Spooky Paranormal Investigations Ltd (“SPI”) wants all guests, volunteers, Venue staff and other people involved in an Event to be treated with respect.
Guests are expected to behave responsibly, follow reasonable safety and Venue instructions, respect the location and other attendees, and avoid conduct which could interfere with the investigation or create a safety or welfare concern.
This Code should be read alongside SPI’s Terms & Conditions and any Event-specific rules or information provided before or during the Event.
Nothing in this Code removes or restricts any statutory rights.
1. Respectful behaviour
Guests must behave respectfully towards:
- other guests;
- SPI volunteers, hosts and representatives;
- Venue owners and staff;
- contractors or service providers;
- members of the public; and
- any other person present at or affected by the Event.
Different people may have different beliefs, experiences and opinions about paranormal activity.
Guests must not harass, intimidate, threaten, deliberately humiliate or aggressively ridicule another person because of their beliefs, experiences or opinions.
2. Harassment, discrimination and abusive conduct
SPI does not accept harassment, discrimination, threatening behaviour, violence or serious abuse.
Prohibited conduct includes:
- threatening or intimidating another person;
- physical aggression or violence;
- unwanted sexual behaviour or sexual harassment;
- discriminatory abuse;
- bullying;
- deliberate humiliation;
- aggressive or abusive language directed at another person;
- repeated unwanted personal attention; or
- conduct which creates a genuine and significant safety, welfare or safeguarding concern.
SPI will consider the circumstances objectively and will not make decisions solely because of a disability or another protected characteristic.
3. Following reasonable instructions
Guests must follow reasonable instructions given by SPI representatives or Venue staff relating to:
- safety;
- emergency procedures;
- restricted areas;
- movement around the Venue;
- equipment;
- investigation activities;
- group arrangements;
- photography or filming restrictions;
- Venue rules; or
- the protection of people or property.
A guest must not deliberately ignore a reasonable instruction where doing so could create disruption, damage or a safety concern.
4. Restricted and unsafe areas
Guests must not enter any area which SPI or the Venue has identified as:
- restricted;
- closed;
- unsafe;
- staff-only;
- private;
- structurally unsuitable;
- outside the permitted Event area; or
- inaccessible for a particular activity.
Guests must not climb, force entry, bypass barriers or deliberately enter an area against an instruction from SPI or the Venue.
5. Respect for historic and unusual Venues
Many SPI Events take place in historic, listed, protected or otherwise unusual buildings.
Guests must take reasonable care of the Venue and its contents.
Guests must not:
- deliberately damage property;
- remove objects or artefacts;
- interfere with exhibits, displays or historic features;
- write, mark or attach items to surfaces without permission;
- move furniture, equipment or objects where this has not been authorised;
- force doors, windows, gates or barriers;
- tamper with Venue systems; or
- behave in a way which could reasonably cause damage.
Where deliberate or negligent damage is caused, SPI may seek recovery of reasonable direct repair or replacement costs where legally permitted.
6. Alcohol and illegal drugs
Alcohol and illegal drugs are not permitted at SPI Events. Guests must not attend while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
SPI will consider the actual circumstances and will not make assumptions solely because of a disability, medical condition or protected characteristic.
7. Smoking and vaping
Smoking and vaping are only permitted where the Venue expressly allows them and only in any designated area.
Guests must follow Venue rules relating to smoking, vaping and fire safety.
8. Fire, weapons and prohibited items
Unless expressly authorised for a legitimate Event purpose, guests must not bring or use:
- naked flames;
- candles;
- fireworks;
- explosives;
- illegal weapons;
- firearms;
- knives or other items carried as weapons;
- dangerous substances; or
- any item prohibited by law or by the Venue.
This does not prevent lawful possession of an ordinary personal item where it is not being carried or used as a weapon and is not prohibited by the Venue.
9. Investigation integrity
SPI aims to conduct paranormal investigation activities in good faith.
Guests must not deliberately:
- fake or stage paranormal activity;
- secretly create noises, movement or effects intended to mislead others;
- interfere with equipment to create false readings;
- manipulate evidence;
- knowingly make false claims about what occurred;
- sabotage an investigation activity; or
- encourage another person to fabricate activity.
Honest disagreement, mistakes, unusual interpretations or different beliefs are not themselves misconduct.
10. Investigation equipment
Guests must use SPI or Venue equipment only where permission has been given.
Equipment must be used:
- in accordance with instructions;
- for its intended purpose;
- safely;
- without deliberate damage; and
- without interfering with another guest’s investigation.
Guests must not dismantle, alter, reconfigure or remove SPI equipment without permission.
11. Personal equipment
Guests may bring personal investigation equipment where the Event or Venue permits it.
Personal equipment must:
- be safe to use;
- not obstruct walkways or emergency routes;
- not interfere with SPI or Venue systems;
- not create an unreasonable hazard;
- comply with Venue restrictions; and
- be used in a way which does not unreasonably disrupt other guests.
SPI may reasonably ask a guest to stop using or remove equipment where it creates a safety, operational or Venue-related problem.
12. Consent, physical contact and personal boundaries
SPI generally operates a no-unwanted-contact approach between guests.
Guests must respect other people’s personal boundaries.
Physical contact should only take place where:
- it is part of an agreed activity;
- the people involved have agreed to it;
- it is reasonably safe; and
- it does not conflict with Venue or Event rules.
This does not prevent reasonable physical assistance in an emergency or where someone requests help.
13. Photography, filming and recording
Guest photography, filming and recording must comply with SPI’s Photography & Filming at SPI Events and any Venue-specific restrictions.
Guests must respect reasonable privacy requests from other attendees.
A guest must stop deliberately photographing or recording an identifiable person where that person reasonably asks them to stop.
Photography or recording must not:
- harass or intimidate another person;
- deliberately humiliate another person;
- intrude into a clearly private situation;
- interfere with the investigation;
- compromise safety;
- interfere with equipment or experiments; or
- breach Venue restrictions.
Commercial or professional filming requires prior permission from SPI and may also require permission from the Venue.
14. Disruption of other guests
Guests must not deliberately or repeatedly behave in a way which materially interferes with other attendees’ reasonable enjoyment or participation.
Examples may include:
- persistent talking during quiet investigation periods after being asked to stop;
- deliberately interrupting activities;
- intentionally creating false noises or disturbances;
- repeatedly distracting a group;
- deliberately spoiling an experiment;
- excessive or targeted disruptive behaviour; or
- refusing reasonable group instructions.
Normal conversation, reasonable disagreement, nervousness, accidental noise or an isolated mistake will not normally be treated as misconduct.
15. Paranormal beliefs and personal experiences
SPI does not require guests to hold any particular belief about paranormal activity.
Guests may be sceptical, uncertain, spiritual, religious, non-religious or hold another personal view.
Guests must respect other people’s right to hold different views.
Nothing said during an SPI Event should be treated as medical, legal, financial or other regulated professional advice.
16. Psychic or mediumistic activity
Any psychic, mediumistic or intuitive information discussed during an Event is subjective.
Guests must not present such information as guaranteed fact or use an SPI Event to pressure another person into making important medical, financial, legal or personal decisions.
Guests should treat sensitive personal information respectfully.
17. Personal belongings
Guests remain responsible for their own personal belongings unless loss or damage is caused by something for which SPI is legally responsible.
Guests should avoid leaving valuables unattended.
SPI may reasonably ask guests to move bags or equipment where they obstruct walkways, emergency exits or investigation areas.
18. Under-18 attendees
Where an Event permits under-18 attendees, the requirements in SPI’s Age Requirements at SPI Events apply.
Under-18 attendees must remain with a parent or another person who has parental responsibility for the child throughout the Event and must follow the same reasonable safety and conduct rules which apply to other guests.
The attending person who has parental responsibility remains responsible for supervising the under-18 attendee.
19. Accessibility and reasonable adjustments
Guests with accessibility requirements should be treated respectfully.
Reasonable adjustments agreed by SPI must not be deliberately obstructed, mocked or interfered with by another guest.
Accessibility arrangements are dealt with under SPI’s Accessibility at SPI Events.
20. Emergency situations
In an emergency, guests must follow reasonable instructions given by:
- SPI representatives;
- Venue staff;
- security personnel; or
- emergency services.
Guests must not deliberately obstruct evacuation routes, emergency equipment or emergency responders.
21. Warnings
Where appropriate and safe, SPI will normally give a reasonable warning where a guest’s behaviour breaches this Code and the matter can reasonably be corrected.
The warning may explain:
- what behaviour needs to stop;
- what rule applies;
- what action is expected; and
- what may happen if the behaviour continues.
SPI is not required to give a warning before acting where the conduct is sufficiently serious or creates an immediate safety, welfare or safeguarding concern.
22. Removal from an Event
SPI may require a guest to leave an Event where this is a reasonable and proportionate response to serious or repeated misconduct.
Examples may include:
- violence or threats of violence;
- serious harassment;
- discriminatory abuse;
- deliberate serious damage;
- dangerous behaviour;
- entering a significantly unsafe or restricted area;
- possession or use of a prohibited dangerous item;
- serious interference with an investigation;
- deliberate fabrication or sabotage;
- being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs to an extent which creates a genuine concern;
- repeated refusal to follow reasonable safety instructions; or
- another serious safety, welfare or safeguarding concern.
Where appropriate, SPI will consider whether a warning or less serious intervention is sufficient before requiring a guest to leave.
23. Refunds following removal
Where a guest is required to leave because of their own serious or repeated breach of clearly communicated Event rules, a refund will not normally be provided for the unused part of the Event.
This is subject to statutory rights and does not prevent a customer from exercising any legal remedy which cannot lawfully be excluded.
For further information, see SPI’s Cancellation, Refund & Ticket Transfer Policy.
24. Damage and financial loss
Where a guest deliberately or negligently causes physical damage to SPI or Venue property, SPI may seek recovery of reasonable direct repair or replacement costs where legally permitted.
SPI will not impose arbitrary penalties or charges unrelated to the actual loss reasonably suffered.
25. Venue rules
Guests must comply with reasonable Venue rules which are communicated before or during the Event.
Where a Venue rule is stricter than a general SPI rule, the Venue requirement may apply where it is lawful and relevant to that Event.
26. Event-specific rules
Some Events may require additional reasonable rules because of:
- the nature of the Venue;
- particular hazards;
- historic or protected areas;
- equipment;
- security;
- accessibility;
- under-18 attendance;
- photography restrictions; or
- another genuine Event-specific requirement.
Significant restrictions known to SPI that could reasonably affect a booking decision will be made available before booking where practicable. Other important Event-specific rules will be communicated where reasonably possible before the relevant activity.
27. Complaints about another guest
If another guest’s behaviour causes concern, guests should report it to an SPI representative where possible rather than escalating the situation themselves.
SPI will consider the circumstances and take reasonable action where appropriate.
Serious or immediate concerns should be reported promptly.
28. Complaints about SPI
If you believe this Code has been applied unfairly, or you have a complaint about the conduct of an SPI representative, you may raise the matter with SPI.
Complaints will be handled under the Complaints Procedure. Safeguarding concerns may instead be handled under Safeguarding & Child Protection.
If you wish to make a complaint, please contact:
29. Relationship with other SPI policies
This Code should be read together with:
- SPI Terms & Conditions;
- Cancellation, Refund & Ticket Transfer Policy;
- Photography & Filming at SPI Events;
- Accessibility at SPI Events;
- Age Requirements at SPI Events; and
- any Event-specific information supplied before booking.
30. Contact SPI
For questions about this Guest Code of Conduct, contact:
Spooky Paranormal Investigations Ltd
Email:
hello@spookypi.co.uk
Company number:
16540220
Registered office:
71–75 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9JQ
Website:
spookypi.co.uk