Enhanced Safety Protocols Unveiled for This Year's Devcom Conference

To ensure a secure and welcoming environment at its upcoming conference in August, Devcom has implemented a range of initiatives aimed at fostering inclusivity and promoting a 'safer space.' Key on-site measures will include a specially trained awareness team and the distribution of free anti-spike kits to attendees, complementing existing initiatives such as the second FLINTA Meetup, a quiet room, and an anonymous reporting system for incidents and concerns. "Our top priority has always been to provide a positive experience for our attendees," stated Stephen Reichart, Devcom's managing director. "To further enhance this, we are expanding our efforts beyond our own events and collaborating with other organisers to share best practices and learnings, ultimately creating safer spaces for industry professionals." In addition to these enhanced safety measures, Devcom has announced new speakers for this year's event, including SNK's president and CEO Kenji Matsubara, who will discuss IP creation and brand awareness, Keywords Studios' Sharon Fisher, who will focus on community health in game development, composer Inon Zur, who will share insights into his work on Starfield, and Tango Gameworks game director John Johanas, who will delve into the development of Hi-Fi Rush. These heightened safety protocols follow an incident of alleged sexual harassment at last year's conference, which resulted in the perpetrator being banned from the event and all future Koelnmesse events. "We maintain strict safe space and non-harassment policies, with a zero-tolerance stance overall," emphasized Felix Falk, co-organiser of Devcom and Gamescom, and managing director of Game, in a previous statement to GamesIndustry.biz.