The Vegan and Animal Rights Conference exists to unite, inspire, and strengthen the animal rights movement. This Code of Conduct reflects our shared commitment to creating an environment where diverse perspectives can be shared, where everyone feels respected, safe and able to participate.

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Please take a few minutes to familiarise yourself with the expectations below. They apply equally to organisers, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, sponsors, media representatives, performers, and attendees.

 

We welcome a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and approaches to advocacy. Respectful disagreement and thoughtful debate are an important part of a healthy movement. Our shared work is strengthened when we engage with each other's ideas openly, listen to understand different viewpoints, and focus on learning together.

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We uphold the values of care, progress, and collaboration, striving to embody compassion, inclusivity, and respect for diverse perspectives. This code encourages a culture of mutual respect, where differing viewpoints on veganism, animal rights, and related issues can be shared and debated in a manner that promotes understanding and cooperation.

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Core Values and Principles

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• Care, Progress, and Collaboration:
  These values guide the conference and its community. We embody compassion, inclusivity, and respect.

• Respect and Inclusivity:
  The conference encourages mutual respect where differing viewpoints on veganism, animal rights, and related issues can be shared and debated in a manner that fosters understanding and collaboration.

• Commitment to Animal Freedom:
  Our mission is to unite and inspire the UK movement to achieve animal freedom, guided by unity and compassion toward one another.​

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What we expect

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​Treat everyone with respect

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Be courteous and considerate in your interactions with others. Challenge ideas rather than people, stay curious about why others think differently,  and help create an environment where everyone can participate constructively.

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We're committed to conversations that build understanding. This means:

• Focus on what's being said, not who's saying it

• Representing others' positions fairly, even when you disagree

 

Using language that opens dialogue rather than closes itPersonal attacks and inflammatory behaviour will not be tolerated.

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No discrimination, harassment or bullying

 

VARC is committed to providing an environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, intimidation, and abuse. Please see our anti-discrimination and harassment policy for further detail.

This applies to all interactions throughout the conference, whether in person or online, including social media, live streams, chat platforms, and other conference-related spaces.

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Discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, age, religion or belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other protected or personal characteristic will not be tolerated.

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Everyone is welcome to attend VARC, including people at different stages of their journey with veganism or animal rights, provided they engage respectfully with others.

 

Engage honestly and responsibly

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Participants are expected to communicate honestly and accurately. Deliberate misinformation, misrepresentation of people or organisations, or behaviour that undermines trust within the movement runs counter to our commitment to the values of the conference.

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Please also represent the conference responsibly when discussing it publicly or online.

 

Respect the conference environment

 

VARC is a fully vegan event. Animal products, derivatives, or by-products must not be brought to or used at conference events.

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Participants are expected to comply with applicable laws, venue rules, and reasonable instructions from conference organisers.

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Self-Organised Events

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We encourage attendees to collaborate and organise events around shared interests and experiences. Informal gatherings, working groups, and peer-led discussions enrich VARC and build relationships across our movement.

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If you organise or co-host an event:

• Share details with the organising team so we can support you and ensure scheduling

• Welcome others who share your interest

• Ground your gathering in shared values and collaborative aims

• Reflect the tone of the conference in your space

 

We're here to amplify collaborative spaces. If your event evolves in unexpected directions or you're unsure how it aligns with the conference, just check in with us.

 

Accessibility and wellbeing

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We are committed to making the conference as accessible as reasonably possible and to providing a physically and emotionally safe environment for everyone. This means wheelchair access and reserved seating, sign language interpreters and live captions, materials in large print or digital formats, quiet rest spaces, dietary accommodations, and nursing facilities. 

To request any accommodations, email us at info@varconference.com at least two weeks before the conference. We'll confirm what's possible and work with you if anything needs adjusting. If new needs arise during the event, our team is positioned throughout.

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If you witness unsafe behaviour or have concerns about your own safety or someone else's, please speak to an organiser as soon as possible.

 

Virtual Spaces 

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The Code of Conduct extends to all online spaces connected to the conference, including live streams, chat rooms, social media, and shared apps Our commitment to respectful community carries online just as it does in person. Harassment, bullying, or disrespectful behaviour in virtual spaces will be treated with the same seriousness as in-person misconduct. We ask participants to use social media and other communication platforms responsibly. When posting about the conference or related issues, please represent the event and its goals accurately. Bullying, misinformation, or the spreading of harmful content isn't aligned with the values we're building together and will not be tolerated.

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Reporting concerns

 

Community Contact People

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During the live event, Community Contact People are available as a point of contact if you experience or witness behaviour that concerns you. They are specifically appointed for the event and may include people from both inside and outside the organising team.

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Community Contact People will be introduced in the opening remarks, signposted at the event and identified through the event app. They can listen to concerns, provide support and help the organising team respond where appropriate.

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Community Contact People are separate from VARC's Designated Persons, who have responsibility for managing formal discrimination and harassment complaints under the Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Policy.

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If you experience or witness behaviour that may breach this Code of Conduct, you can report it to a Community Contact Person or a member of the organising team. You can also use the Incident Reporting Form, which may be particularly useful for reporting issues after the conference or event has concluded.

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For serious incidents regarding discrimination and harassment, you can contact a Designated Person. A Designated Person is an employee, staff member, mediator, or another professional who VARC determines is appropriate to receive and manage discrimination and harassment complaints. Where specialist expertise is required, VARC may seek support from an appropriately qualified external professional.

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VARC’s “designated people” are:

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● Esther Salomon*, Esther@varconference.com

● Liz Flynn*, Liz@Varconference.com 

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*During live events the designated people may be busy running the event and will not be responsive to email - the community contact people will escalate to the designated people if necessary.

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Reports will be treated as confidentially as reasonably possible, and we will not tolerate retaliation against anyone who raises concerns in good faith.

An incident reporting form and key contact details will be made available to all participants.

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How concerns are handled

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The organisers are responsible for maintaining a safe and productive conference environment.

Only conference organisers may decide whether someone may continue to participate in the conference. Participants should not attempt to remove, exclude, or prevent others from participating themselves. If you have concerns about someone's behaviour, please report them to the organising team.

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The organising team will consider each situation carefully and fairly. Action may be taken where harmful behaviour has occurred, or where there is a reasonably clear threat of harmful behaviour. Depending on the severity of the issue, organisers may use the routes to resolution process outlined in the anti-discrimination and harassment policy. 

Decisions will be based on behaviour and available evidence. 

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Depending on the circumstances, organisers may:

• Speak privately with those involved.

• Issue a warning.

• Set conditions for continued participation.

• Remove a participant from part or all of the conference. 

• Contact venue security or relevant authorities where necessary.

 

Where appropriate, organisers may choose to facilitate an informal resolution or mediation. 

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Organisers' decisions regarding participation are final.

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Photography and filming

 

By attending a VARC event, you consent to photographs and video recordings being used by VARConference CIC for publications, websites, social media, and future promotional materials, unless you opt out

 

We're committed to respectful use of images and video.If you do not wish to appear in photographs or video, please notify the organisers at least 72 hours before the event by emailing info@varconference.com.

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We also ask participants to respect each other's boundaries: ask before photographing anyone else, even during open sessions. Private conversations, breakout spaces, and rest areas are always off-limits for photography without explicit permission.

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Your agreement

 

By attending a Vegan and Animal Rights Conference event, you agree to follow this Code of Conduct and any reasonable instructions given by the organising team. In doing so, you're joining us in creating the kind of movement we want to be part of, which is one where we can be ourselves, learn from each other, and build something meaningful together.

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Thank you for helping make VARC a welcoming, thoughtful, and productive space for everyone working towards a better future for animals.

 

Last updated 10/08/2026

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