**Picking up Your Press Badge at Ai-Konl**
You will receive instructions on where to pick up your Press Membership Badge in your confirmation email. Bring your confirmation e-mail and your government-issued ID. The Press Membership badge must be carried at all times. Without your Press Membership badge, you will not have access to the convention, access early seating where applicable, or the ability to request interviews with Guests.
**Press Sessions**
Since guests’ time is limited, registered members of Press are asked to refrain from requesting autographs or personal photos with guests at the close of an interview. Photos of guests to accompany coverage are sometimes allowed, subject to the convenience of guests, contracts and to time constraints. All such photos must be prearranged at the time of scheduling the interview.
Violation of this arrangement may disqualify your request for covering Ai-Kon in future years. This will be tracked and enforced.
**Video & Audio Recording**
Any video or audio recordings of Ai-Kon sponsored events (such as the cosplay contest or tournaments) are not to be uploaded to the Internet, or made available to the public, in their entirety. If you wish to use recordings of such events, only "highlight" clips may be used. Any use otherwise is in violation of the Rights held by Ai-Kon, and will result in disciplinary action of the outlet in question.
Please keep in mind that any video recording containing audio of third-party content (such as a song, audio track, movie/show clip, etc.) must have audio removed prior to posting, as its usage is governed by copyright rules of the artist, production company, or label.
**Reserved Seating Policy**
Certain Ai-Kon events are highly attended and as a result, space is limited. Reserved Press seating, if available at an event, is provided as a courtesy, and press members are required to follow the guidelines set by Ai-Kon Programming Staff per each event. These guidelines may include pre-registration of Press for an event, additional coverage requirements, etc. In the case of additional requirements for Press attendance at an event, Press members will be notified as information is available.
Reserved Press seating is not guaranteed for all events.
If room space is available for a given event, it will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis, and may include a specific Press area for tripods and cameras. Press access to the event room is made available prior to attendee access, for this purpose. If you have questions about seating or space for a given event, please ask the Communication Officer.
In any event that does not have dedicated Press seating or space, space is given solely at the discretion of the Communications Officer or pertaining department officer.
The Cosplay Contest will have limited seating which will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. For outlets with a press membership, access to Main Programming may be made available prior to the start of attendee load-in for the event.
Press membership does NOT qualify one for preferential treatment at autograph/sketch sessions.
**Quality Control Check-ups**
Staff may be performing post-convention follow-ups via email with all attending press to review all final products. All final products that are published may be asked to be submitted to the Communications Department upon release (no later than March 1st for Winterfest and August 1st for Ai-Kon following the con) for archiving, marketing, and quality control assessments. Each publication will be assessed to see what services were provided and determine whether or not appropriate coverage was performed to equal the cost of a convention membership badge for Ai-Kon. Number of membership badges per publication will be a factor in the assessment.
Those who are determined as insufficient will have to meet additional requirements in following years to receive a press badge. These requirements may include, but are not limited to, publication suspension in future, requirement of purchase of a membership badges, etc.
**Your Rights & Information**
Ai-Kon reserves the right to list your company/publications name on digital and print material. In some cases, Industry and certain guests/talent may require release of information such as email address, name, and publication name prior to any press session. Ai-Konl does not sell or make public individual's private information, publication information may be provide upon request.
For further questions, contact the Communications Officers at promotions@ai-kon.org
**Abuse of Press Privileges**
As a member of Ai-Kon, you are expected to conduct yourself in a professional, courteous manner while attending the convention as Press. Press membership does not qualify a member of the press for preferential treatment at any event over the course of the convention.
Ai-Kon, takes the behavior of its Press very seriously, and will review carefully any reports of abuse of Press privileges. If after review an abuse of privileges is found, such behavior may be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including revocation of badges or expulsion from the convention. Violation of any conditions of coverage (such as events, etc.) or any of these arrangements may disqualify requests for covering or attending Ai-Kon events in future years.
If a publication feels that their membership is revoked unjustly or that they were unfairly disciplined, they may discuss it with the Communications Officer. The revocation of a membership is a last resort, and the Communications Department will do all they can to be certain that members of the press understand why such actions are necessary and how to avoid them. Please do not hesitate to ask if there is some part of these policies you do not understand.
Press Members may discuss any questions/disputes regarding these policies with the Communications Officer.
Please note: Ai-Kon reserves the right to modify our rules & regulations at anytime without prior notice, and may deny you a press membership for any reason. Submitting the Press Membership Registration Form does not guarantee you a press membership for Ai-Kon events.