8. Stranger at the event
Foster an atmosphere where everyone says hi to one
another and gets acquainted with the people they do not already know. Reflect
on how to communicate to outsiders about the rules and principles in place at
your events in advance.
1. Introduce yourself and show genuine interest in
who the stranger is. Avoid prejudice, accusations or any other
preconceived attitude. Tell the person about the principles in place in
the premises and who they can contact should any problems arise.
2. If the stranger behaves badly, introduce yourself
anyway and ask them who they are, how they ended up at the event and
whether they are aware of the principles in place at the event. If the
behaviour is not serious at this point, call their attention to their
behaviour and emphasise that everyone is required to commit to the shared
rules.
3. If the stranger is already exhibiting seriously
inappropriate behaviour towards others, take them to the side and discuss
their behaviour with them. Assess the situation: could their behaviour
still be fixed and forgiven at the current event or is it better to remove
the person from the event? This depends on the nature of the behaviour,
who reported it and what that person’s experience is (for instance, if the
person reporting the behaviour is feeling unsafe because of the inappropriately
behaving individual, this is a strong argument in favour of removing the
person from the event). If the person is removed from the premises, take
down their contact information so that you can explain the situation to
them once they are sober / have calmed down and the situation is no longer
acute.
4. After the event, it is a good idea to discuss
among yourselves in your organisation what you can do better in the
future. What kind of principles did the event have in place on entry to
it? Was the event open? How was access to the event controlled, did
everything work as intended?