These General Terms & Conditions ("Terms") apply to all conferences, summits, exhibitions, training courses, workshops, virtual events and other events or services ("Events") organised by Ardensi GmbH ("Ardensi").
These Terms apply to all customers, delegates, sponsors, exhibitors, speakers and other participants purchasing or attending an Event or otherwise engaging Ardensi's services (collectively referred to as the "Customer"), unless otherwise agreed in writing.
By submitting a booking, registering for an Event, signing an order form or sponsorship agreement, or otherwise purchasing any Event or service from Ardensi, the Customer agrees to be bound by these Terms.
These Terms form part of every agreement between Ardensi and the Customer unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing. Where an individual booking form, sponsorship agreement, exhibition agreement or other written contract contains specific terms, those specific terms shall prevail over these General Terms to the extent of any inconsistency.
Ardensi reserves the right to amend or update these Terms from time to time where reasonably necessary, including to reflect changes in applicable law, regulatory requirements or business operations. The version published on Ardensi's website at the time of the booking shall apply to the relevant agreement unless otherwise agreed in writing.
A booking becomes legally binding once Ardensi issues a written confirmation of the Customer's registration, order or booking.
The Customer is responsible for ensuring that all information provided during the booking process is complete, accurate and up to date, including company name, billing details, attendee names, job titles, email addresses and any other information reasonably requested by Ardensi.
Bookings may be submitted online, by email, by signed booking form, sponsorship agreement, exhibition agreement, purchase order (where accepted by Ardensi) or by any other method approved by Ardensi.
Ardensi reserves the right to accept or reject any booking at its discretion. Where a booking cannot be accepted, any payment received in respect of that booking will be refunded in full.
The Customer shall notify Ardensi without undue delay of any changes to the booking details, including attendee information, billing information or contact details.
Where an Event has limited capacity, registrations will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Attendance at an Event is subject to compliance with these Terms and any reasonable instructions issued by Ardensi before or during the Event.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, all invoices issued by Ardensi are due upon receipt and, in all cases, must be paid prior to the commencement of the relevant Event.
All prices are exclusive of applicable taxes unless expressly stated otherwise. Where value added tax (VAT) or any other applicable taxes are required by law, these shall be charged in addition to the agreed fees.
The Customer is responsible for ensuring that all payments are made in full, including any applicable bank charges, transfer fees or other transaction costs, so that Ardensi receives the full invoiced amount.
Attendance at an Event is conditional upon full payment having been received by Ardensi, unless otherwise agreed in writing. Ardensi reserves the right to refuse admission, withhold conference materials, deny access to networking activities, exhibition areas or digital content, or otherwise suspend participation until all outstanding amounts have been paid.
In the event of late or non-payment, Ardensi reserves the right to:
Where a booking is made shortly before the Event and payment has not yet been received, Ardensi may require proof of payment or another form of payment guarantee acceptable to Ardensi before granting access to the Event.
The Customer shall promptly notify Ardensi of any invoice query. The existence of an invoice query shall not entitle the Customer to withhold or delay payment except where required by applicable law.
Electronic invoices, electronic communications and electronically executed agreements shall be deemed valid and legally binding to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.
All cancellations must be submitted to Ardensi in writing.
The applicable cancellation fee shall be determined by the period between the date on which Ardensi receives the written cancellation notice and the scheduled commencement date of the Event, regardless of when the booking was confirmed.
Where a Delegate cancels their participation, the following cancellation charges shall apply:
Cancellation charges are calculated based on the full contracted value before the application of any promotional discounts or special pricing, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
The Customer may nominate a substitute Delegate at any time up to seven (7) days before the Event, subject to Ardensi receiving the substitute Delegate's full contact details and any information reasonably required to administer the registration. Ardensi reserves the right to refuse substitutions submitted after this deadline where operationally impracticable.
All cancellations must be submitted to Ardensi in writing.
The applicable cancellation fee shall be determined by the period between the date on which Ardensi receives the written cancellation notice and the scheduled commencement date of the Event, regardless of when the booking was confirmed.
Where a Sponsor or Exhibitor cancels its participation, the following cancellation charges shall apply:
Cancellation charges are calculated based on the full contracted value before the application of any promotional discounts or special pricing, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Ardensi reserves the right to resell or otherwise reallocate any cancelled sponsorship package, exhibition space or other contracted elements without affecting the Customer's payment obligations under these Terms.
The Customer shall remain responsible for any outstanding amounts due under the applicable agreement.
Ardensi is committed to delivering each Event as advertised. However, circumstances may arise which require reasonable changes to the Event.
Ardensi reserves the right, at any time and without liability, to make reasonable changes to the Event, including but not limited to the Event name, venue, location, date, programme, agenda, schedule, speakers, moderators, exhibitors, networking sessions, workshop formats or any other aspect of the Event, where such changes are reasonably necessary.
Where reasonably practicable, Ardensi will notify Customers of any material changes in advance.
If Ardensi postpones an Event, all confirmed bookings shall automatically be transferred to the rescheduled Event date. If the Customer is unable to attend the rescheduled Event, Ardensi may, at its discretion, offer a credit towards a future Ardensi Event or another reasonable alternative.
If Ardensi is required to cancel an Event for reasons other than those set out in Section 6 (Force Majeure), Ardensi may, at its discretion, either:
Ardensi shall not be responsible for any travel, accommodation or other expenses incurred by the Customer in connection with any cancelled, postponed or modified Event.
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Terms, the remedies set out in this Section shall constitute the Customer's sole remedies in relation to any postponement, modification or cancellation of an Event.
Ardensi shall not be liable for any delay, failure or inability to perform its obligations under these Terms where such delay or failure results from events or circumstances beyond its reasonable control.
Such events may include, but are not limited to, acts of God, war, armed conflict, terrorism or terrorist threats, civil unrest, riots, strikes or industrial disputes, epidemic, pandemic, public health emergencies, government actions or restrictions, changes in law or regulation, travel restrictions, border closures, adverse weather conditions, fire, flood, earthquake, utility failures, interruption of transportation services, cyber-attacks, failures of telecommunications or internet services, venue closures, supplier failures, or any other event beyond Ardensi's reasonable control.
Where a Force Majeure event occurs, Ardensi shall be entitled to postpone, reschedule, relocate, modify the format of, or cancel the affected Event without liability.
Where reasonably practicable, Ardensi will notify Customers of the circumstances and any revised arrangements as soon as possible.
Nothing in this Section shall affect any rights or remedies that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
Ardensi or its authorised representatives may photograph, film or otherwise record the Event for promotional, marketing, educational, archival or other legitimate business purposes. By attending an Event, the Customer acknowledges and agrees that such recordings may include their image, likeness, voice or statements and may be used by Ardensi without compensation, subject to applicable law.
If the Customer does not wish to appear in such recordings, they should notify Ardensi in writing prior to the Event. While Ardensi will use reasonable efforts to accommodate such requests, it cannot guarantee that the Customer will not appear in incidental recordings of the Event.
Unless expressly authorised in writing by Ardensi, Customers may not photograph, film, record, livestream, reproduce, distribute, publish, scrape, use artificial intelligence tools to capture, reproduce or generate derivative works from, or commercially exploit any presentations, workshops, training materials or other Event content.
All intellectual property rights relating to the Event, including but not limited to presentations, training materials, publications, recordings, branding, graphics, websites and other Event materials, remain the property of Ardensi or the respective rights holder. Nothing in these Terms transfers any intellectual property rights to the Customer.
Customers shall comply with all reasonable instructions issued by Ardensi during the Event. Ardensi reserves the right to refuse admission to, or remove from, the Event any person whose behaviour is unlawful, disruptive, abusive, discriminatory, threatening, unsafe or otherwise adversely affects the Event, its participants or its operation. In such circumstances, no refund, credit or compensation shall be payable.
By registering for, speaking at, sponsoring, exhibiting at or otherwise participating in an Event, the Customer grants Ardensi a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use the Customer's name, company name, trademarks, logos, biography, profile information, photographs and other promotional materials provided by or on behalf of the Customer solely for the purpose of promoting, administering, delivering and reporting on the relevant Event, future editions of that Event and related promotional materials.
The Customer represents and warrants that it has obtained all necessary rights, permissions and authorisations to provide such materials to Ardensi and to grant the licence set out in these Terms.
All intellectual property rights in the Customer's materials shall remain vested in the Customer or the relevant rights holder. Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of any intellectual property rights to Ardensi.
Ardensi shall not use the Customer's name, trademarks, logos or other promotional materials for unrelated commercial purposes without the Customer's prior written consent.
Ardensi processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 ("GDPR"), the German Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz — BDSG) and any other applicable privacy legislation.
Personal data provided by the Customer will be processed solely for purposes relating to the administration, delivery and management of the Event, the performance of the contractual relationship, compliance with legal obligations and, where permitted by applicable law, for legitimate business purposes, including marketing where permitted by applicable law.
Further information regarding how Ardensi collects, processes, stores and protects personal data, including details of the Customer's rights under applicable data protection laws, is available in Ardensi's Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms and is available on Ardensi's website.
Where the Customer provides Ardensi with personal data relating to other individuals, including delegates, speakers or representatives, the Customer confirms that it has obtained all necessary permissions and has provided any required privacy notices to those individuals.
Where permitted by applicable law and in accordance with Ardensi's Privacy Policy, Ardensi may communicate with Customers regarding future Events, services and other business-related information. Customers may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by following the instructions provided in such communications or by contacting Ardensi.
Nothing in these Terms shall exclude or limit the liability of Ardensi or the Customer for death or personal injury caused by its negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, wilful misconduct, gross negligence, or any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
Subject to the paragraph above, Ardensi shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential or special loss or damage, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of revenue, loss of business opportunities, loss of goodwill or reputational damage, whether arising in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise.
Ardensi shall not be liable for any loss, delay or disruption resulting from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including those described in Section 6 (Force Majeure).
Ardensi shall not be responsible for the acts, omissions or services of third-party suppliers, venues, accommodation providers, transport providers or other independent contractors engaged in connection with an Event.
Customers are responsible for their own personal safety and personal property while attending an Event. Ardensi accepts no responsibility for the loss, theft or damage of personal belongings unless caused by Ardensi's wilful misconduct or gross negligence.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Ardensi's total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with an Event or these Terms shall not exceed the total fees actually paid by the Customer to Ardensi under the relevant agreement giving rise to the claim.
These Terms, together with the applicable booking confirmation, registration form, sponsorship agreement, exhibition agreement, order form or any other written agreement between the Parties, constitute the entire agreement between Ardensi and the Customer relating to the relevant Event and supersede all prior discussions, negotiations, representations or agreements relating to the same subject matter.
No amendment or variation of these Terms shall be effective unless made in writing or published by Ardensi in accordance with Section 1 of these Terms.
If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable by a court or competent authority, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
Any failure or delay by Ardensi in exercising any right or remedy under these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or remedy, nor shall it prevent Ardensi from exercising that right or remedy at a later time.
The Customer may not assign, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its rights or obligations under these Terms without the prior written consent of Ardensi. Ardensi may assign or transfer its rights and obligations to an affiliated company or as part of a business transfer, merger or reorganisation.
Electronic communications, electronic invoices and electronically executed agreements, including those signed using recognised electronic signature platforms, shall be deemed valid and legally binding to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms or any Event shall be Berlin, Germany, provided that such choice of jurisdiction is permitted under applicable law.