Event harassment complaint routing
An attendee tells a volunteer they were made uncomfortable by another delegate, and the volunteer has no idea who should hear it next.
The short answer
Route every complaint to one named intake person, make sure that person is not involved, and give the complainant a clear account of what happens next and who sees what they said. The organiser coordinates the route; investigations, legal conclusions and any report to the police belong to competent parties and, where relevant, to the complainant's own choices.
Publish the route before the event so volunteers know to pass on a complaint, not to judge it, and attendees know where to go.
Principles for the route
- One named intake person and a deputy, neither of whom is the subject of a complaint or closely connected to them.
- A route that works for complaints about speakers, sponsors, volunteers, staff and other attendees.
- Volunteers pass the complaint on and stay out of the facts.
- The complainant is told who will see the information and what the next step is.
- Anything that suggests a crime or immediate danger is handled by the venue's security and emergency services, with the complainant's wishes respected wherever possible.
- Records are kept apart from general event files, and access is limited; see incident privacy controls.
Routing table
| If the complaint is about | First recipient | Escalates to | Decision stays with |
|---|---|---|---|
| An attendee | Intake person. | Event owner or committee chair. | The event's code of conduct owner, with adviser input. |
| A speaker or session chair | Intake person. | Programme owner and chair. | The body that appointed the speaker. |
| A sponsor or exhibitor | Intake person. | Event owner. | The event owner, with legal advice if needed. |
| A volunteer or staff member | Intake person. | Their employer or the secretariat head. | The employer. |
| The intake person or committee chair | Deputy intake person. | An officer independent of the matter. | An independent officer. |
| Possible crime or immediate danger | Venue security. | Emergency services. | Emergency services and the police. |
Steps to set up before the event
- Check the organisation's existing code of conduct or policy, and ask the committee who owns it.
- Name the intake person, a deputy and an independent officer for conflicts, with their agreement.
- Write a one-paragraph statement for the programme and the event site saying where to go and what happens next.
- Brief volunteers to listen, say they will pass it to the intake person, and not investigate.
- Ask a legal adviser to review the routing and the code of conduct, and ask the data-protection contact about records.
- Record the route in the responsibility matrix so each role has a single owner.
What the organiser should not do
- Do not decide guilt or sanction on the day. The code of conduct owner and advisers decide outcomes.
- Do not promise absolute confidentiality. Say who will see the information and why.
- Do not ask the complainant to confront the person complained about.
- Do not discuss the matter on group chats or with sponsors.
Worked example · Fictional example
A two-day professional forum with a code of conduct
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional legal-technology association has a code of conduct but no routing. Before its forum, it names the deputy secretary as intake person, the treasurer as deputy and the president as independent officer for conflicts.
On day one an attendee tells a volunteer about a delegate's remarks. The volunteer says they will pass it on, takes only the intake person's name and the complainant's preferred contact, and tells the intake person. The intake person meets the complainant, explains what will be recorded and who will see it, and logs it with limited access. The code of conduct owner decides next steps after taking advice.
Use this yourself
Complaint routing sheet
Complete before the event and include a short public version in the programme.
- Code of conduct or policy that applies, and its owner:
- Intake person, deputy and independent officer for conflicts:
- How attendees contact the intake person during the event:
- Volunteer briefing: listen, pass on, do not investigate. Date briefed:
- What the complainant is told about who will see the information:
- Route for speakers, sponsors, volunteers, staff and attendees:
- Route if a crime or danger is suspected (venue security, emergency services):
- Where the record is stored, who may read it and who decided that:
- Adviser who reviewed the route, and date:
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- A code of conduct already exists with a named owner and a trained intake person.
- The committee is comfortable agreeing the route and reviewing it with its adviser.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Complaints could involve committee members, sponsors or speakers, so conflicts need an independent route.
- Several partners, venues and employers each have their own rules.
- No one is willing to hold the intake role and the committee needs the arrangements set up and briefed.
Want the routing set up and briefed?
A conference project lead can draft the routing with your committee, line it up with your code of conduct and adviser, and brief volunteers and the intake team before the event. Decisions on complaints, discipline and any legal or police matter stay with your organisation, its advisers and the competent authorities. Share the code of conduct you have, even if it is a draft.
Questions organisers ask
Who should be the intake person?
Someone trusted, approachable and not closely tied to the people likely to be complained about. Name a deputy and an independent officer for conflicts.
Can volunteers handle a complaint?
Volunteers can listen and pass it on. They should not investigate, give opinions or discuss it with others.
Do we have to report to the police?
That is a question for a legal adviser and the complainant's own choices. Where there is immediate danger or a possible crime, involve venue security and emergency services.
How long do we keep the record?
Ask your legal adviser and data-protection contact, and record the answer with the route.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.