events. Staffers who produce creative output may be able to sell merchandise with the likenesses owned by Horse Events on a case-by-case basis with permission from the DL of design or chairs.

Reasonable Accommodations

If you have a medical condition that may limit your ability to perform their assigned duties, you should inform your DL and/or the Human Resources team. (In lieu of an availability of either your DL or the Human Resources team, in accordance with our contingency plan you can reach out first to the chairs). BX will make all reasonable efforts possible to provide accommodations for any conditions it is made aware of.

Compensation

You understand that you are providing your services to the event as a donation and will not receive any form of financial compensation. The event will provide a compensated badge guaranteeing free admission to the event to staffers who provide (or agree to provide) a certain number of hours of staffer service and/or sufficient project contribution to the event, either pre-con or at-con. The number of hours required for a compensated badge depends on each event and whether the services rendered are pre-con or at-con. A compensated badge is provided for pre-con work if the staffer provides sufficient contribution to pre-con projects, the standard of achievement being determined by agreement between the chairs and your DL. Your DL will inform you ahead of time the requirements needed for badge compensation from solely pre-con work. The number of hours required for at-con work is 12 hours throughout the three-day weekend, although you may be asked to work more at the discretion of your DL or the chairs based on operational need. Pre-con and at-con work may be combined to determine badge compensation status, which will be worked out on a case-by-case basis between you, the chairs, and your DL. Any other form of compensation for time donated to staffing for the event will be at the discretion of the event's chair and is not guaranteed.

Liability

You agree and understand that the event is not responsible for injuries or damages that may occur to you in the course of your duties. You further understand that you may be held liable for any damages, losses, or injury that results from your willful or gross negligence or wrongful actions. You understand that there may be certain risks involved with staffing for the event. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the event, and waive any rights of action against Horse Events and all persons associated.

Termination

Horse Events may choose to terminate this agreement at any time for any reason, or no reason at all. In the event that BX chooses to terminate this agreement, you are expected to cease all staffing duties immediately. You may also choose to resign from the event and cease performing staffer duties at any time for any reason, or no reason at all. If you choose to resign, you are to notify your DL and/or the Human Resources team as soon as reasonably possible. (In lieu of an availability of either your DL or the Human Resources team, in accordance with our contingency plan you can reach out first to the chairs). Any obligations set forth in this agreement shall survive termination. This includes, but is not limited to, confidentiality and non-disclosure, release of liability, and representation of the event.