RubyConf 2024

CONFERENCE PARTICIPANT POLICIES AND GUIDELINES

Ruby Central, Inc. and all associated members of the conference planning team are dedicated to providing an accessible, welcoming, and inclusive environment. If you would like to offer suggestions on how to make Ruby Central stronger, email us at contact@rubycentral.org.

Accessibility

When organizing conferences, we identify venues of inclusivity as much as possible but are also aware that we don't always see what might be an obstacle to attendance. If you have questions regarding accessibility or specific needs, please do not hesitate to email us.

Speaker Agreement

Please read our Speaker Agreement if you intend to submit a talk for our conferences.

Commitment Toward Social Justice

Ruby Central is open to any questions and suggestions on how we could best ensure we are being inclusive to all. Email our DEI team at inclusivity@rubycentral.org and help us make our events a positive opportunity.

Anti-Harassment Policy

Ruby Central is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment by or of conference participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery are inappropriate for any conference venue, including talks. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference at the conference organizers' discretion.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to, offensive verbal comments related to gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or 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 any unwelcome sexual attention. 

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.  Conference organizers may take any action against harassment as they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the conference without reimbursement. 

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns regarding violations of this policy, please contact a member of conference staff immediately. 

Having a safe environment for our conference participants -- in a physical or virtual setting -- is of paramount importance to us, and we value your help in creating this space.

Code of Conduct

In addition to securing a harassment-free environment, we strive to offer a safe and respectful environment for our conference presenters, sponsors, and vendors. We ask participants to offer their attention to speakers when attending conference sessions, engage in sessions as requested, and minimize disruptions for the sake of presenters and other participants.  Participants are to maintain that same respect for vendors, sponsors, and other participants when visiting exhibit hall spaces, sponsor booths, and vendor booths. Conference organizers may take any action against disruptions, including warning the offender or expulsion from the conference without reimbursement. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more details.

Photograph and Video Release

When you attend a Ruby Central event or conference, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By attending the event, you consent to photography, audio recording, video recording and its/their release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for news, webcasts, promotional purposes, telecasts, advertising, inclusion on websites, or any other purpose by Ruby Central and its affiliates and representatives. You release Ruby Central, its board and employees, and each and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication of interviews, photographs, computer images, video, and/or sound recordings. By attending the event, you waive all rights you may have to any claims for payment of royalties in connection with any exhibition, streaming, webcasting, televising, or other publication of these materials, regardless of the purpose or sponsoring of such exhibiting, broadcasting, webcasting, or other publication irrespective of whether a fee for admission or sponsorship is charged. You also waive any right to inspect or approve any photo, video, or audio recording taken by Ruby Central or the person or entity designated to do so by Ruby Central. You have been fully informed of your consent, waiver of liability, and release before entering the event.

Admission Badges

While attending conferences, all Participants, Presenters, and Exhibitors are required to wear their admission badge at all times within the conference and event space.

Admission of Minors (under the age of 18)

Minors (under 18 years of age) are not able to register for Ruby Central conference events. Minors who are joining their parent or legal guardian to Ruby Central hosted conference events must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian at all times while on-site during the entire duration of the conference event.

Attendee Data and Privacy

All individual Attendee data collected by Ruby Central, Inc. is used for three purposes; to plan, manage, and execute the event for which the Attendee registered, to send emails with details of the Ruby Central conferences and its sponsors, and to update the Attendee of future Ruby Central news and updates. Attendees who do not wish to receive emails can opt out of Ruby Central marketing and communication anytime by unsubscribing from the email messaging found at the bottom of the email page.

Attendees may request to view a copy of their own data, correct their data, or delete their data at any point. All requests can be made via email to contact@rubycentral.org. Requests will be responded to within 30 days, and Attendee data will be in .csv format unless otherwise requested.

Attendee data is shared with third-party conference vendors and staff only as necessary. This data is transmitted encrypted. Ruby Central requires all vendors we work with to be GDPR compliant. Some aggregated Attendee data is shared with conference Sponsors; however, any questions asking for this shared data are: 1. optional; 2. marked clearly as shared with Sponsors; 3. shared only as aggregated percentages. Ruby Central, Inc. never shares individual Attendee data with Sponsors.

If the Attendee data we're keeping for our conferences is breached, we will notify affected Attendees within 72 hours. Ruby Central is not responsible for oversight over this usage; however, we expect our Sponsors to act in good faith regarding Attendees' information.

ASSUMPTION OF RISK, WAIVER, RELEASE AND INDEMNITY

Please view our Assumption of Risk, Waiver, Release, and Indemnity policy.

All individual Attendee data collected by Ruby Central, Inc. is used for only two purposes. The first is to plan, manage, and execute the event for which the Attendee registered, in this case, RubyConf 2024. This includes emailing the Attendee with RubyConf 2024 details.

The second is — if the Attendee opts in — to send emails with details of Ruby Central conferences (RailsConf and RubyConf) in the next year. Attendees who do not wish to receive emails about our conferences in the next year should not opt in when registering for RubyConf 2024. Alternately, Attendees who opt in, but then decide they do not wish to receive these emails will be able to unsubscribe to emails once they’re received. For Attendees who opt in, we will only keep those email addresses for one year.

Attendee data is shared with third-party conference vendors only as necessary, e.g., Attendee names and companies are shared with our badge vendor for the purpose of producing RubyConf 2024 badges. This data is shared via secured .xls files. Ruby Central, Inc. requires all vendors we work with to be GDPR compliant. Attendee data is also exposed to Ruby Central, Inc. staff and volunteers as they execute onsite duties such as Attendee registration or t-shirt distribution.

Some aggregated Attendee data is shared with conference Sponsors; however, any questions asking for this shared data are 1. optional, 2. marked clearly as shared with Sponsors, and 3. shared only as aggregated percentages. Ruby Central, Inc. never shares individual Attendee data with Sponsors.

Additionally, Attendees can separately opt into directly receiving information from RubyConf 2024 Sponsors. Terms and conditions for this opt-in are regulated specifically by each Sponsor and Ruby Central is not responsible for oversight over this usage; however, we do set the expectation with our Sponsors that they act in good faith regarding Attendee information.