Please read and follow the rules below. They exists for your safety.
All participants that are younger than 16 when The Gathering begins must bring a signed consent form from their parents to check in. The consent form is available here.
All participants must bring valid proof of identity. Valid identification can be a driver's license, a passport or a Norwegian debit/credit card with photo, signature and social security number.
To make sure that everyone has fun and no one gets injured at The Gathering, you will not be allowed to use laser pointers or air horns. If any of these items are found, they will be confiscated.
Open fire of any kind is prohibited indoors. Smoking is only allowed in the designated smoking area outside of the main entrance, or far away from the arena. Do not use the emergency exits if you need to have a quick smoke, as these are connected to the alarm system.
The use of e-cigarettes in the arena is banned, as these are difficult to distinguish from regular cigarettes at a distance, and therefore may confuse both other participants and the crew.
All alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited at the event, including at the parking area. All alcohol will be confiscated and destroyed. Intoxicated people will not be allowed into the arena. People who are found to be intoxicated inside the arena will be banished from the event without refund.
We do not allow sleeping near emergency exits, under the tables in the arena, or in the pathways. Sleeping in shelves or other constructions on the tables is prohibited. Sleep only in designated areas, such as the tribunes, on the marked areas on the floor, or in the heated tent outside of the the arena.
Do not leave sleeping equipment unattended in the sleeping areas, as this prevents other participants from finding a place to sleep. Unattended sleeping equipment will be collected and you will need to dig up your things from a container.
Please note that some of the sleeping areas will be cleaned twice a day, at 07:00 - 09:00 and 19:00 - 21:00. This means that we might need to wake you if you are asleep at these times.
All attempts to get into the hall except through the checkpoints are prohibited. The security guards are patrolling the area around the arena, and there is camera surveillance around the clock. Counterfeit admission bands will be reported to the police. Remember that the money we receive from the tickets are being used for the event itself.
Sales or marketing of caffeine products (caffeine tablets, caffeinated beverages and other products containing caffeine) that are illegal to sell in Norway, can not be sold at The Gathering either. This also concerns private sales between participants and/or visitors. What you bring for your own consumption is your responsibility. We encourage all of you to use water as your main source of hydration.
The sale of items that would be considered commercial sales because of quantity or purpose, requires the permission of the organizers given before the event starts. Network marketing or multi-level marketing business is not allowed.
Hamar Olympic Arena has limitations on how much power can be supplied to each table, and there is simply not enough supply of power for everyone to bring whatever electrical equipment they want. Non-computer equipment like waffle irons, refrigerators (no matter the size, and regardless if it is connected via USB), coffee makers and other appliances are not allowed. There will be a number of water boilers available in a designated location inside the arena for your use. You can also bring your own water boiler, but it has to be used only in the designated location, or in the power outlets that are located behind the tribunes. You may not use your water boiler at your seat.
If we find appliances that are connected to the power outlets along the table rows, a warning will be issued and the equipment will be confiscated until the end of the event.
You are not allowed to bring or use dry ice at The Gathering.
Locker room and showers for girls can only be opened with an access cards. Girls can borrow an access card to the showers from the information desk. Be sure to return the card when you are done.
There is a wardrobe for participants with disabilities. Access cards can be borrowed from the information desk. To gain access, you must be able to document your disability. If you are not able to provide documentation, please contact the Medic crew who will consider your request for access.
Be sure to return the access card when you are done.
The organizer can use network tracking or other methods as means of identifying a responsible person or machine. This will be done if there are suspicions of distribution of drugs or child pornography/animal pornography, and only after consulting with the police. Such cases will be handed over to the police, and could lead to exclusion from the event.
Please do not leave money, cameras, cell phones, external disk drives or other valuables unattended in plain sight. There aren't many reports of theft at The Gathering, but we observe that many leave their belongings unattended. If you are alone with your equipment, get to know the people sitting around you so that you can help each other to take care of your things when some of you are not present. Write down the serial number of all equipment so that we can identify it as yours if we find it. Contact security if something is stolen, or the Info:Desk if you lose something. If you find something that is not yours, please hand it to the information desk. All thefts must be reported to the police at www.politi.no or to the local police office.
We can not help you with reporting theft to the police.
If the arena needs to be evacuated, instructions will be given on the PA-systems and all ceiling lights will be turned on. Go to the nearest emergency exit in an orderly pace. Do not bring your computer or any luggage, as this will prevent an orderly evacuation. Help others to get out, and follow all instructions from the crew. The crew will have yellow reflective vests.
If you discover a fire, push the closest manual fire reporter, contact a member of the crew or call 110.
Follow the instructions from the crew, the fire department and the police. If the fire alarm is triggered, turn off all music/sound and follow the instructions given over the PA system and/or megaphones. The security guards will monitor the fire alarm system 24 hours a day, and are responding if there is a deviation from the normal.
The organizers of The Gathering reserve the right to expel participants that violate our rules, or Norwegian law, without reimbursement for the ticket, travel, or other expenses.
For immediate help in case of an emergency, contact a crew member and ask for help, or call the police at 112.
If you have any questions about security or medical questions, or have information that you would like us to be aware of, you are welcome to have a chat with us in the security operations room. You can find us right next to where the big skate is hanging from the ceiling, in the glass cage marked with "Security", or you can go to the Medic which you can find all the way to the South of the arena, marked with a large red banner. We are here to help you.
You can also send us an e-mail at security (at) gathering dot org, or medic (at) gathering dot org.
In recent years, we have seen that more and more people are buying seats to use for sound systems. The Gathering has a limit of one seat per participant, which also means that there are some restrictions for the physical size of the sound systems. Oversized PA-systems that do not fit on your designated table space are prohibited.
The system must fit within the table space you have available. Floor standing speakers are allowed, if the "footprint" does not exceed 20x20 cm and they are placed within a reasonable distance from your seat. These speakers must be faced inwards towards your seat, and not out towards others. Speakers that are placed in your table space, or in a shelf, should be normal sized. Common sense must be used.
We do not want a quiet The Gathering, and encourage those who wish to play music to do so. We ask that all participants respect each other, and that they'll play for music themselves and not for the people sitting on the other side of the arena. During the lectures, shows and concerts from our main stage the sound systems must be turned off so that they don't interfere .
Security will go around and check this. Violation of these rules will result in warnings, and in the worst case that the equipment be confiscated and given back at the end of the event.
