• It is each panelist’s responsibility to purchase their own badges for MidWest FanFest

• All panels must be relevant to MidWest’s mission statement. This means panels need to be related to topics such as: Pop Culture, Comics, Cosplay, Anime, Sci-Fi, Gaming, Film, Manga, Books, Genres of Media amongst others. There will be a heavier emphasis on education and awareness of these topics.

• Panels at MidWest may not promote illegal topics such as drug use, underage drinking and smoking. The discussion of these topics is limited to education about the dangers and damage these actions can cause to the community, the fandom, the culture, and business.

• Topics such as politics or religion may not be discussed, with the exception of analyzing their impact on the community, the fandom, the culture, and business. MidWest’s non-profit charter prohibits both us and our panelists from promoting any political agendas, ideals, or opinions, or taking any stances on religion. 

• Slander is not permitted during a panel under any circumstances. Panelists may express their personal opinions during their events, but they may not attack the character of either individuals or groups of people at any time. While we do recognize that some cultural and historical topics may be sensitive in nature, MidWest values and strives to protect the diversity of its attendees and staff, and does not tolerate hate-speech or defamation of any kind.

• Before 9:00 PM, all panels must be family-friendly. This means that language, topic, imagery and all other materials must be suitable for an audience of all ages.

• MidWest has a strict no-bootleg policy. We do not permit the use or display of such items during our events except when using them to educate attendees about bootlegs (Eg: how to identify and avoid them). Discussion of how to obtain bootlegs or illegal copies is not permitted. This restriction includes fansubs, scanlations, and the improper use of emulators and ROMs. 

• If a panelist violates any of the above content guidelines, MidWest staff may provide a warning, and/or end the panel immediately. Panelists whose panel is ended early will not receive compensation for any completed panel time. Additionally, MidWest retains the right to revoke a panelists’ badge if a panelist violates any of MidWest’s convention rules.

• Time slots are for 60, 90, or 120 minutes. Due to the need to clear, reset and load rooms, the actual time available to present is 10 minutes less. (50, 80, or 110 minutes).

• Panelists are expected to show up 5 minutes prior to the start of their panel, and end their panel 5 minutes before the end of their panel time. This allows for a smooth transition between each panel and allows staff to clear the room between panels, giving all attendees an equal chance of seeing each panel

• We understand that unexpected things happen, and that you may find yourself unable to make it to MidWest.  If that happens, please inform MidWest programming staff at as soon as possible.  With enough notice, we can make schedule adjustments to maximize our offerings for attendees and try to fill that space. 

• If you do not inform us that you will not be able to run your panel 15 days before con, or fail to show for your panel during the convention, we may ban you from running panels in the future.

• Panels are scheduled according to several different criteria, and we do our best to honor any special requests. If there is a specific time you’ll be unavailable, or if there is an event that you’d like to attend (Eg: You’re also in the cosplay competition), let us know. We’ll do our best to work with you, but sadly we’re unable to honor every request
  
  Technology Available

• Every panel room at MidWest comes with a standard AV setup. One projector and screen. Microphones are limited so used sparingly. 

• Organizers and panelists are expected to provide their own laptops and adapters. While MidWest may have some adapters on site, we are unable to guarantee that we’ll have the exact one you need.

Compensation

To thank you for providing a panel, each panelist and 1 (one) co-host will receive compensation for their time. For every 30 minutes of panel time, MidWest will provide a voucher worth $5.00 towards next year’s admission or MidWest merch.  These vouchers can be collected after all panels have been run at the panel table. Vouchers for next year’s admission will be issued in the form of a discount code that can be applied when registering on the website.

DISCLAIMER

MidWest FanFest accepts no responsibility for the content of panels hosted by its attendees. MidWest does not extend any form of legal protection to panelists. Panelists are wholly responsible for the content presented in their panels.