The Furry Weekend Atlanta convention is not a public event. It is a private, membership-only event. Our first priority is the safety and security of our members; we cannot state it any more clearly than that. This is a private event and Furry Weekend Atlanta reserves the right to deny admission to any person, at any time, and for any reason.
Furry Weekend Atlanta attendees are, not without reason, quite wary of anyone claiming to be a member of the press. As such, a balance must be found between the safety and security of our members and the interests of the press and media, and Furry Weekend Atlanta has attempted to satisfy both the requirements with our Press Membership policy.
You should be aware that, if you are a news network and plan on doing a two minute “hey, look at the freaks” piece, you probably shouldn’t bother applying for a press pass. After eleven years and hundreds of press applications, we are incredibly good at sniffing these out and will most likely either deny our application outright or simply ignore it.
Furry Weekend Atlanta, Inc., will be willing to grant interviews and requests for information to authorized agents of the press and media prior to the convention, and will have Press Memberships will be available for media outlets wishing to cover Furry Weekend Atlanta. These memberships will only be available to those who can prove that they are employed by a reputable broadcast, print or Internet media organization, and must be arranged in advance with our Media Relations Representative prior to February 1st (sorry – we’re too busy after that point to do the necessary checking).
If you show up at Furry Weekend Atlanta and request a press pass without having made prior arrangements with us, you will be denied admission and will be escorted out of the convention area by our security staff. This will also result in a ban of you and your organization from any future Furry Weekend Atlanta events. Please don’t make us have to do this.
When applying for a Press Membership, please be able to provide us with the following information: your name and full contact information (address, telephone and email – the telephone must be a direct, non-recorded telephone line), full contact information for your editor and publication, the nature of the story you are writing and what type of information and media you will be gathering at Furry Weekend Atlanta.
If you have been granted a Press Membership, you must check in at Registration on the day of the convention to receive your press badge. You must do this before ANY media-related activities can take place at the convention; failure to check in before conducting media activities will result in revocation of the Press Membership and you being asked to leave. When you check in at Registration, please have the following with you: two (2) business cards, a government issued picture ID, a letter on your organization’s masthead stating the nature of your story and including contact information for your assignment editor should we need it to validate your credentials before issuing you a pass.
Restrictions:
- When you check in at Registration, you will be given a list of official convention sanctioned events that you will be permitted to attend. You will not be permitted to attend any events on behalf of your organization (this includes photographing, videography, and audio recording) that are not on the list.
- You will be required, at all times you are on the convention floor, to visibly display your press pass. You may not alter, obscure, or hide your press pass or otherwise attempt to conceal the fact that you are a member of the press.
- You will be required, at all times you are on the convention floor, to carry your government issued photo ID and business cards. Furry Weekend Atlanta security may randomly request to see these; it must be presented without delay.
- You will be permitted to conduct interviews and Furry Weekend Atlanta can, at your request, provide you with a quiet area to conduct them. However, you must ask us first; we will not be able to guarantee you an area if you have not arranged it with is in advance.
- You will not be permitted to harass, intimidate or otherwise force anyone who does not wish to be interviewed or photographed to do something against their will. If someone says any variation of “go away,” “no,” or “I do not consent to be interviewed or photographed,” you are required to respect their wishes.
- You may not, under any circumstances, share your press badge with another person. Press badges are issued to a single person only.
- You may not utilize any hidden cameras or microphones, or otherwise attempt to conceal an audiovisual recording device. Doing so will be grounds for immediate revocation of your press pass and you being escorted out by security.
Notes:
All attendees purchasing memberships are required to sign and abide by our Attendee Policies while at the convention. A portion of these policies governs media activities at the convention and reads as follows:
Attendees bearing a membership not specifically designated as a ‘Press Membership’ agree not to act as agents of any media organization in any way, shape, or form while attending Furry Weekend Atlanta. This includes, but is not limited to: interviewing, photography, and audiovisual recording.”
Failure to abide by these provisions constitutes Breach of Contract and may result in legal action.
Please respect the privacy of our attendees. Many of the attendees are juveniles or young adults and may have no previous experience talking to the media. We’d appreciate your cooperation in not exploiting this fact.
In summary, we are willing to let you into our private event at the risk of damaging ourselves and our reputation, and all that we are asking of you is that you play by our rules and get the whole story while you’re here – not just what will get the ratings.
To apply for a Press Membership, please contact our Media Relations Representative at [email protected].