The Merchant Risk Council ("MRC") community is made up of a network of people with a common agenda, cause, and interests, who collaborate by sharing ideas, information, and resources. It is of utmost importance to the MRC that each and every person attending one of our conferences and events has a positive and rewarding experience and to that end, we invite all sponsors, volunteers, speakers, attendees, vendors, and others ("Participants") to help us realize a safe, respectful, and positive experience for everyone. When you participate in an event hosted by the MRC you are contributing to the overall experience, which makes us all accountable to each other.

The MRC has established this Code of Conduct to provide guidelines to Participants and to ensure that all Participants understand what behavior is expected, and what behavior will not be tolerated at an MRC event. The MRC expects all Participants to abide by this Code of Conduct at all events. This includes conference-related social events at off-site locations, and in related online communities and social media.

The MRC is dedicated to providing a harassment-free and inclusive event experience for everyone regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disabilities, neurodiversity, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, nationality, race, age, religion, or other protected category. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

The MRC reserves all rights to deny admission to any potential Participant, or to remove a Participant from an event, in its reasonable discretion. 

EXPECTED BEHAVIOR

The MRC expects that Participants will:

1. Be considerate and respectful to all other Participants, MRC event staff, and event venue staff.
2. Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior, materials, and speech.
3. Speak up if they observe anything at an event that conflicts with this Code of Conduct. If you are being harassed or feel uncomfortable, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the MRC event staff immediately.

UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR

Unacceptable behavior from any Participant will not be tolerated. Unacceptable behavior includes, but is not limited to:

1. Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning speech, materials, or conduct by any Participants of the event and related event activities. Many event venues are shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons of these locations.
2. Violence, threats of violence, or violent language directed against another person.
3. Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
4. Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.
5. Inappropriate photography or recording.
6. Taking of photos within the event environment for use on social media, without the prior permission of the individuals or owners of the content therein.
7. Any boisterous, lewd, or offensive behavior 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, or ethnic slurs.
8. Failure to obey any rules or regulations of the event venue.
9. Engage in any unethical, dishonest, or illegal behavior.

CONSEQUENCES OF UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR

Unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated. Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. If a Participant engages in unacceptable behavior, the MRC may take any action it deems appropriate, including warning or expelling the offender from the event with no refund. For more egregious behavior, the MRC may, in its reasonable discretion, temporarily ban or permanently expel a Participant from the community.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU WITNESS OR ARE SUBJECTED TO UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR

If you are subjected to unacceptable behavior, notice that someone else is being subjected to unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify MRC event staff or contact the MRC CEO as soon as possible. MRC event staff will be available to assist those experiencing unacceptable behavior to feel safe for the duration of the event. All reports will remain completely confidential.

ATTRIBUTION

This Code of Conduct is the product of the MRC's commitment to create and nurture a welcoming, respectful, and collaborative community, and we thank our Participants for sharing our commitment. The framework of this Code of Conduct was inspired by the Open Source Bridge Code of Conduct, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and the Google Anti-Harassment Policy, licensed under the Creative Commons Zero License.

Last updated: 3 April 2024