IPEIA Code of Conduct

IPEIA invites you to attend the conference with a spirit of curiosity, friendliness, professionalism and respect. This Code of Conduct is to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all attendees. IPEIA will not tolerate unacceptable behaviors such as violence, unprofessional conduct, harassment or bullying. This Code of Conduct is to be maintained at both on-site conference events, and off-site hosted functions.

Expected Behavior

Treat all IPEIA delegates, volunteers, venue and support staff with professionalism, equality, respect, dignity and compassion;
Respect the rules and policies set out by the venue;
Refrain from illegal acts, bringing illegal substances or prohibited items (weapons, knives, guns) to conference or hosted events;
Comply with this Code of Conduct.

Unacceptable behavior

The following behaviors are considered unacceptable and will not be tolerated:

Harassment or bullying of any kind (refer to below descriptions);
Acts of discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, physical impairment, or other characteristics;
Disruptive behaviour: behavior that disturbs, interferes with or prevents normal functions (examples: yelling, using profanity, verbally abusing others, waving fists);
Physical violence: the exercise of physical force, or an attempt to exercise physical force;
Threatening behavior: includes verbal or written threats, physical actions short of actual contact
Abuse of power (including abuses related to position, wealth, race or gender);
Invasion of privacy, including taking photos or videos of people you don’t know, eavesdropping on conversations.

Harassment includes:

Verbal harassment, or written comments that can intimidate, create discomfort, or interfere with a person’s participation in the conference;
Sexual harassment: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, inappropriate physical contact,
Harassment based on gender, race, language, or other protected characteristic

Bullying includes:

Acts or verbal comments that could hurt or isolate a person
Usually involves behaviors intended to intimidate, offend, degrade, or humiliate a person or group of persons.
Assertion of power through aggressive behaviors

Reporting an incident

If, while at an IPEIA conference or hosted event, you have been involved or have witnessed an incident that violates the Code of Conduct, please contact the Conference Administrator admin@ipeia.com or advise any committee member immediately. IPEIA will request sufficient information to perform a thorough investigation of the incident.

Disciplinary Actions

IPEIA will investigate all Code of Conduct incident violations reported with discretion and confidentiality. IPEIA reserved the right to impose discipline based on the severity and impact of the incident. Disciplinary actions may include: warnings (both verbal and written), immediate removal from conference, prohibition from attending future conferences, cancellation the membership of the person without refund, pursue legal action.