Version 3.0

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 17, 2020

1.0 General Provisions

Costume-Con is an annual conference for everyone with an interest in costuming, either amateur or professional. It is traditional, but not obligatory, that Costume-Con conferences take place between the third weekend in January (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend in the U.S.), and the last full weekend in May (Memorial Day weekend in the U.S.).

[Amended Wednesday, November 24, 1999, and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.1 Costume-Con Service Mark

“Costume-Con” is a registered service mark of Karen Schnaubelt, the conference’s founder, hereinafter referred to as the Service Mark Holder.

[Amended Wednesday, January 20, 1999, Sunday, September 18, 2005, Tuesday, April 19, 2016, and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.1.1 Use of the Service Mark in Printed and Electronic Publications

All Costume-Con conference committees and Costume-Con conference bid committees shall publish, in all publications such as advertisements, promotional flyers, progress reports, program books, or websites, either of the following notices:

1. For US-based conferences: “’Costume-Con’ is a registered service mark of Karen Schnaubelt and is used with permission.” The ‘®’ designator shall be placed on the first or most prominent use of ‘Costume-Con’ in any document, paper or electronic; or,
2. For non-US-based conferences: “’Costume-Con’ is a service mark of Karen Schnaubelt, which may be registered in some jurisdictions, and is used with permission.”

[Amended Wednesday, November 24, 1999, Wednesday, January 20, 1999, Wednesday, June 03, 1998, Sunday, September 18, 2005, Tuesday, April 19, 2016, Monday, May 14, 2018, and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.1.2 Registration of Domain Names and Procurement/Management of Costume-Con Web Sites

Bid committees may register only one (1) domain with the cc##.domain name (eg: cc30.com, cc30.org, cc30.net.). This will allow opposing bids to register an alternate, should it be available. Bid websites using a cc##.domain address must include links to any opposing bid websites. Bids registering domain names must indicate the Service Mark Holder as the owner of the domain, but may use their own contact addresses and billing information. Changing the domain contact address is simpler than changing the owner, so that there is no question concerning the owner of the domain(s). Once the vote has been cast and counted, all corresponding cc##.domain addresses must be transferred to the winner of the vote. If, for any reason outlined below, the winning bid committee must be replaced, the domain name(s) revert to the Service Mark Holder for reassignment. For post-conference requirements see Section 1.9 below.

[Added Tuesday, July 16, 2002. Amended Monday, May 14, 2018 and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.2 Costume-Con Minimum Quality Standards

Each Costume-Con conference committee, as licensee of the Service Mark, is obligated to ensure that its Costume-Con conference meets certain Minimum Quality Standards by:

1. Demonstrating fiduciary responsibility in the execution of the conference’s license including accounting, record keeping, and prompt reporting.
2. Implementing all functions listed under Required Activities (see Section 1.4).
3. Implementing all archival requirements (see Section 1.8).

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.2.1 Right to Reject Bid

The Service Mark Holder reserves the right to reject any bid that does not, in the Service Mark Holder’s opinion, uphold the Minimum Quality Standards set by the long history of the conference as outlined in Section 1.2.

[Amended Thursday, March 25, 2004 and Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Renumbered Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.3 Costume-Con Conference Licensing

Each Costume-Con conference committee shall be selected according to the Site Selection procedures described in Article 2. Use of the Costume-Con name and goodwill is licensed to each conference committee upon selection, in accordance with a trademark license agreement, for a $1.00 fee and for other good and valuable consideration. Additionally, each licensed Costume-Con conference committee shall send one copy of all publications to the Service Mark Holder to assure that the publication requirements of 1.1.1 are being maintained.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.3.1 Licensee Obligations and Accountability

Each Costume-Con conference committee shall be responsible for its own bookkeeping, finances, and taxes. Each Costume-Con conference committee shall be responsible for enforcing the provisions of this ConStitution. Each Costume-Con conference shall distribute a copy of the Costume-Con ConStitution to all of its members, typically by publishing it in the Program Book. It is acceptable to publish the URL of the online ConStitution (https://www.costume-con.org/constitution/costume-con-constitution/) in lieu of publishing the ConStitution in any document related to the conference, in which case the committee shall make available at the conference a reasonable number of paper copies for review by any attending member.

[Renumbered/Added Saturday, January 04, 2003. Amended Monday, January 27, 2003, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.3.2 Failure to Meet Minimum Quality Standards

In the event that at any time the conference fails to deliver either the original goals and venue stated in their accepted initial bid materials or changes authorized under the terms of its license, the Service Mark Holder has the absolute right to terminate the licensing of the Costume-Con name to said conference. If a Costume-Con conference committee does not meet the Minimum Quality Standards or fails to abide by the terms of this ConStitution, the Service Mark Holder will provide the Costume-Con conference committee with written notice of such default. The Costume-Con conference committee will be given thirty (30) days to remedy the default. If the Costume-Con conference committee does not remedy the default within the thirty (30) days, or provide the Service Mark Holder with an acceptable plan to effect a remedy if such remedy will take more than thirty (30) days, then the Service Mark Holder may terminate the License Agreement in accordance with Section 1.3.4. If any Costume-Con conference committee receives a third such written notice of default, even if the first two (2) defaults were remedied in a timely manner, the Service Mark Holder, in their sole discretion, may terminate the License Agreement in accordance with Section 1.3.4.

[Added Monday, January 27, 2003. Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.3.3 Causes for Termination/Revocation of License

Potential reasons for the Service Mark Holder to terminate the license include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Unapproved radical changes to the dates, venue, or other major details of a Costume-Con conference in such a manner that it is no longer the same conference that was voted upon in site selection;
2. Incompetence in a Costume-Con conference committee’s administration that, in the reasonable opinion of the Service Mark Holder, proves to be impossible to correct or improve;
3. Failure, by a Costume-Con conference committee, to meet the minimum responsibilities detailed in this ConStitution; and/or,
4. Failure or unwillingness, by a Costume-Con conference committee. to run the required activities specified in this document.

Any termination of the License Agreement will be in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 1.3.4.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.3.4 Termination Procedure

In the event of breach or default, the Service Mark Holder may terminate the License Agreement as follows:

1. Thirty (30) days after written notice of a material breach of the License Agreement, if such breach is not remedied within such thirty (30) day period;
2. Upon ten (10) days notice of either the Costume-Con conference committee’s failure to remedy a written notice of default in meeting the Minimum Quality Standards or abiding by the terms of this ConStitution; or,
3. Third default in meeting the Minimum Quality Standards or abiding by the terms of this ConStitution.

[Added Monday, January 27, 2003. Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.4 Required Conference Activities

Each Costume-Con conference must have program items as enumerated in the subsections below.

1.4.1 Pre-conference Activities

1.4.1.1 Regular Updates to Members

The conference committee must provide regular updates and communications to the conference membership regarding current conference status and activities. Updates can take the form of either printed and mailed Progress Reports, or regular updates to the content of the conference’s web site.

[Renumbered/Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.4.1.2 Establish and Publish a Code of Conduct

The conference committee shall establish and publish a code of conduct for the members of the conference. The Service Mark Holder must approve the code of conduct and any changes thereto within six (6) months of winning the bid. (See Section 1.7 for further details.)

[Renumbered/Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.4.1.3 Future Fashion Design Competition and Folio

A pre-conference Future Fashion Design competition resulting in the publication and distribution to conference members of a Future Fashion Folio of the winning designs. The Future Fashion Folio must be published and distributed no later than six (6) months prior to the start of the conference or the preceding December 31st, whichever is earlier. The Future Fashion Folio may be physically published as a stand-alone document (mailed separately to all non-discounted members regardless of type), distributed by email, or available as a download from the conference website at the discretion of the administering Costume-Con conference committee. Distribution to discounted members is at the discretion of the administering Costume-Con conference committee.

[Renumbered/Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.4.2 Opening Night Social Event

The Social, held on the first night of the conference, is intended to provide a casual meeting space for all attendees. The Social may have a theme (optional), and may include additional events.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.4.3 Staged Costume Events

The following staged costume events are required:

1. Science Fiction/Fantasy-themed competition;
2. Historical-themed competition; and,
3. Future Fashion-themed fashion show (based on the conference’s published Future Fashion Folio of winning entries from the Future Fashion Design Contest).

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.4.4 Educational/Instructional Program

The conference must include at least ten (10) instructional/educational presentations of some sort, which may take the form of lectures, panel discussions, seminars, hands-on workshops, or similar activities. Conferences are encouraged to include program items for all ages and abilities.

1.4.5 Future Conference Selection

The current Costume-Con must provide for Site Selection voting for future Costume-Con conferences as specified in Section 2.

[Amended/renumbered: Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.4.6 Dealer/Merchant Area

As permitted under local rules, regulations, statutes, and ordinances, an area of the conference must be dedicated to merchants, retailers or other businesses related to the conference.

[Renumbered: Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.4.7 Annual ICG Meeting

In recognition of the strong historical ties between Costume-Con and the International Costumers’ Guild, Inc. (ICG), the conference must provide at least two hours and a meeting area for the ICG Annual Meeting.

[Renumbered: Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.4.8 Additional Conference Activities

At the committee’s discretion, conference activities may also include:

1. Hospitality area (or con suite) that is accessible to all members and includes proximate restroom access;
2. Doll-based competition;
3. Single Pattern competition;
4. Static costume exhibit(s);
5. Other costume-related activities, such as, but not limited to, a $1.98 Contest, Iron Costumer competition, video masquerade, themed quilting competition, any other costume-based competition, or locally inspired event (see Costume-Con.org’s Data Archive for descriptions of previous events); and,
6. Wrap-up social event on the evening of the final day of the conference.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.5 Membership Classes

There shall be at least two (2) classes of membership in Costume-Con conferences: Supporting and Attending (see below). The conference committee must process membership applications and payment promptly (no longer than thirty (30) days from receipt). Membership shall be considered received on the day that it is delivered to the correspondence address. The conference shall notify members of receipt of their membership payment and class in a timely fashion. A volunteer is considered a member of the Costume-Con Conference, whether the membership is paid or complimentary. All volunteers are required to register and agree to the conference’s published policies without exception.

1.5.1 Supporting Members

All Costume-Con conferences shall be required to offer advance sales of Supporting memberships. Supporting membership sales, other than for the express purpose of voting in site selection, may cease thirty (30) days prior to the opening of the Costume-Con conference. Supporting members may exercise Site Selection voting rights as long as their membership registration has been received by the ballot mail-in deadline. Supporting members shall receive all publications published or distributed by the Costume-Con conference committee. Costume-Con conference publications shall include: Site Selection Ballot, Future Fashion Folio, Program Book and updates as specified in Section 1.4.1. Any class of membership offered by a Costume-Con conference costing at least as much as a Supporting membership shall include a Supporting membership.

[Amended Tuesday, September 21, 1999]

1.5.2 Attending Members

Attending members shall have all of the rights of Supporting members, plus the right to attend the Costume-Con conference.

1.5.3 Restriction of Memberships

Each Costume-Con conference committee shall have the right to limit the activities of its attendees, either individually or in groups, insofar as such activities violate the code of conduct or endanger (physically or legally) other persons or property. Such limitations may include, but are not limited to, closing down parties, ejecting persons from the Costume-Con conference, and/or turning offenders over to the authorities. No refund of membership will be given in such circumstances. Each member, in acquiring a membership, agrees to abide by this ConStitution.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.6 Name Badges and Membership Numbers

All Costume-Con conference committees shall issue name badges for all Attending members. It is suggested that name badges for pre-registered members should display the member’s name or nickname in no less than 24-point bold type. All conference committees shall assign a unique membership number upon processing of a Supporting or Attending membership. This number shall be printed on the label of all Progress Reports, shall be printed on membership name badges, and shall be used for Site Selection purposes. In the event a membership is transferred, the membership number shall also be transferred and applied to both the badge and registration information used for Site Selection voting administration. Membership badges or other proof of membership remain the property of the Costume-Con conference committee for the duration of the conference and may be confiscated for cause as specified in Section 1.5.3.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.7 Code of Conduct (CoC) Requirements

As a community, we need to look out for one another and make sure everyone is treated with respect. To this end, Costume-Con’s Service Mark Holder requires each Costume-Con conference committee to adopt a CoC, which must be made available to all paid and volunteer conference participants, and conference facility(ies) and facility staff as well. All participants, whether paid or not, must adhere to the CoC throughout the conference’s lifespan, from bid through closure of books. The Costume-Con Conference must create and submit a CoC to the Service Mark Holder for approval. It is recommended that a draft CoC be submitted with the Bid paperwork. (See Section 2.4.) Once approved, the CoC must be published no less than eighteen (18) months before the Conference.

In the Costume-Con Code of Conduct (CoC) Template, any content marked with [square brackets] may be adapted to suit the Costume-Con conference committee’s needs, but the general provisions not so marked must be included in any published Code of Conduct for the Costume-Con conference.

The Costume-Con Code of Conduct (CoC) Template was developed after a review of policies and procedures for the following organizations:

• Dublin 2019 Code of Conduct:
  https://dublin2019.com/about/code-of-conduct/
• Anime USA Convention Policies:
  http://animeusa.org/convention-policies/
• Dragon Con Policies:
  https://www.dragoncon.org/about/dragon-con-policies/ and
• Dublin 2019 Accessibility Services:
  https://dublin2019.com/about/accessibility-services/

The Dublin 2019 Code of Conduct is loosely based on Geek Feminism’s example anti-harassment policy (http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Conference_anti-harassment/Policy), created by volunteers.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.7.1 Costume-Con Code of Conduct (CoC) Template

The Costume-Con Code of Conduct (CoC) Template, Recognizing and Reporting Harassment Guide, and Accessibility and Inclusion Guide may be found on the Costume-ConNections website ([Coming Soon]).

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.7.2 Distribution of CoC to All Participants

Distribution of the Costume-Con CoC may be by digital means via web or email, in print in advance of the Costume-Con conference in one or more of the conference’s Progress Reports (as applicable), and in print form during registration at the Costume-Con conference. Additional print copies shall be made available at Conference Operations, Information Desk(s) (if applicable), and at location(s) where the authorized teams are assigned as appropriate.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.7.3 Staffing Requirements for Addressing Harassment Reports

The Costume-Con conference committee must dedicate at least two (2) individuals to serve as members of an authorized team for handling reports of harassment and abuse of the Costume-Con CoC. The name of this team is flexible depending on the conference committee’s experience with such teams, but must be used consistently throughout the entire lifespan of the Costume-Con conference from bid to closure. Said members may NOT be, or be related in any way to, the Costume-Con conference chair(s) or officers. It is in the Costume-Con conference committee’s best interests to identify and connect with the local certified crisis counselor organization who can help with providing advice on handling and processing such reports.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.7.4 Staffing Requirements for Addressing Access

The Costume-Con conference committee must dedicate at least one (1) individual to serve as Access coordinator, to address the requirements outlined in the Access portion of the Costume-Con CoC. It is in the Costume-Con conference committee’s best interests to identify and connect with local certified Access support organizations, such as Lighthouse for the Blind, NAMI, or similar, to provide guidance in developing an appropriate Access plan for the Costume-Con conference.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.8 Costume-Con Conference Archives

The Costume-Con Conference Archives are intended to provide a historical record of all Costume-Con conferences and related materials.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.8.1 Archive of Costume-Con ConStitutions

The Costume-Con Archivist shall maintain the Costume-Con ConStitution. The Service Mark Holder is responsible for advising all current and bidding conference committees of changes to the ConStitution. Any individual or group that requests a paper copy of the ConStitution shall reimburse the Costume-Con Archivist or Service Mark Holder for copying and mailing costs.

[Amended Tuesday, September 21, 1999 and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.8.2 Storage of Costume-Con Conference Archives

The Service Mark Holder shall store all available paper Costume-Con conference archival materials at the address in the Comments section of this document.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.8.3 Location of Archives

Electronic Archival material shall be made available at the website located at www.Costume-Con.org, which shall be the official website of Costume-Con’s conference online archives. The www.Costume-Con.org domain is owned by the Service Mark Holder.

1.8.4 Mandatory Membership Data

Each Costume-Con Conference Committee shall provide to the next two (2) Costume-Con Conference’s membership registrars the following information for archival purposes:

1. Legal name(s)
2. Aliases (as provided by the members)

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.8.5 Opt-In Membership Data

In addition, each Costume-Con Conference Committee shall provide the following data for each member, based on the member’s choice to opt in for having their data shared with two (2) immediate (active) Costume-Con conference committees:

1. Mailing address
2. Email address(s)

Such information is to be used for a single contact per type of contact data, for the purpose of marketing the upcoming Costume-Con conference(s) to said members, after which the contact information shall be deleted or otherwise destroyed. At no time will this information be passed down or sold to any other third party outside of said Costume-Con conferences.

We do not share this information with anyone (except as detailed below for credit card authorization), and only Costume-Con board and committee members have access to your contact info as necessary to perform their duties.
You may request that we delete your personal information and user account from our website systems by emailing the Costume-Con conference committee. If you delete your personal information and user account, you will no longer be able to register for Costume-Con’s future events, nor to access any of the Members-Only information on the website.

Note that an archive of some basic members contact information (membership roster) is maintained by each Costume-Con conference, as required by laws and regulations governing financial status (especially where sponsored by a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organization).

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.8.6 Data Authorization

To comply voluntarily with the requirements for European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and all applicable laws and regulations, and make clear to members how their data will be used and stored, each Costume-Con conference must include the following opt-in statement on its registration forms: “I agree to share my contact information with the next two Costume-Con conferences for the purpose of receiving a single notice (in electronic or mailed form) that advertises the future conference. I understand that my data will not be passed on to additional parties without my express permission to do so.” This data will be provided to the registrar(s) in electronic tab-delimited .CSV form.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.8.7 Archival Data Delivery

A complete set of the data collected in Sections 1.8.4 and 1.8.5 will also be provided to the Service Mark Holder and Costume-Con Archivist in electronic tab-delimited .CSV form within sixty (60) days of the conclusion of the Costume-Con conference.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.9 Archiving of Individual Costume-Con Conference Websites

Each Costume-Con conference committee shall provide the Costume-Con Archivist with the URL of the Costume-Con conference’s website, to be linked into www.Costume-Con.org. Additionally, each Costume-Con conference shall provide an archival electronic backup copy of the complete conference website for storage after the conference.

[Renumbered Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Amended Tuesday, July 16, 2002, Tuesday, September 21, 1999, and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.10 Photography, Competition Participant & Award Lists, Video Recordings, and Other Archival Materials

1.10.1 Budget and Acquisition of Official Photographic/Video Records

All Costume-Con Conferences must provide (and budget for) a copy of all official photographs, videos, and other similar records to the Costume-Con Archivist for all competitions, exhibits, and other activities as outlined in Sections 1.4.3-1.4.8. Photographic records should be made of every competition and/or social event, and may be supplied in either printed or digital format. In addition, the conference shall provide a listing of ALL participants in any competition, program, or other conference activity. In reference to competitions, records must include the entry number (if relevant), entry title, division, all artists, makers, and participants (including those off-site), and any award(s) given, whether by the conference judges or by other parties. Also required are the names of all directors, judges, backstage staff, and other relevant personnel. Real (legal) names must be supplied, but participants may elect to provide aliases as desired, for publication purposes. Each competition director is responsible for making any such substitutions clear to the Costume-Con Archivist.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.10.1.1 Archival Sharing

Due to the historic connection between Costume-Con and the International Costumers’ Guild, Inc., the Costume-Con Archivist may share archival information including, but not limited to, photographs and video of the events, displays and other competitions.
Content shared with the Pat and Peggy Kennedy Memorial Archives is bound by the same restrictions for use and display as the Costume-Con Archives.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.10.2 Archives Liaison

It is strongly recommended that the Costume-Con conference appoint an Archives Liaison, in consultation with the Service Mark Holder and Costume-Con Archivist, to collect and provide said data to both the Service Mark Holder and Costume-Con Archivist.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.10.3 Delivery of Archival Materials

All materials relating to the operation of the conference competitions must be received by the Costume-Con Archivist no later than ten (10) days following the conclusion of the conference, with the exception of video, bookkeeping records, or printed photographic records. These remaining materials (with the exception of the website archive) shall be delivered to the Costume-Con Archivist no later than sixty (60) days following the last day of the conference. The Costume-Con Archivist shall receive a final archival copy of the website no later than three (3) months following the conclusion of the conference. Requests for an extension to these deadlines are subject to approval by the Service Mark Holder.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.10.4 Publishing Rights

Photographic images must be provided to the Archives at the highest available resolution. The Costume-Con Archivist reserves the right to reduce such images as may be used for online publication (to illustrate conference and competition participants) to an appropriately sized screen resolution. The Costume-Con Archivist will give proper credit to the photographer for any images posted online, along with a link back to the photographer’s ordering instructions/website for as long as the ordering page remains active.

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

1.10.5 Releases

The Costume-Con conference committee shall include a model release paragraph to be signed by all members of the conference at registration that includes the following statements:
“With the exception of the official photographer(s) and videographer(s), Costume-Con members and attendees are prohibited from taking, recording, or creating film, digital pictures, videos, tapes, sound recordings, or any other visual or auditory recreation of any kind whatsoever for commercial use or for the solicitation of funds for any commercial or other purpose without the express written permission of the Costume-Con conference committee.
I hereby accept that my image may be recorded in any of the formats above during Costume-Con ___, and that the Official photographer(s)/videographer(s) may distribute said images/recordings as they see fit, in accordance with the Costume-Con ConStitution. I understand that I retain the rights to my image in all forms for my own personal use without limitation.”

1.10.6 Official Photographer/Videographer Contract

The contract a Costume-Con conference committee establishes with any Official photographer/videographer must include the following language:
“I agree to provide a complete set of the highest quality images I will record during the Costume-Con ___ weekend of events and competitions to the Service Mark Holder for the purpose of storing in the Costume-Con Archives, and I further agree that the Costume-Con Archivist may reproduce screen resolution images to be published on the Costume-ConNections website as desired, with appropriate credit back to my website for promotion and sales purposes. I am responsible for notifying the Costume-Con Archivist of this website upon publishing said location on my site.”

[Added Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.0 Costume-Con Conference Site Selection

2.1 Timing

The site of a Costume-Con conference shall be selected two (2) years in advance (e.g., the location of Costume-Con X+2 conference is decided at Costume-Con X conference).

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.2 Administration

Site Selection shall be administered by an individual or individuals appointed by the committee of the current Costume-Con conference (referred to in Section 2.1 above as Costume-Con X conference), to serve as the Site Selection Commissioner. Traditionally, the current conference committee invites the Chair or representative of Costume-Con X+1 to serve as Site Selection Commissioner. The Service Mark Holder has final authority over appointment of Site Selection Commissioner.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.3 Eligibility of Sites

Any site in any geographic location is eligible to be the site of a Costume-Con conference, except as restricted by the provisions of this ConStitution.

2.3.1 Exclusion Zone

There is no exclusion zone (with respect to a geographic rotation scheme) at this time.

[Renumbered/Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.4 Filing Requirements

A Costume-Con conference bid committee must provide the Service Mark Holder with written evidence of the following:

1. At least two (2) separate people living at separate addresses who are not immediate family members (one may not be a legal parent/guardian, sibling, spouse, or child of the other) declaring themselves Chair and Treasurer respectively;
2. An organizing instrument (such as bylaws, articles of incorporation or association, or a partnership agreement) which specifies how the committee is organized and the method of selection and removal of committee members; and,
3. A letter of intent or option from a hotel or other facility declaring specific dates on which the proposed Costume-Con conference shall be held. If proposed dates will be outside of the “traditional” range specified in Section 1.0, the Service Mark Holder must approve the dates. (See Section 1.1.)

For a sample set of by-laws, see: https://www.costume-con.org/constitution/by-laws-template/.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.5 Deadline for Filing Bids

Only those bids whose filing paperwork (required by Section 2.4) is in the possession of the Service Mark Holder by one-hundred and eighty days (180) days preceding the administering conference (ninety (90) days preceding the balloting) shall be listed on the ballot. Filing paperwork should be delivered to the Service Mark Holder at the address in the Comments section of this document. If the filing paperwork can be verified to be at the address of the Service Mark Holder, it is considered to be in the Service Mark Holder’s possession. A copy of the filing paperwork should be delivered to the Costume-Con Archivist at the address in the Comments section of this document.

[Amended Monday, November 29, 1999 and Tuesday, September 21, 1999]

2.6 Notification of Administering Costume-Con

The Service Mark Holder shall notify the Site Selection Commissioner of all valid bids no later than one hundred sixty (160) days prior to the conference. If the notification paperwork can be verified to be at the address of the Site Selection Commissioner, it is considered to be in the Site Selection Commissioner’s possession. The Service Mark Holder shall also notify the Costume-Con Archivist, so that bid information can be published on the Costume-Con archival website.

2.7 Provisions When No Valid Bids are Received

If no valid bids are received by the deadline in Section 2.5, then the Site Selection process falls to the discretion of the Service Mark Holder. (See Section 2.18)

2.8 Eligibility of Voters

Site Selection voting shall be limited to those persons who are Attending or Supporting members of the administering Costume-Con conference. Other classes of membership may vote only upon the unanimous agreement of all qualified bidding committees. One person equals one membership equals one vote. Corporations, Associations, and other non-human entities may vote only for “No Preference.” “Guest of” memberships must be transferred to an individual before voting for anything other than “No Preference.” In the event that a Costume-Con Site Selection vote is canceled, voting eligibility for any replacement Site Selection process shall be determined at the Service Mark Holder’s discretion.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.9 Voting Fee

A maximum voting fee of $10.00 (US Dollars or equivalent) will be required to register a vote in Site Selection. This fee must be made payable to Costume-Con X+2. All proceeds from the collection of the voting fee will be provided to the winning bid committee. The voting fee entitles registered voters to an automatic credit, equal to the voting fee, towards a membership in the winning Costume-Con bid. The voter must be a member of the administering Costume-Con conference to vote (see Section 2.8).

[Amended Tuesday, September 21, 1999 and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.10 Ballot Template

Balloting shall be by the transferable preferential system (where preferences are marked “1, 2, 3,” not “make an X”). The Site Selection ballot template, along with instructions for preparation of the ballot, may be found on the Costume-ConNections website (https://www.costume-con.org/constitution/costume-con-site-selection-ballot-template/). The Site Selection Commissioner may complete the ballot by filling in the following information: The names of the eligible bid committees, dates of the proposed Costume-Con conferences, minimum membership requirements (including the cost of a Supporting membership in the administering Costume-Con), and the address to which Site Selection ballots should be sent.
Alternatively, the Site Selection Commissioner may choose to create a facsimile ballot, as long as the ballot contains the same information described in the previous sentence. The Site Selection Commissioner shall be responsible for the publication and distribution of the Site Selection ballots to the administering Costume-Con conference’s membership. All eligible bids received in accordance with Sections 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 shall be included on the ballot. The ballot shall include entries for “No Preference” and “None of the Above,” and shall provide space for at least one (1) write-in bid. The ballot shall be a secret ballot, specially marked for preferential voting with an explanation of the method for counting preferential votes. (For instructions on handling ballots marked with an X, see Section 2.16.)

[Amended Tuesday, September 21, 1999 and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.11 Distribution of Ballot

2.11.1 Distribution Deadline

Ninety (90) days prior to the date on which the administering Costume-Con conference begins, the Site Selection Commissioner shall ensure that a Site Selection ballot and the full rules for Site Selection voting is distributed to all persons who hold memberships in the administering Costume-Con conference as of one (1) week before the mailing.

[Renumbered Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.11.2 Distribution Methods

The ballot may be incorporated into a Costume-Con conference’s progress report, mailed separately, distributed by email as a PDF document, or available as a PDF download from the conference website at the discretion of the administering Costume-Con conference committee. Costume-Con conference bid committees may provide a half-page statement containing the following: The dates and location of the proposed Costume-Con conference, the committee’s chair and treasurer, and a brief statement promoting the bid, to be included in the distribution of the Site Selection ballot and full rules. Members who join the Costume-Con conference after the mass distribution of the ballot and rules for Site Selection shall receive copies of these items when their memberships are processed. (Please note expected processing time for a membership in Section 1.5.) The ballot and full rules for voting on Site Selection, including the location of the polling place and the hours it is open, shall be given to all Attending members upon registration at the Costume-Con conference, or such information shall be prominently displayed at the registration area throughout the Costume-Con conference. The ballot and full rules for voting on Site Selection also shall be made available at the polling place.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.12 Deadline for Voting by Mail

All ballots received by the Site Selection Commissioner fourteen (14) days prior to the date on which the administering Costume-Con conference begins shall be counted.

2.13 Bid Promotion

2.13.1 Advance Bid Promotion

All bids shall prominently display their prospective dates and facility information on all publications (digital or print) including but not limited to websites, flyers and other advertising media used to promote the bid. The following two items are helpful, but not obligatory:

1. A sponsoring organization (such as one of the International Costumers’ Guild, Inc.’s chapters); and/or,
2. Tax-exempt status (such as 501(c)(3)).

[Renumbered Saturday, October 19, 2019. Amended Wednesday, January 20, 1999 and Saturday, October 19, 2019.]

2.13.2 At-Con Bid Presentation

Each eligible bid committee shall have at least fifteen (15) minutes of scheduled program time on the first full day of the administering Costume-Con conference for the purpose of making a bidding presentation, if desired.

[Renumbered Saturday, October 19, 2019. Amended Saturday, October 19, 2019.]

2.14 At-Conference Voting

Site Selection shall be open for at least eight (8) hours total on the first two (2) days of the administering Costume-Con conference, between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and midnight. All on-site balloting shall be at one central location, under the supervision of the Site Selection Commissioner.

[Amended Tuesday, September 21, 1999]

2.14.1 Hand-Carried Ballots

The Site Selection Commissioner shall accept hand-carried ballots, which are otherwise valid ballots, delivered to the Site Selection Commissioner by someone other than the member who completed the ballot.

2.15 Verification of Ballots

Properly completed ballots shall contain the member’s:

1. Printed name;
2. Membership number as assigned by the administering Costume-Con;
3. Dated signature;
4. Current mailing address;
5. Primary phone number;
6. Email address (if such an address exists); and,
7. Vote(s) as defined elsewhere in this ConStitution.
8. Voting fee payment, as described in Section 2.9.

Verification of the ballots shall consist of matching the name and number of the member with the records of the administering Costume-Con conference. Ballots received by the Site Selection Commissioner prior to fourteen (14) days before the first day of the administering Costume-Con conference shall be held unopened by the Site Selection Commissioner until the counting of ballots (see Section 2.16), at which time the ballots shall be verified by the Site Selection Commissioner and the bidders. See the Site Selection Template: https://www.costume-con.org/constitution/costume-con-site-selection-ballot-template/

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.16 Counting of Ballots

2.16.1 Ballot Tabulation Observers

The Service Mark Holder shall have the right, but not the obligation, to be present during the counting of the ballots or to assign a representative to observe the process. The Site Selection Commissioner shall arrange for the counting of ballots, and each eligible bid committee shall be allowed to send at least two (2) observers to such ballot-counting

[Renumbered/Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.16.2 Ballot Tabulation

The count shall be by preferential ballot, otherwise known as the Australian counting method. Ballots marked in error with an “X” or check mark instead of numbers will be considered as a “1” vote for the bid thus checked, and a “2” vote for no preference. For the purpose of vote counting, “None of the Above” shall be treated as if it were a bid. “None of the Above” and votes for ineligible bids shall count toward the total number of votes cast. Blank ballots, illegal or illegible ballots, and votes for “No Preference” shall not count toward the total number of votes cast.

[Renumbered/Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.16.3 Winning the Bid and Announcing the Winner

The winner shall be that bid which gains a majority of those votes expressing preference for a bid. All vote totals of final results and of all intermediate counts shall be made available at or before the end of the administering Costume-Con conference. The final vote total shall also be given to the Costume-Con Archivist, to be added to the Costume-Con archives.

[Renumbered Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Amended Tuesday, September 21, 1999 and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

2.17 Procedures When a Write-In Bid Wins

Should a write-in bid win the balloting, the committee of that bid must provide the Service Mark Holder with written evidence of their filing requirements (see Section 2.4), within fourteen (14) days of the announcement of the Site Selection winner. If the committee of the write-in bid cannot show such proof, the conference will be awarded to the bid with the next highest vote that has met the eligibility requirements.

[Added Wednesday, October 07, 1998. Amended Tuesday, September 21, 1999.]

2.18 Procedures When No Bid Wins or is Eligible

Should there be no qualified bidding committee, or should no eligible bid win the needed majority, or should “None of the Above” win, or should the Site Selection procedures be called into question during or after the conclusion of the administering Costume-Con conference, the Service Mark Holder may choose a site within six (6) weeks of the close of the administering Costume-Con conference. In the case of no eligible bid winning a majority, the Service Mark Holder may choose between/among the current eligible bids. The Service Mark Holder shall have the option to decline making a site choice, meaning there will be no Costume-Con conference that year.

[Amended Wednesday, October 07, 1998 and Saturday, January 04, 2003.]

2.19 Availability of Results

The results of the balloting shall be reported to the membership of the current Costume-Con conference at the evening event (traditionally the Historic Masquerade), on the third day of the administering conference. A record of the results of the balloting, including all intermediate counts, shall be published in the first or second Progress Report of the winning Costume-Con conference and on the Costume-Con archival website.

[Amended Wednesday, October 07, 1998.]

3.0 Amendments to the ConStitution

3.1 Authority

At this time, the Service Mark Holder, or the Service Mark Holder’s legal successor(s), is the only entity with the authority to make amendments to this ConStitution; however, suggestions for improvement may be made to the contact address in Comments, and will be given due consideration. As a general rule, modifications to the ConStitution will be made in the six (6)-month period following each Costume-Con conference so the document is not constantly in flux.

[Amended Tuesday, March 17, 2020.]

Comments

Contact information for the Service Mark Holder: Karen Schnaubelt, P.O. Box 1, Beallsville, PA 15313; Email: janusaries55@gmail.com.

Contact information for Costume-Con Archivist: Betsy R. Marks, Costume-Con Archivist, Costume-Connections, P.O. Box 1393, Greenbelt, MD 20768-1393; Email: info@Costume-Con.org; Web Site: www.Costume-Con.org.

Contact information for the International Costumers’ Guild: c/o The Corresponding Secretary, E-mail: corr-secretary@costume.org; Web Site: www.costume.org.

Contact information for the Pat & Peggy Kennedy Memorial Archives: icg-archivist@costume.org.

Last modified: Tuesday, March 17, 2020.