| General Policy
We don't want to be all full of rules and regulations, this convention is supposed to be fun. But there are some laws that cannot be broken, no matter where you are. Here is our main General Policy in a nutshell: "If it's against the law in Boston, it's against the rules of NEFanX. If it's against the law in Massachusetts, it's against the rules of NEFanX. If it's against the law in the United States, it's against the rules of NEFanX." So, if you want to do something illegal, you won't be doing it here. Right? We have a very good Security Division. So, please try to be on your best behavior, because these guys really don't want to take your convention membership away from you... which they will, if you break any laws.
The rest is A-Z so you can find the NEFanX policy more easily:
Adult Membership
Any member aged 15+ is considered an adult for purposes of entry to the convention. Additional membership identification will be needed for those who are 18+ to allow their participation in mature content panels. Any adult who brings a person aged 14 or less to the convention must present ID proving themselves to be 21+ and sign in as that person’s guardian.
Artists Alley and Art Show
You’ve got your own special page, so click here.
Autograph Policy
Some celebrities charge for their autographs, and all are purchased separately from your membership / admission. Seat holders who have purchased Weekend Package for main ballroom programming, except Leonard Nimoy presentations and Ambassador Pass holders for Leonard Nimoy presentations receive a numbered badge; the number is assigned based when you purchased your membership. The earlier you purchase, the lower your badge number. Lines for autographs are formed based on badge number. Some celebrities may sign autographs at tables on their own time schedule at their own discretion, others may only participate in one or two hour autograph sessions once or twice during the weekend. We will make every attempt to post to the website what time those sessions will be. Buying an autograph ticket does not ever guarantee that you will get an autograph. It is your responsibility to line up on time. If autograph sessions are missed no refunds are issued.
Celebrity Contact Policy
For the comfort of our celebrities DO NOT ask a celebrity walking in the convention hallways or participating in dinners, dances, or panels to stop for a photograph or autograph. We do not allow photos to be taken of celebrities at any signing tables. All photos taken with celebrity must be done during one of the official photo sessions. We want the celebrities we bring to the New England Fan Experience to interact with the membership. So, we require that our membership behave as they would in our home - with dignity and friendliness. This is for the comfort of our celebrities. If you do not cooperate with this particular policy our convention Security will have your membership withdrawn.
Child / Teen Discounts
With an Adult Membership/Admission purchase, the adult guardian may also request up to three Child Memberships (aged 10 and under) for admission to any Experience. With an Adult Membership/Admission purchase, an adult guardian may purchase Teen Memberships (ages 11-14) at 1/2 price of the Adult Experience membership. These discounts are good on Experience memberships/admissions only and are not available on weekend packages or on any other add-ons or special events (banquet, breakfast, photo sessions, autographs, etc). .
Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES may a person age 14 and under be allowed to attend the convention without an Adult Guardian. Adult Guardian must prove age of 21+ and will be held responsible for good conduct. Adult Guardians will be required to register all persons under their guardianship at Registration.
Convention Registration
PHOTO ID (passport, School ID card, Drivers license, etc) will be required to be shown by all persons with Adult-level Memberships at the Registration Desk when they enter the convention for the first time. Pre-registered members MUST bring Proof of Identity in order to pick up their packets. If NO Photo ID is available, you can bring in two forms of non-photo ID, i.e. a report card, birth certificate, household bill, or equivalent.
IF you cannot produce a Photo ID, with date of birth, to prevent liability issues, we will not be able to provide you with convention identifiers that would allow you into mature programming. If you are youthful in appearance and cannot provide ID proving you are age 15+ then you will be required to sign in with an adult guardian who can prove they are age 21+.
Transfers - I can no longer attend: You can transfer your Membership / Admission to another person for this convention year. This must be done in writing, and can only be accomplished if you have the name and particulars of the new member ready for us to transfer the membership. The new member must also acknowledge in writing that they have accepted the membership. Again, emails and faxes are fine for these transfers, but must be received by the Registration Coordinator no later than November 1, 2009.
Convention Table Exchange
If you run a convention in New England and would like a free table to advertise your convention and sell memberships, we require a like-exchange. No more than four (4) of these “Exchange Tables” will be available at NEFanX 2009. Note: If the convention exchanging is willing to provide, in exchange, a small number of free memberships to go with the free table, New England Fan Experience is willing to reciprocate with the equal number of free memberships for your table personnel. This exchange is at our discretion, and may be withdrawn without notice.
Dealers and Vendors:
We’ve got a whole page of information just for you, so just click here.
Fan Groups and Tables
If a Fan Group has a minimum of four (4) paid Experience memberships, they have the option of requesting a Fan Table from the convention. (If you already have a free membership to the Experience for 2009, based on your volunteering for NEFE 2008, does NOT equate to a paid membership.) Fan Table space is limited. If money for items other than memberships is exchanged at the Fan table (i.e. raffles, sales, etc.), the appropriate forms must be filed with the City of Boston and copies given to our Fan Liaison. And if anything is sold at a Fan Table, it must be different from what is being sold at Dealer’s tables. In the case that an item(s) are brought by Fan Groups that is/are the same as what a Vendor brought to sell, it must be removed from the table.
Being a volunteer for your own group does not constitute being a convention volunteer. Working at your fan group’s table is not volunteering for the convention. If you help/volunteer for convention duties you can be reimbursed, per the regular volunteering rules; i.e. being directed to perform duties for the convention, by convention staff, and filling out our convention volunteer form; if enough hours are signed off on you earn a free membership for next year’s convention. Fan tables are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Electricity at Fan tables is very limited, if you need electricity, let us know, but it is not guaranteed that you will get any.
Lost Badges and other Convention Identifiers:
Badges and other convention identifiers are required to be on your person and in plain sight at all times. If any of these things are lost you will be required to leave the convention or re-purchase at the current prices.
Fan Panelist and Entertainers Policy
Fan panelists and entertainers are not professionals or celebrities; therefore we do not pay them to participate in NEFanX. As we are a “pay-it-forward” convention we offer fan panelists and entertainers the opportunity to earn next year’s convention free. Fan panelists earn by participating in at least four (4) scheduled panels this year, Fan entertainers earn by preparing and presenting one entertainment that runs at least 2 hours this year. (Fan entertainers must be selected by the convention experience leaders with final approval by the convention chairman.) Panelists: please see our website to present your ideas for panels and to sign up as a panelist. Entertainers: please contact the experience leader that most represents the area you would like to present an entertainment in to apply. Fan panelists and entertainers do not earn a volunteer or staff t-shirt, unless they also put in time as a staff member or volunteer for the convention, which they are very welcome to do. We have a scale that allows for add-ons of time in every area of volunteerism.
Photo and Video Privacy Policy
We allow fans to take photos and videos of one another and of the celebrities on stage, and we do not have any way of policing what they put on YouTube or their internet photo spaces. So, if you don’t want what you’re doing at the convention on the internet, don’t do it. We’d like to say, “What happens at the con stays at the con,” but that can’t happen any more. By purchasing a membership to the convention you have relinquished your right to privacy within the convention.
Photo Sessions
Only those with photo session vouchers for that given guest are allowed in line for the photo session. That means your friends will need to wait for you in other parts of the convention area. Only one person is allowed in the photo with the guest. You will not have the ability to position the photo background or seating arrangement. These are taken care of by our director of photography and his staff for everyone's benefit. You must arrive at the designated photo session location on time; lining up early is fine, but do not be late. Because not all sessions run the entire scheduled time please be prepared to wait in line when the photo session begins, not later in the hour, as the session may be completed already. Do not expect the celebrity to be waiting for you after the scheduled session is already completed. Please be ready to take your photo when it is your turn as we have an extremely tight schedule to get all of the photos taken and then produced.
Photos non-sessions: All attendees are allowed to take photos and videos (unless otherwise advised) of guests during their talks, from their seats.
Professional Panelists and Celebrities
We offer comped membership to our professional panelists and celebrities. Some of our professional panelists and celebrities are also offered a room for of the convention, depending on their travel needs and our requirements. All professional panelists and celebrities are contracted with our corporation to perform specific functions at specific times during the convention. Professional panelists must have credentials in areas we find interesting and of value to our convention’s annual education based programming. For further information please contact our convention chairman at chairman@nefanx.com
Return / Refund Policy
When you purchase your membership / admission you are paying for an event. This is similar to a play or a sporting event. New England Fan Experience membership / admission purchases are non-refundable unless the convention (or specific event) is canceled by New England Fan Experience; this includes admission memberships, photo session passes, food function vouchers, autograph passes, and anything else we sell to make the NEFanX an Experience. What this means: If we cancel the convention you get your money back, if a guest you want to see cancels their appearance you do not. If we cancel the banquet or breakfast you will get your money back, if a guest cancels or decides to not participate in that event then you will not. If you forgot to line-up for a photo-op at a specific time, you do not get your money back. If you are purchasing a membership solely for a guest then we suggest you wait and purchase your membership when you arrive at the event. Hopefully memberships and or admissions for that celebrity’s autograph photos etc are still available. All guests are subject to work commitments and might be forced to cancel their appearance.
Safety Weapons Policy
We like costumers and cosplayers and cool things added to costumes. But, you must have anything that looks like a weapon peace-bonded by Security AND you must keep that peace-bonded mark on your weapon at all times. No exception! No excuse. No peace-bond? You get one of two choices: 1. Allow our Security Chief to confiscate the weapon for the rest of the convention, or 2. Forfeit your membership. No real firearms or projectile weapons are allowed at the convention at any time, not even if you have a state and city permit.
Seating Policy
Weekend Package holders will receive reserved seats at the front of the main presentation room (except during Special Experience presentations). All other members have general admission seating in the room, seating is limited. All Experience members have general admission seating to all other panels and events. General admission does not guarantee you a seat. All seating for guest talks and panels are limited to room capacity. Weekend Package holders will be first seated at special functions, i.e. Dinner with the Stars, Breakfast with the Stars, etc.
Volunteers Policy
Volunteers are the most important asset we have at NEFanX, and while we are raising educational awareness in the areas of popular culture we are interested in, we’d like our volunteers to learn something as well. Therefore, volunteers are members of the convention. Volunteers must pay for their convention membership, but we are a pay-it-forward convention, and if you work a certain number of hours before the convention in a staff position, or at the convention in a volunteer position, you will be comped for the following year’s convention. Our specific policy is as follows:
1. Work 20+ hours prior to the convention (not including meeting times), and have the chairman sign-off on your volunteer timesheet, earn our heartfelt thanks, a staff position (including mention in the website and souvenir book), a t-shirt, and membership to the following year's convention.
2. Work 12 hours at the convention, and have a convention leader or volunteer coordinator sign-off on your volunteer timesheet, earn our heartfelt thanks, a t-shirt, and the following year’s convention.
3. Work 8 hours at the convention, and have a convention leader or volunteer coordinator sign-off on your volunteer timesheet, earn our heartfelt thanks, and a t-shirt.
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