NRECA is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all participants and staff in NRECA meetings, conferences, training programs, and events both online and in-person (“Events"). All Event participants including but not limited to attendees, speakers, exhibitors, staff, students, guests and vendors, are expected to abide by this NRECA Event Code of Conduct (the Code), and this Code applies to all space and situations in which NRECA meeting-related activities are being conducted, including virtual meetings and those sponsored by organizations other than NRECA but held in conjunction with NRECA Events (see “Side Meetings Policy" below). NRECA has also adopted a number of other policies related to the conduct of its Events with which all participants are expected to comply. NRECA will communicate and enforce these policies. Please note that NRECA reserves the right to modify or revise these policies at any time with or without notice. Updates or revisions will be communicated via NRECA's web sites, Event mobile apps and other means as appropriate. Any questions regarding the policies can be directed to: vince.rodriguez@nreca.coop. Participation constitutes agreement to comply with the Code of Conduct and these policies as a condition of attendance.
Harassment or intimidation of any kind includes, but is not limited to, sexual harassment, offensive or physically threatening bodily contact, and intimidation or discrimination based on race/ethnicity, nationality, religion, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or appearance. Sexual harassment includes sharing of inappropriate or suggestive images and any unwelcome sexual advances or attention whether physical, virtual, or verbal.
Physical or verbal abuse, physical or online threatening or stalking of another Event participant.
Disruption of in-person Event sessions or other Event functions in an Event venue or other site being used in connection with an Event or in an online Event session or platform.
NRECA will not tolerate unacceptable behavior and reserves the right to take any action it deems necessary and appropriate in its sole discretion, including reprimand, removal from the Event without prior notice or refund, and exclusion from future events.
REPORTING & INVESTIGATION OF UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR
Suspected violations of the Code or other Event policies should be reported to the Event sponsor or any member of NRECA management while on site or online at the Event or as soon as possible. Violations involving NRECA staff, members or contractors should be reported to NRECA's Human Resources Department at humanresources@nreca.coop or in person if after the Event.
All reports will be treated seriously and investigated promptly. At NRECA's sole discretion, policy violations may result in removal from or denial of access to NRECA-sponsored meetings, events, and activities without refund of any applicable registration fee or other costs to the participant.
ADDITIONAL PANDEMIC SAFETY & HEALTH POLICIES: Staying Safe During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Shared Responsibility
The health and safety of our members, staff and event participants is an enterprise-wide priority at NRECA. In addition to our Code, all Event participants are expected to adhere to and abide by the safety and health policies NRECA has implemented to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
PANDEMIC SAFETY & HEALTH POLICIES
NRECA has changed its COVID-19 policy to align with the new CDC guidance based on COVID-19 Community Levels. NRECA recommends, but does
not require, the use of masks for conferences, meetings and events convened in
locations where the community level is high. Otherwise, masks are optional. While masks will be optional, we encourage all participants to wear a mask if they have concerns about their own health risks or those of family members. We ask that all members, staff, and event participants respect individuals' decision to wear a mask or not.
If you have any underlying health conditions or other risk factors that raise your likelihood of contracting COVID-19, you may want to reconsider attending this or other events at this time. Please see the CDC web site for more information.
Additionally, we ask that you conduct a self-health check prior to and upon your arrival and each day of the event.
Do you have any of the following symptoms?
Have you been in close contact with someone that has been diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days when that person was contagious? (Close contact = within 6 feet for more than 10-15 minutes.) If you are vaccinated and have been exposed in the last 10 days, please wear a mask, and monitor your symptoms. If you are not vaccinated and have been exposed, please wear a mask, and get a negative test result 72 hours prior to the event to ensure you are safe.
Contact your doctor, or if you want to seek medical care while onsite, please contact the hotel concierge for information.
Your acknowledgement as an Attendee:
Attendee understands that the measures being taken by NRECA and the venue are for Attendee's safety and that of all event participants. Attendee acknowledges that despite these measures, COVID-19 is highly contagious and there is an inherent risk that Attendee may contract COVID-19 while participating in this event and Attendee knowingly assumes that risk. Further, Attendee accepts sole responsibility should Attendee become infected with COVID-19 while attending this event.
Attendee agrees to comply with NRECA's Event Code of Conduct and policies including all COVID-19 related policies implemented by NRECA or the venue in order to protect as much as possible Attendee's health and safety and that of all the other event participants.
OTHER EVENT POLICIES
PAYMENT POLICY
Payment in full is required in order to process all conference, meeting, and event registrations. We welcome payments in the form of American Express, MasterCard, and Visa. We regret that we are unable to accommodate requests for invoices. If you need assistance processing your registration online, please contact accountsreceivable@nreca.coop.
SIDE MEETINGS AT NRECA EVENTS POLICY
NRECA understands that it may be convenient and economical to conduct various types of meetings in conjunction with an NRECA event. To the extent that such side meetings do not conflict with or detract from the NRECA event, these meetings are permissible. It is the policy of NRECA that no affiliate member, associate member, service member, sponsor, exhibitor, vendor and/or speaker will schedule and hold a side meeting (training meeting, demonstration meeting, member meeting, etc.) to which attendees of the NRECA event are invited to attend that conflicts with the NRECA program agenda. Side meetings by affiliate members, associate members, service members, sponsors, exhibitors, vendors and/or speakers may only be held during non-scheduled program times.
INFORMATION DISCLOSURE POLICY
By executing and submitting the Registration form, you acknowledge that you are authorized to agree to its terms on behalf of (1) yourself, (2) your employer or the entity on whose behalf you are registering and (3) each of the individuals you are registering listed on the Registration form who are not minors (collectively "Registrants"). Registrants understand that their contact information – name and co-op – will be provided to the event sponsors, upon request, as a benefit of sponsorship. This information may be used by sponsors to provide registrants with information about their products and services.
NON-MEMBER ELIGIBILITY & REGISTRATION FEE
NRECA convenes several members-only meetings throughout the year, specifically the PowerXchange , Regional Meeting and Legislative Conference. These meetings are for NRECA member employees, directors, and consultants only. By registering for and attending these meetings, the registrant acknowledges that he/she is one of these individuals and will not distribute or disclose information from any of these meetings to anyone other than these individuals. Requests to attend from non-members will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All such non-member requests to attend must be submitted in writing (email messages are acceptable) to nrecaevents@nreca.coop. NRECA's decision will be final and provided in writing. Non-members cannot register until permission has been granted. Additionally, non-members permitted to register must pay the non-member registration fee (50% higher than the member fee) and agree to abide by the Photography Waiver, Disclosure Policy and the Meeting, Event and Activity Conduct Policy. Substitutions are not allowed. No-shows and registrants failing to cancel prior to the first day of the meeting are responsible for paying the full registration fee and any pre-con, post-con workshops, courses, etc., if applicable. Special events or ticketed item fees are non-refundable. NRECA reserves the right to refuse or cancel ineligible registrations at any time and shall not be held accountable for any external fees associated with the cancellation.
INELIGIBLE REGISTRATION POLICY
All registrations are reviewed to ensure they meet the NRECA eligibility requirements. NRECA reserves the right to refuse or cancel all ineligible registrations at any time and shall not be held accountable for any external fees associated with any cancellation.
ANTI-TRUST POLICY
NRECA and its members are committed to complying with all antitrust laws. While in many instances cooperatives have exclusive relationships with their members, cooperatives may be competitors in others, such as in the provision of non-electric services like propane or telecommunications services. As provided in NRECA's Antitrust Policy, the following sensitive issues should not be discussed during any part of the meeting: prices that your cooperative or others charge for products or services; costs or profit margins; salaries, wages, and benefits; allocating markets, customers, territories, or products; or agreements not to deal with another company.
If while at the meeting a discussion begins on one of these topics, it is recommended that you leave the discussion. Please report any antitrust concerns promptly to NRECA staff at the meeting, or to the NRECA Office of General Counsel at 703-907-5846, and to your own cooperative's attorney. If you think there is a legitimate reason for discussing price or cost information, please seek legal advice beforehand.
