XDS believes our community should be truly open for everyone. We are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion. This code of conduct outlines our expectations for attendee behaviour as well as consequences for unacceptable behaviour.

We invite all sponsors, speakers, attendees and other participants to help us realize a safe and positive event experience for all involved. All determinations of appropriate or inappropriate behaviour are in XDS’s sole discretion and the decision(s) of the XDS organizers will be final.

Expected Behaviour

• Be considerate, respectful, and collaborative.
• Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, coercive, or harassing behaviour and speech.
• Be mindful of your online presence and those of your fellow participants. Alert the event organizers if you notice a dangerous/inappropriate situation or someone in distress.
• Comply with instructions of any session moderators or any XDS staff.
• Comply with all applicable laws.
• See something, say something. Creating a safe and respectful environment is a shared responsibility—if you see or experience something concerning, please speak up.

Unacceptable Behaviour

• Unacceptable behaviours include: intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning conduct by any attendees of XDS and related events. Many XDS venues are shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons of these locations.
• Harassment includes: offensive verbal comments related to (but not limited to) race, gender, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, disability, marital status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or other protected category; inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public areas (including presentation slides); deliberate intimidation, stalking or following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
• Written, verbal or other abuse, intimidation, threats, annoyance, harassment, stalking, and/or spamming, against any person, which in any way creates a disturbance that is disruptive or dangerous, or creates apprehension in a person, as determined by XDS and its show management, in their sole discretion.
• We encourage open dialogue while maintaining a commitment to inclusivity; however, hate speech (verbal or written) is strictly prohibited as we strive to create an environment that respects diverse perspectives without compromising the well-being of any individual.
• Any boisterous, lewd or offensive behaviour or language, including but not limited to using sexually explicit or offensive language, materials or conduct, or any language, behavior or content that contains profanity, obscene gestures, or racial, religious, gender, or ethnic slurs.
• Assembling for the purpose of, or resulting in, disturbing the peace, or committing any unlawful act or engaging in any offensive behaviour.
• Failure to follow any rules or regulations of the event or its vendors.

Scope: We expect all event participants (including XDS organizers, moderators, attendees, sponsors and speakers) to uphold the principles of this Code of Conduct. This Code of Conduct covers all XDS events (virtual or in-person) and all related events (social or otherwise).

Consequences of Unacceptable Behaviour: Unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated whether by other attendees, speakers, organizers, event staff, or sponsors and will result in having your accreditation revoked.

Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behaviour is expected to comply immediately.

If a participant engages in unacceptable behaviour, the conference organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from the event without warning or refund.

What to Do If You Witness or Are Subject to Unacceptable Behaviour: If you are subject to unacceptable behaviour, notice that someone else is being subject to unacceptable behaviour, or have any other concerns, please notify an event organizer as soon as possible. All reports will remain completely confidential.

You can report unacceptable behaviour to the XDS organizers at [email protected].