CONfabulation 2023 COVID-19 Policies
Winconferences Next Gen, LLC d/b/a CONfabulation (“CONfabulation”) is committed to taking all reasonable precautions to ensure the health and safety of our attendees as we gather in person for the first time in four years. Please carefully read and review the policies below, which will be in effect during CONfabulation 2023 (“CONfabulation 2023” or the “Convention”).
By registering for CONfabulation 2023, you acknowledge that you have read the CONfabulation 2023 COVID-19 Policies (the “Policies”) detailed below and agree to abide by the Policies when attending the Convention. Violating the Policies may result in penalties, which are at the sole discretion of convention organizers.
CONfabulation reserves the right to amend or modify these policies at any time. Substantive changes will be communicated to registered attendees via email.
Last updated: September 20, 2023
SYMPTOMS & CONTACT
If you experience symptoms of COVID-19, test positive for COVID-19, or are in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of the Convention, please refer to the CDC’s isolation guidelines and use their Isolation and Exposure Calculator (available at the link) to determine if it is safe for you to travel. Please Note: we ask that you refer to the date when the CDC advises that you can “remove your mask,” NOT the date when they advise you can leave isolation, in determining whether to travel and attend the Convention.
We reserve the right to amend this policy to maintain a minimum isolation time of 10 days, even if the CDC should further relax its guidelines prior to the Convention.
Regardless of CDC guidelines, please do not attend the Convention if you are actively experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
Attendee registrations are nonrefundable; however, if you are not able to attend CONfabulation 2023 due to COVID-19 symptoms, infection, or exposure, you can choose to roll over your registration to the following year or transfer to another person at no additional charge.
If, during the Convention, you begin to experience symptoms, receive a positive test result, or learn of a positive test by someone with whom you have been in close contact, we ask that you leave con spaces immediately and for the remainder of the weekend. Rollovers or transfers will be considered on an individual basis in these situations, if necessary.
VACCINATION
UPDATE 9/20/23: Updated boosters became available in the U.S. on September 12, 2023, and the CDC also updated its vaccine guidelines on that date. We strongly encourage all attendees to get the new booster if it is available to you and you are able to do so. However, per our original policy below, since this update comes fewer than 45 days before the con, the new booster will not be required to be considered “up-to-date” for the purposes of attending CONfabulation 2023.
Information on obtaining low or no cost COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for uninsured individuals can be found on the CDC website and at vaccines.gov.
If you plan to get the new booster and will be providing a SMART Health Card as your proof of vaccination (see below) please remember to request a new SMART Health Card after getting your booster, as the QR codes do not update automatically.
In order to attend CONfabulation 2023, you must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and up-to-date on all recommended boosters for which you are eligible, no later than 14 days before the Convention. If you aren’t sure if you’re up-to-date, please consult the CDC guidelines. If you are traveling from outside the US, please consult your own country’s guidelines regarding vaccination and follow their recommendations.
If CDC guidelines are updated 45 days or more before the Convention, any additional approved/recommended booster(s) for which you are eligible will be required to be considered up-to-date for the purposes of this policy.
Proof of vaccination is required. We encourage you to submit your documentation electronically before arriving at the Convention. To do so, please email your documentation to registration@confabcon.com with the subject line “Proof of Vaccination.” Please include your badge name and wallet name in the email.
You may also bring your documentation with you to be provided at check-in. You will not be permitted to attend the Convention or enter con spaces without providing acceptable proof of vaccination.
Acceptable Proofs of Vaccination:
1. Your CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card. A picture or photocopy of the card is acceptable, so long as it is fully legible.
2. Your SMART Health Card with QR code (preferred). You may send a screenshot or PDF of your SMART Health card by email, bring a paper copy with you to check-in, or show the QR code on your phone at check-in. Regardless of format, the QR code must be clear, so that con staff can scan it using the SMART Health Card Verifier app to confirm your vaccination record.
Please Note: SMART Health Cards are widely, but not universally, available. Illinois residents can obtain their card through the Illinois Department of Public Health at https://idphportal.illinois.gov/s/. If you live in another state and are not sure how to access your card, please visit https://smarthealth.cards/en/find-my-issuer.html.
SMART Health Cards DO NOT automatically update. If you receive any additional doses and/or boosters after requesting/receiving your card, you MUST request a new card with a new QR code to reflect your updated record.
3. Other official documentation of vaccination from a qualified source, such as your state or local health department, or your healthcare provider. Acceptable documentation can be the original, or a digital or paper copy, and must include, at minimum, the following information:
a. Name of the issuing organization or provider
b. Your full name and date of birth
c. The product name/manufacturer and lot number of each dose
d. The date and location where each dose was administered.
4. If you are traveling from outside the United States, please provide proof of vaccination comparable to one of the above. We also ask that you email registration@confabcon.com to provide your documentation, or to let us know what kind of documentation you will provide, in case we need any additional information.
CONfabulation reserves the right to reject any proof of vaccination it deems insufficient or potentially fraudulent, at the sole discretion of convention organizers. If your proof of vaccination is rejected, and you are not able to provide alternate documentation, you will not be permitted to attend CONfabulation 2023 and will not receive a refund. PLEASE contact us prior to arriving in Chicago if you have any questions regarding the sufficiency of your documentation.
Any attempt to falsify proof of vaccination will be considered a very serious violation of this policy and will result in a permanent ban from all future CONfabulation events, as described in the Enforcement section below.
CONTACT TRACING
If you test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of leaving the Convention, you must contact us immediately at registration@confabcon.com so that we can alert attendees who may have been exposed. Your identity will not be shared; we will simply notify attendees that someone has tested positive.
MASKS
Masks must be worn in all con spaces, except when eating or drinking. We also strongly recommend wearing a mask in all public indoor spaces, as well as any other time you are indoors in the presence of others.
Masks with a safety rating of KF-94/KN-95 or higher are strongly recommended. Nonwoven medical/surgical masks of at least three layers are also acceptable.
Masks or respirators with an exhalation valve, as well as cloth masks, gaiters, bandanas, scarves, or any other form of nonmedical face covering are strictly prohibited.
We ask that attendees provide their own masks, but we will have a limited supply available for anyone who forgets or runs out. Masks must be properly fitting and worn correctly. Please comply promptly if con staff asks you to fix an improperly worn mask. Repeated requests or refusal to comply may result in penalties, as described in the Enforcement section below.
Food and drink consumption should be incidental and brief outside of Comet, which will be the designated area for unmasked eating and drinking. Doors to Comet will be closed at all times. If you are unmasked for an extended period of time to eat/drink in other con spaces, you will be asked to relocate to Comet or leave con spaces until you are finished.
GENERAL POLICIES & INFORMATION
Seating in con spaces will be spread out to the extent possible to allow for social distancing.
Handshakes and prolonged close contact are discouraged.
Hand sanitizer will be available in all con spaces. Frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is strongly recommended.
More information about policies and facilities at the hotel coming soon.
ENFORCEMENT
CONfabulation reserves the right to take whatever action it deems necessary and appropriate in response to violations of the above policies, at the sole discretion of the convention organizers. Enforcement measures may include, but are not limited to, reminders and warnings, temporary removal from con spaces, and permanent expulsion from the Convention without a refund.
ANY PURPOSEFUL VIOLATION OF THE “SYMPTOMS & CONTACT” OR “VACCINATION” POLICIES, OR ANY OTHER SERIOUS AND PURPOSEFUL VIOLATION, WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE EXPULSION FROM THE CONVENTION AND A PERMANENT BAN FROM ALL FUTURE CONFABULATION EVENTS, BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL.
ASSUMPTION OF RISK
Any in-person gathering carries an inherent risk of transmission of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. CONfabulation has no control over the actions of non-attendees in the hotel outside of con spaces, who are not bound by CONfabulation’s policies and who may take different or lesser safety precautions. CONfabulation cannot and does not guarantee that attendees will not be exposed to or infected with COVID-19 or any other infectious disease. You voluntarily assume these risks in choosing to attend CONfabulation 2023.
WAIVER AND RELEASE
By registering for and attending CONfabulation 2023, you, on behalf of yourself, your family, successors, heirs, executors, agents, assigns, and representatives, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, expressly waive, release, agree to hold harmless, and forever discharge Winconferences Next Gen, LLC d/b/a CONfabulation and its officers, representatives, agents, assigns, staff, volunteers, and legal successors from and against any and all claims, suits, demands, actions, causes of action, losses, damages, expenses, or liability, of any kind whatsoever, resulting from or arising out of any illness, injury, or death associated with infection or transmission of COVID-19 or any other communicable disease in connection with your attendance and participation in CONfabulation 2023.