EATTA Events Code of Conduct

East Anglian Timber Trade Association (EATTA) is committed to providing a safe, respectful, harassment-free, accessible, productive, and welcoming environment for all EATTA event participants and EATTA officers and the staff and other patrons of any venue utilised for the event, with equity in rights for all.

This Code is organised in two parts: section 1 applies to all EATTA activities and interactions, while section 2 provides additional requirements for in-person and virtual events. Each section sets out expected behaviour, unacceptable behaviour and the procedure for reporting concerns.

1. General Activities and Interactions

Everyone involved in EATTA activities, including committee members, focused interest groups, programme participants and EATTA officers, is expected to abide by this Code of Conduct.

Expected Behaviour

  • Everyone should be treated with respect and consideration, valuing a diversity of views and opinions.
  • Communication should be open and respectful.
  • There should be no personal attacks against individuals or groups of individuals.
  • You should alert EATTA officers if you notice a problematic or dangerous situation, or someone in distress (see safe reporting procedure below).
  • Respect the rules and policies of the activity in which you are participating, as well as those of any venue or location being used.

Unacceptable Behaviour

  • Overt and/or covert acts of harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form will not be tolerated.
  • Physical or verbal abuse of anyone will not be tolerated. Examples of unacceptable behaviour include, but are not limited to, verbal comments related to any protected characteristic including gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, national origin.
  • All communication should be professional and not contain inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces, presentations, emails, messaging apps or social media.
  • Threatening or intimidating behaviour is not accepted.
  • Sustained disruption of EATTA activities.
  • Attendees are expected to arrive on time. After an event or activity has started, admission is at the organiser’s discretion.

Anyone requested to stop unacceptable behaviour is expected to comply immediately. If the person does not comply, EATTA officers, their designee or security may take any action considered necessary and appropriate. EATTA reserves the right to prohibit that person from attending future EATTA activities. In the most serious cases, the EATTA Chair and Committee may extend this prohibition to a lifetime ban on attendance.

Safe Reporting Procedure

  • If you are the subject of unacceptable behaviour, have experienced it or have witnessed it, immediately notify the EATTA Chair, Vice Chair or Secretary. You may report the concern in person, by email, by telephone, by text message or through WhatsApp.
  • If you are participating in an event or other EATTA activity, you can notify the EATTA officers that are on-site.
  • Anyone experiencing or witnessing behaviour that constitutes an immediate or serious threat to public safety should call 999 and notify venue security.

2. In-Person and Virtual Events

All participants, including attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, EATTA officers, service providers and others, are expected to abide by this Code of Conduct. The Code applies to all in-person and virtual EATTA events. It also applies to events sponsored by other organisations when they are held in conjunction with EATTA events, whether in public or private facilities.

Expected Behaviour

  • All participants, attendees, exhibitors and EATTA officers are treated with respect and consideration, valuing a diversity of views and opinions.
  • Be considerate, respectful, and collaborative.
  • Communicate openly with respect for others, critiquing ideas rather than individuals.
  • Avoid personal attacks directed toward other attendees, participants, exhibitors and EATTA officers.
  • Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants.
  • Alert EATTA officers/organisers if you notice a problematic or dangerous situation, or someone in distress.
  • Respect the rules and policies of the meeting venue, hotel, EATTA contracted facility, or any other venue.
  • In virtual events, make use of the ‘raise your hand’ function or the chat box to contribute to discussion and wait to be invited to speak by the host.
  • Be considerate and respectful when speaking or using the chat function.

Unacceptable Behaviour

  • Overt and/or covert acts of harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form will not be tolerated.
  • Physical or verbal abuse of any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, EATTA officer, service provider or other meeting guest will not be tolerated. This includes verbal comments or virtual chat messages relating to protected characteristics, including gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion or national origin. It also includes the inappropriate use of nudity or sexual images in public spaces, presentations, emails or messaging apps, and threatening or stalking any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, EATTA officer, service provider or other meeting guest, whether in person or online.
  • Recording or photographing another individual’s presentation without the speaker’s explicit permission is not allowed. The only exception is the first slide containing the individual’s name, which may be photographed for sharing on social media.
  • Sustained disruption of talks at events organized by EATTA at the meeting venue, hotels, or other EATTA-contracted facilities.
  • Failure to follow the instructions for virtual events provided by EATTA, including any of the following:
    • talking over the hosts, other presenters or participants when they are speaking
    • not muting your microphone or switching off your video if asked
    • attempting to share your screen without permission
    • if you are presenting, not sticking to the guidance provided e.g. over running on time or exceeding permitted number of slides
    • using the chat function publicly or privately to verbally abuse or harass another attendee in the event
    • disrupting others when they are speaking or presenting in any way
    • sharing the links to meetings with non-registered participants
    • using expletives or swearing
    • using the Q&A to have conversations
    • impersonating another person
  • Anyone requested to stop unacceptable behaviour is expected to comply immediately. If the person does not comply, EATTA officers, their designee or security may take any action considered necessary and appropriate, including immediate removal from the meeting without warning or a refund.
  • EATTA reserves the right to prohibit attendance at any future EATTA event, or any event held in conjunction with an EATTA event.

Safe Reporting Procedure

  • If you are the subject of unacceptable behaviour, have experienced it or have witnessed it, notify an EATTA officer or event organiser immediately. At an in-person event, contact an EATTA officer on site. At a virtual event, send a private message to an EATTA officer hosting the event.
  • Reports may be made in person, by email, by telephone, by text message or through WhatsApp to the EATTA Chair, Vice Chair or Secretary.
  • Anyone experiencing or witnessing behaviour that constitutes an immediate or serious threat to public safety should call 999 and notify venue security.
  • Legal action may be taken if a criminal offence is suspected and, if appropriate, may be reported to the police or other relevant authority.