Code of Conduct

The following general rule supersedes all others listed below and may be invoked at any time:

Any action or behavior that causes significant interference with convention operations, excessive discomfort to other attendees, or adversely affects our relationship with our guests, venues or the public is strictly forbidden and may result in permanent suspension of attendee privileges.


Special COVID-19 notice for Fur the 'More 11 (2024):

All persons attending Fur the 'More 11 on March 8-10, 2024 will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in accordance with CDC guidelines for their age group. Everyone must also a properly-face-covering mask at all times in convention spaces, except when eating or drinking. We reserve the right to revoke attendee badges for individuals consistently breaking the masking requirement and risking the safety of other convention-goers. We understand the vaccination requirement will prevent some individuals who are medically unable to get vaccinated from attending this year, but we would rather see you in 2025 than risk your safety this coming year. For full details about our COVID-19 policies for 2024, please see our dedicated blog post on the issue.


Introduction

The primary purpose of our event is for our attendees to have fun. To ensure that the greatest number of people achieve this objective we have established certain rules of conduct.

By them we seek only to ensure that the behavior of any one small group does not disturb the attendees, nor does it detract from the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere of the convention.

We welcome all parties with an interest in anthropomorphic animals; however, the convention’s management reserves the right to deny or revoke the membership of any individual at any time for any reason. We will deny admittance or remove anyone whom we have reason to believe represents a danger to the safety and well-being of our attendees. This includes but is not limited to anyone known to be convicted of a violent crime or criminal abuse. Any action that assists an individual known to be unwelcome at our event to attend or be present in any areas our convention occupies will result in revocation of attendance and possibly future denial of admittance.

We also reserve the right to amend these rules at any time without prior or posted notice and reserves the sole right of interpretation. In any dispute, the general rule above will apply.

If you have any questions, please contact us for assistance.

Anyone who accepts a membership badge agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the event, and Mid-Atlantic Anthropomorphic Association, Inc. from any claim for personal injuries or other damages or equity arising out of any individual’s activities at Our events, even if such injury or damage is caused by negligence by or on the part of Our staff or volunteers.

As a condition of membership, all attendees are required to abide by these standards of conduct for the entire duration of their stay, even prior to Opening or after Closing Ceremonies.

General Rating of the Convention

All convention areas are “PG-13” at all times, with the exception of events or exhibits that are specifically noted to be inappropriate for minors and access to which is controlled by Ranger staff.

We hope that our attendees will enjoy the fun and educational aspects of our event. We ask that you consider how your actions will reflect on the convention, our community, and how they will impact of affect others. If you are about to do or say anything that makes you think twice before doing it, then maybe you shouldn’t do it. At the very least, ask a staff member for guidance.

Public Decorum

No items of any kind, including paper airplanes, may be thrown or dropped from the hotel or Convention Center balconies or patios. Additionally, drones should not be flown in areas that would create a safety issue or cause damages.

No sleeping in the lobby, the hallways, the meeting rooms or the Zoo. Get a room, please! If you are sleeping in the hotel without a room, you may be asked to leave the property.

Costumes and Clothing

We welcome everyone to show us their creativity through their costuming and clothing, if they are appropriate for all ages. Collars, leashes and sled-dog like harnesses may be worn with costumes or discreetly with normal clothing. For public safety, leashes should not be held between two people.

Attendees, when in public areas, may not wear clothing which is overly revealing or inappropriate to the atmosphere of the convention. Overt displays of bondage/BDSM may result in the Rangers asking you to leave public convention space. We reserve the right to decide on any individual items irrespective of public opinion. In general, the minimum standard is that a non-thong bathing suit should be worn at all times in public space. Additionally, “Anatomically correct” costumes must likewise be appropriately clothed.

Shirts, pants/shorts, and footwear must be worn when in areas of the hotel or convention center that are accessible to non-attendees, such as lobbies, restaurants and concourses, except for the pool area. For safety reasons, fursuits are not permitted in the hotel swimming pool or dining areas unless otherwise noted by convention staff.

Public displays of affection beyond what is appropriate for polite company are frowned upon.

You will be asked to express your devotion to your significant other either in less conspicuous ways, or in private.

Any attire or imagery that is commonly used in conjunction with hate speech, and hate speech is not welcome at Fur the More. Hate has no home here.

Props and Weapons

In order to avoid damage to our host venue, we do not allow water pistols, silly string, or any thrown or projectile type toy to be used in any areas. Our region has strict laws regarding replica weapons. Things such as AirSoft are illegal, there should be no live steel or whips as part of a costume. Please see our Rangers for assistance if any of these are part of your costume.

No actual weapons or any item that can be easily mistaken for one may be carried either openly or concealed at any time on Convention property, regardless of any government permits which you may possess. Exceptions may be made only for duly appointed law enforcement officers by prior arrangement with the Ranger Chief.

Realistic weapon replicas are permitted as part of a costume and must be appropriately peace-bonded; see the Ranger Chief for instruction on how to do so. They must be cased or otherwise secured when being carried outside of costume. Please remember that our region has a history of police operating under the “Silhouette Law”. This means that if a police officer believes that your prop looks like a dangerous weapon, they can react to it as if it is. Please keep all prop weapons inside the convention center unless excepted by an event such as the Fursuit parade. Always obey all instructions from police or other authorities. During an encounter/incident is not the time to dispute the reason or cause for the instructions. That is what a courtroom is for.

Attendance by Minors

In an effort to align our policies with local government guidelines regarding minors, our age guidelines have been updated beginning with our 2021 event.

Minor Badge level 1:
Attendees with this badge and no parent visibly present may be spoken to by convention staff to confirm both age, and parental presence at any time. Any minors of this type unsupervised after 9pm will be brought to our public safety office to locate parents.

Age 5 and under: Admitted at no-charge with a properly registered and badged parent.

Ages 6 – 15: Children under age 13 must always be accompanied by a parent or guardian with a valid convention membership badge while in the convention. Ages 13-15 may be allowed to be in the convention unsupervised for no more than 3 hours and cannot remain overnight without a parent or guardian.

Minor Badge Level 2
Attendees with this badge will be allowed to attend without a parent present. Fur the More / MidAnthro does its best to ensure a safe environment for all present, but we are not responsible for monitoring or supervising your child.

Ages 16 – 17: Attendees between the ages of 16-17 may claim their badge WITH parent or guardian present. They may attend the convention without a parent present. Local guidelines allow for attendees age 16-17 to be unsupervised for up to two days. However, it is HIGHLY recommended that a parent or guardian be present at the convention if the child is intending to remain overnight as adult programming and activities may be occurring including alcohol sales at the hotel bars.

Over 18: Attendees over the age of 18 will be able to attend all functions of the convention. Some functions later in the evening may be rated for 18+ members and a valid ID must be produced upon request of the convention staff WITH their convention badge prior to admittance into the event. Age verification is generally done when picking up the badge at registration, but may be requested at any time to verify that the badge matches the attendee. Minors are not permitted under any circumstances to enter areas that have been designated for mature audiences. Anyone found to be allowing a minor to use their badge to enter 18+ events or otherwise assisting them to attend will have their attendance revoked and reported to the authorities.

Anyone providing false documentation of identity or age will be denied membership and reported to the police

Pet Policy

We do not generally allow pets. This is for the protection of the pet, the pet owner, and our attendees.

Service dogs are permitted in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If in doubt, please speak with our Ranger staff. We generally conform to the wishes and regulations of our host venue. This permission unfortunately does not extend to emotional support animals.

Noise, Alcohol, Zero Drug Tolerance, and other room conduct

Most venues do not allow outside alcohol to be brought in. Attendees should be aware of the venues policies regarding this. Alcohol in the convention spaces must be purchased from the hotel. Outside alcohol will be required to be disposed of. Aggressive, belligerent or repeat issues will be asked to leave the convention. Attendees found to be overly intoxicated will be handled appropriate by our Rangers and First Aid departments. Your attendance badge may be retained by rangers, and a request to regain it can be submitted to the Rangers in the morning when the attendee is sober.

Please drink responsibly.

We do not tolerate the serving of alcohol to minors. Anyone found doing so will be reported to the authorities. Any minors found to be drinking whose intoxication does not appear to constitute a medical emergency, will have their parents contacted to pick up the minor. The minor’s badge will be revoked.

Any actions in hotel rooms must not generate any noise that can be heard in neighboring rooms during nighttime hours. Individuals will be given a single warning to remain quiet. No second warnings will be given before action is taken by the hotel to remove the offending individuals. Being in the “noisy block” does not negate this rule and room occupants should do their best to keep noise at a reasonable level.

Guests are not permitted to congregate in the hotel corridors.

Please keep your rooms clean. Excessive amounts of un-bagged trash must not be left for housekeeping staff to clean up (it’s just plain rude). Trash bags are provided. Use them.

The sale or other distribution of any illegal or controlled substances is not welcome at our events. Any individual found to be distributing such substances will be removed and reported directly to the local authorities. While marijuana products may or may not be legal in the area we’re in, the rules regarding smoking or vaping in the hotel still applies. Attendees should not smoke in the hotel, and please be considerate of others by not smoking near doors or vents.

Other hotel matters

Any act of vandalism, deliberate or excessive damage to hotel property, or interference with any hotel or Convention Center worker in the performance of his or her duties will result in permanent revocation of attendee privileges, criminal prosecution, fines, or any combination thereof.

The person in whose name a room is rented is solely responsible for the conduct of all individuals in the room as well as for the condition of the room. Excessive trash, soiling or other damage to hotel property, or any circumstance that may present a hazard to hotel housekeeping staff may result in permanent loss of privileges. Housekeeping staff are required by corporate policy to inspect every room once per day, even if the room is not to be serviced.

Do not affix anything to the walls of the hotel or Convention Center, to the elevators, to event signage, or to hotel room doors.

Requests for room amenities such as towels and pillows beyond the number that is reasonable and customary for a single room will not be honored. Kindly bring such extra items from home if they are expected to be needed.

Buying and Selling

The offering for sale of any merchandise at the convention may be undertaken only in areas designated by the convention, such as the Market (dealers room) or Artist alley if a space is available and you have been duly registered and assigned a table at which to conducts sales; in all cases the sale will be governed by the rules applicable to those areas. Selling merchandise or services in any other area of the venue is not allow and may result in being asked to leave the convention.

Harassment

We are dedicated to providing a harassment-free event for everyone, regardless of age, race, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, or religious beliefs. We do not tolerate harassment, verbally or physically, of convention attendees, volunteers, staff, or guests.

Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

We investigate reports of harassment during the event and will take appropriate action to respond to legitimate claims including but not limited to, revocation of convention membership, barring offending persons from convention space, and informing the venue/hotel that offending persons are no longer eligible for the convention room rate. This may result in additional actions such as but not limited to, revocation of the convention room rate and removal from the premises, at the hotel/venue’s discretion.

Mid-Atlantic Anthropomorphic Association, Inc. also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to refer reports of harassment to Hotel/Venue security and to law enforcement.

People who harass our attendees, volunteers, staff, and guests (including by attempting to abuse this policy) are not welcome at our events.

Fursuiting / Cosplay is not consent: Just because they’re wearing a fursuit, does not mean that they want to be touched. please be sure to ask permission before touching anyone.

Mid-Atlantic Anthropomorphic Association, Inc. does not allow anyone that is required to be on a sexual offender registry to attend our events. By registering, accepting an attendee badge, or by attending any MidAnthro events, the attendee attests that they are not listed on any sexual offender registry. Anyone found to be on a sexual offender registry after the fact will have their registrations cancelled without refund and removed from the event.

If you have questions or need clarification on our policy, please contact us at info@furthemore.org.

Media Relations and Use of event Images or Footage

All journalists, media photographers, and any other members of the press are always required to display an official event Press Badge or be accompanied by a senior event staff member while in the Convention, or any event hotel. Members of the press who have not been issued a Press Badge may not conduct interviews or take photographs, audio or video footage without an escort.

If members of the media are present, attendees must act responsibly. Media representatives who do not have Press Badges and are not escorted by an event staff member should be reported to Ranger staff or to Convention Operations immediately. Do not speak to any unbadged and unescorted members of the press!

Attendees should be aware that audio and/or video recordings are frequently made in convention areas and that their likenesses may appear in those recordings. Individual members agree to assign without compensation the use of their likeness(es) at our events for the use of promotional material such as the highlights videos.

The name "Fur the More" and the Fur the More logo are registered service marks of Mid-Atlantic Anthropomorphic Association, Inc. and must not be used in any fashion that disparages or dilutes that mark. Members agree to remove from circulation or publication any image or recording that in the sole opinion of Mid-Atlantic Anthropomorphic Association, Inc. misrepresents or defames its service mark.

Money Matters

Please note that Mid-Atlantic Anthropomorphic Association, Inc.,. is a 501(c)3 charitable organization ID #82-1071057 . Donations may be tax-deductible, and receipts will be provided upon request. Consult your tax advisor for guidance.

We do not accept checks for payment. We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards. Chargebacks (denying a charge) that are made for the sole purpose of avoiding payment, that are made without sufficient cause, or that are made without first attempting to resolve the dispute with MidAnthro may result in permanent revocation of membership privileges and possible legal action.

Membership badges are non-refundable. Please contact registration <@> furthemore.org for assistance.

Members who have an outstanding balance due to any MidAnthro event must settle that balance before being permitted to attend future events.

We cannot involve ourself in financial disputes between individual members and cannot divulge information about an individual member to any party other than to banking officials or legal authorities.

Registrations are non-refundable.

Miscellaneous notes

Please remember that your con badge is the property of MidAnthro, and must be presented and/or surrendered to any Staff member requesting it. If you have any problem with any action taken by a Staff member you may take the matter up with the Chief of Ranger or an event chair.

Please be reminded that these rules involve, of course, “worst-case” scenarios and are put into place to ensure the safety and comfort of our members. They are also not all-inclusive; in all cases, the superseding rule always applies. We anticipate no difficulties, as our members are rational and responsible adults.

Have fun – just please remember to be courteous of those around you while doing so!