ACCIS, Association of County and City Information SystemsACCIS, Association of County and City Information Systems

Code of conduct

ACCIS conferences work because they are professional, welcoming, and genuinely useful to the local government IT community that attends. This code applies to everyone at the conference and sets the expectations every Industry Partner agrees to as a condition of participation.

It applies alongside the Showcase guidelines, the presenter guidelines, and your registration terms. Questions at any point: events@accis-wa.org or 360-706-1806.

Who this applies to

This code applies to everyone at the conference: attendees, presenters, partners, and every person present on a partner's behalf, including Partner Pass holders, contracted staff, agencies, resellers, and outside vendors working on site.

It applies in every conference setting, including sessions, the Showcase, meals, receptions, social functions, and any conference-connected activity at or around the resort. Each partner organization is responsible for the conduct of every person on site on its behalf, and for ensuring each of them has read this document before arriving.

Expected conduct

  • Treat attendees, fellow partners, resort staff, and the events team with professionalism and respect in every setting: sessions, the Showcase, meals, and social functions.
  • Respect attendees' time and attention. A "no thanks" or stepping away from your table ends the conversation; it is not an objection to overcome.
  • Follow the direction of the events team and resort staff, including room capacities, safety instructions, and venue rules.
  • Represent your organization and its products honestly: no misleading claims about capabilities, pricing, timelines, certifications, or competitors.

Harassment and discrimination

ACCIS is committed to a conference free of harassment and discrimination for everyone, regardless of race, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, creed or religion, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, veteran or military status, physical appearance, or any other characteristic protected by Washington or federal law.

Harassment includes: offensive or demeaning comments; sexual language or imagery in any conference space; deliberate intimidation; stalking or following; unwelcome photography or recording; sustained disruption of sessions or events; and unwelcome physical contact or sexual attention. None of it has a place at this conference, in any venue space or at any conference function, and none of it will be tolerated.

Access and accommodations

ACCIS works to make the conference usable by every attendee. If anyone needs an accommodation, including ASL interpretation, live captioning, assistive listening, dietary accommodation, seating or mobility access, materials in an alternate format, or a quiet space, contact the events team at events@accis-wa.org or 360-706-1806. Partner Pass registration also collects ADA accommodation needs and food allergies for each person. Requests received by Friday, September 25, 2026 give us the best chance of arranging services in time; we will still do our best with later requests.

Service animals are welcome throughout conference space. Please do not distract, feed, or pet a working animal.

Partners: keep aisles and the walkway in front of your table clear, and do not place cords, cases, or signage where they narrow the path of travel.

Sales and promotion conduct

  • Sell from your space. Engage attendees at your Showcase table and in natural conversation, not by blocking aisles, doorways, or other partners' tables.
  • No lead capture without consent. A Whova Passport scan at your table is an attendee's opt-in. Photographing badges, scanning without a clear yes, or harvesting contact details any other way is prohibited.
  • Sessions are not pitch venues. Do not use another session's Q&A, a meal, or a social function to deliver a sales pitch, and never disparage a competitor's session or table.
  • Only registered partners may promote. Marketing activity by organizations without a current partnership is not permitted. This includes guests of partners, and personnel of resellers, channel partners, or affiliated brands brought in under a partner's pass allocation to work leads on their own behalf.
  • Partnership is not an endorsement. ACCIS does not endorse, certify, or recommend any partner or product, and partnership confers no advantage in any public procurement. Do not describe your organization as ACCIS-approved, endorsed, or a preferred vendor, and do not cite your partnership as a qualification in a bid or proposal.

Ethics, gifts, and hospitality

Washington gift rules

Attendees are public employees subject to Washington government ethics law, and the rules differ by employer. State employees may not accept gifts with an aggregate value over $50 in a calendar year from a single source under RCW 42.52.150, and vendors are such a source. County and city officers and employees are covered by RCW 42.23.070, which sets no dollar amount at all: it prohibits accepting any gift or gratuity connected to their official duties, and many local agencies adopt their own written gift policies, often $50 or less per year.

  • Plan to the strictest rule in the room. Treat $50 per attendee per calendar year as the ceiling, and remember that for many county and city attendees the practical limit is lower or zero.
  • The limit counts everything: table giveaways, drawing and raffle prizes, meals purchased outside conference functions, hospitality, and anything sent earlier in the year. You will not know what an attendee already received from your organization in 2026, so keep individual items modest.
  • Prizes are gifts. A high-value drawing prize can put a winner over their limit on its own. Clear any prize valued over $50 with the events team before offering it.
  • Unsolicited promotional items of nominal value, such as pens and notepads, are generally fine. These exceptions are narrow; do not build a giveaway plan on them.
  • Never pressure an attendee to accept something they have declined. An attendee is entitled to say no for ethics reasons without explaining.

When in doubt, ask the events team, and encourage the attendee to check with their agency's ethics contact. Many agencies set internal policies stricter than state law.

Alcohol and hospitality

Alcohol at conference functions is provided through the resort under its license and served by resort staff. Partners may not pour, self-serve, or otherwise distribute alcohol, and outside alcohol may not be brought into conference spaces. The resort is a 21-and-over environment for alcohol and gaming areas.

Washington law prohibits supplying alcohol to anyone under 21 or to anyone who is apparently intoxicated, and that applies to individuals, not only to licensed servers. If someone appears intoxicated, do not buy or hand them a drink; let resort staff or the events team know.

Any partner-hosted hospitality involving alcohol, including suites, dinners, and off-site receptions, must be coordinated with the events team in advance. Hospitality also counts toward the gift rules above.

Attendee data and lead capture

The Whova Passport Program is the conference's sole endorsed lead-capture method. A scan at your table shares that attendee's contact information with you directly, and that is the opt-in that permits your follow-up.

Any attendee list ACCIS may provide is for reference, planning, and comparison against your Passport scans only. It may not be used for pre-event or post-event outreach, marketing, or distribution of any kind, per the attendee list and usage policy in the Showcase guidelines. A scan is a lead; a name on a list is not.

Your Passport scans permit follow-up consistent with federal law. Commercial email must comply with CAN-SPAM, including accurate sender information, a physical mailing address, and a working unsubscribe you honor promptly. A scan is not consent to send text messages or to place autodialed or prerecorded calls. Do not add scanned attendees to SMS lists.

Misuse of attendee data is a breach of your registration terms and affects partner standing and participation in future conferences.

Photography, recording, and social media

  • Photos of your own table, your team, and general conference atmosphere are welcome, and posting about the conference is encouraged. Keep posts professional and accurate.
  • Washington is an all-party consent state. Under RCW 9.73.030, recording a private conversation requires the consent of everyone in it. This applies to table demonstrations, video testimonials, interviews, podcast segments, and casual conversations in the Showcase. If you plan to record any conversation, say so out loud, get a clear yes from everyone involved, and stop if anyone declines.
  • Ask before photographing or filming attendees in a way that identifies them, and stop if anyone objects. Many attendees have agency policies about appearing in vendor marketing.
  • Do not record conference sessions. Official session recording and virtual streaming are handled by ACCIS through the Whova app.

Notice from ACCIS: designated sessions are recorded and streamed through Whova. Recorded rooms are marked at the entrance, and audience audio may be captured during Q&A. If you prefer not to be recorded, let the events team know and use the written question feature in Whova.

Reporting a concern

If you experience or witness behavior that violates this code, report it: find the events team at the registration desk, email events@accis-wa.org, or call 360-706-1806. Every report is taken seriously, handled as discreetly as the situation allows, and addressed promptly, during the conference whenever possible.

We share reports only with those who need to act on them. Depending on the situation that may include resort management, law enforcement, or the leadership of a partner organization. We will tell you if we need to do that. If you report from a government email account, your message may be a public record of your own agency.

If anyone is in immediate danger, contact resort security or call 911 first.

Enforcement

ACCIS and its event management team may take any action they consider appropriate in response to a violation of this code, from a conversation with the events team up to and including removal from the conference and exclusion from future ACCIS events. A partner or individual removed for a violation forfeits all fees paid, including partnership, pass, and add-on fees, and is not entitled to a refund or credit. ACCIS is not responsible for travel, lodging, or other costs resulting from removal. Enforcement decisions are made by the conference organizers and are final.

Agreement and changes

This code of conduct is incorporated by reference into the registration terms. By registering, or by accepting a Partner Pass, you agree to it.

If any provision of this code is held unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect. ACCIS may update this code, and material changes will be provided in writing to registered partners with the effective date noted.

Code of Conduct v1.0, effective August 5, 2026.