Fostering a safe and positive environment starts with you. While an environment is built by the community and not just one person within it, as an organizer you will be viewed as a community leader that has significant influence over the environment of an event. As an organizer, you should be making it a focus to ensure the safety of others and encourage positive interactions that will show others what your priorities are.

Here are our recommendations on how to establish that role of responsibility you have on your events and community.

• Set up an low-friction way for your players to communicate with you privately or provide event / community feedback
• Set a clear player code of conduct for all your events

Organizers should be responsible for educating themselves on best practices and we recommend these readings on how to deal with reports of unsafe conduct and violations.

• Organizer Resources and Education for a Safer Community
• Dealing with Codes of Conduct and Reports of Violations

Here are some safety precautions ideas you can enforce to make your event safe and positive. Please note that these are just suggestions of preventative measures and are not guaranteed. We worked with other community leaders to create this list.

For all event types

• Possible age restrictions or encouragement of a guardian present (the guardian could enter for free) 
  • Implementation of parent/guardian permission forms on smash.gg upon registration, with proof of ID. 
• Open bottle enforcement

Local Events

• Set up an anonymous report form (weeklies are a tighter knit community and may feel discouraged to speak up)
• CoC established for your community and events (something you as an organizer will enforce at your events)

Regional Events

• Set up a report form with all the organizers in your regions
• Contact different regionals organizers that are present to your event and get their CoC. 
  • Hold the regional organizers accountable for having a CoC and their region’s players that are attending your event

National Events

• Set up a report form
• ”Safe”/”quiet” rooms, similar to VIP areas for top players but for those who feel threatened or anxious to decompress with designated staff to report unsafe behavior
  • Safety volunteer team, possibly working with venue security. Take reports on unsafe behavior, walk around the venue and chaperone, work the “safe rooms”  
• Abolition of 24 hour open venues at majors, or a curfew for minors
• Wristbands designated for certain age groups. Perhaps a possible buddy system with safety volunteers if a minor does not have a parent/guardian
• Written, reviewed and signed Code of Conduct accessible to the public
• Metal detectors with thorough bag checks for alcohol and/or weapons. 

Miscellaneous Events (After Parties, Invitationals)

• • Confirmation that venue host can provide free, unlimited water
  • Alcohol ban from events/making events where alcohol will always be present (bars for example) 21+. If this is not feasible, event attendees have to wear something (wristband/lanyard/stamp) indicating to bartenders/servers that they are at an alcohol free event and cannot be served or vice versa.
  • Enforce age restrictions
  • Staff/Security checks:
    • Available on location for those to report immediately if something happens
    • Alcohol regulation, checking on individuals who are too intoxicated

Check out these other articles for more resources:

• Organizer Resources and Education for a Safer Community
• Dealing with Codes of Conduct and Reports of Violations