2022 A&E Conference COVID Guidelines and Anti-Harassment Policy

COVID Guidelines

The health and safety of all our attendees and volunteers remains our top priority. The WLT will be following the guidelines and protocols of our conference venue, the Hyatt Regency Austin, as well as any recommendations, orders, or restrictions from local, state, and federal governments at the time of the event.

UPDATED 6/20/22: Austin is now at Low risk.

UPDATED 6/15/22: If you do not comply with the following guidelines, you will not receive your badge, be able to check into the event, or access any of the events. Please be sure to either submit your vaccine information through CrowdPass or bring proof of a negative PCR test (taken within 48 hours of the event start) to registration.

UPDATED 6/14/22: The city of Austin is now at Medium risk.

If Austin is at the low and medium risk-based guidelines stage, we will strongly encourage the following:

  • All attendees, regardless of vaccination status, are encouraged to wear masks during the event.

UPDATED 6/8/22: We continue to monitor the COVID situation as our June 24th – June 26th event approaches. At this time, Austin is at a low level according to thresholds set by the CDC.

With that in mind and with our top priority being the health and safety of all our attendees (including registrants, invited guests, staff, and volunteers) we are asking that all attendees show either proof of full vaccination OR a negative COVID test ahead of the conference (proof of full vaccination) or upon arrival at the conference venue (negative COVID test). In addition, while masks will not be mandatory, they will be strongly encouraged, and we will have masks available upon request. Thank you so much for doing your part to keep yourself and fellow attendees safe.

You can securely upload your proof of vaccination to CrowdPass using the link you received via email. Uploading your information ahead of time will expedite the registration process.

NOTE: If you joined us for the 2021 Agents & Editors Conference and you uploaded your vaccination, you do not need to upload it a second time. If you are unsure about whether you did this or not, please reach out to Evan Parks at evan@writersleague.org.

If you are unable to show proof of full vaccination, you must show proof of a negative COVID test ahead of the event. You will need to bring those results to the registration desk at the conference when you check in.

All attendees are required to show proof of full vaccination OR a negative COVID test taken no more than 48 hours ahead of Friday, June 24th.

Proof of full vaccination: We are considering proof of full vaccination to be two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. To provide us with proof of full vaccination, you can upload your vaccination card to CrowdPass at the link you received via email or you can bring your vaccination card to registration.

Negative COVID test: If you are unable to show proof of full vaccination, you must show proof of a negative COVID test ahead of the event. It must be a PCR test (rapid tests will not be accepted) and you need to have tested negative within 48 hours before the start of the conference, Friday, June 24th. You will need to bring this proof of a negative test to registration.

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Depending on the stage Austin, Texas is in at the time of the conference, we may require additional safety measures:

If Austin is at the low and medium risk-based guidelines stage, we will strongly encourage the following:

  • All attendees, regardless of vaccination status, are encouraged to wear masks during the event.

If Austin is at the high risk-based guidelines stage, we will require the following:

  • All attendees, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear masks at all times, unless otherwise noted here.
  • All attendees will be provided with a mask at check-in and extra masks will be available in all conference sessions, if needed.
  • Attendees will not be permitted to enter a conference session if they are not wearing a mask. If you remove your mask after entering a conference session, you will be asked to put it back on.
  • During our general sessions where food is served – including the Saturday Opening Session, the Saturday Keynote Luncheon, the Saturday evening, and the Sunday Closing Luncheon – please keep your mask on when you are not eating or drinking and anytime you leave your seat.

Finally, we ask that all attendees be extra aware of their surroundings and respectful of the personal space of others during the event.

We reserve the right to ask you to leave a session or the larger event if you do not adhere to these guidelines. We are committed to the safety and comfort of all attendees and we will be enforcing these guidelines throughout the weekend.

Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions about these guidelines, we encourage you to reach out to us at wltconference@writersleague.org before purchasing your conference ticket.

Anti Harassment Policy

The Writers’ League of Texas is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organizers.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

  • Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination (related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, age, or religion)
  • Sexual images not appropriate for the specific subject of the public discussion
  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
  • Harassing photography or recording
  • Sustained disruption of talks or other events
  • Inappropriate physical contact
  • Unwelcome sexual attention
  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

All conference attendees will be required to acknowledge all policies and protocols before the event. 

Enforcement

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the conference with no refund.
Event organizers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants.
We expect participants to follow these rules at all event venues and event-related social activities. We think people should follow these rules outside event activities too!

Reporting

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Conference staff can be identified by their badges. Reports can also be made via email at wltconference@writersleague.org. When taking a personal report, our staff will ensure you are safe and cannot be overheard. They may involve other event staff to ensure your report is managed properly. Once safe, we’ll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we’ll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You won’t be asked to confront anyone and we won’t tell anyone who you are.
Our team will be happy to help you contact hotel/venue security, local law enforcement, local support services, provide escorts, or otherwise assist you to feel safe for the duration of the event.
We value your attendance.