Terms and conditions

Updated February 9, 2024

Part A – Our Relationship With You

1. Who we are

We are Connected Intelligence Limited (defined as “we”, “us” and “our”, “Organiser” throughout), a company incorporated under the laws of Ireland with company registration number 539413, whose registered office is at Tramway House, 32 Dartry Road, Dublin 6, Ireland.

2. What we do

Connected Intelligence Ltd and/or our affiliates (“Web Summit Group”) are organisers of conferences and events including “Web Summit Lisbon”, “Web Summit Rio”, “Web Summit Qatar”, “Collision”, “f.ounders” and “RISE” (each, a “Conference”).

3. Structure of terms

3.1 The agreement is between us and the person who completes the relevant Conference online registration form (“you” or “your”). Your agreement with us consists of:

PART A – Our Relationship With You;
PART B – General Terms;
PART C – Attendee Terms, which contains terms specific to registered attendees attending a Conference (“Attendee”, “you”, “your”);
PART D – Volunteer Terms, which contains terms specific to volunteers attending a Conference (“Volunteer”, “you”, “your”);
PART E – Exhibitor Terms, which contains terms specific to exhibitors attending a Conference (“Exhibitor”, “you”, “your”);
PART F – Investor Ticket Terms, which contains terms specific to attendees who purchase an Investors ticket type and who are attending a Conference;
PART G – Startup Exhibitor Terms, which contains terms specific to startup exhibitors attending a Conference;

PART H – F.ounders Ticket Terms, which contains terms specific to attendees invited to a f.ounders event;

PART I – Digital Platforms, which contains terms specific to your access to our Digital Platforms such as, but not limited to, our Website and their related subdomains, and our App; and

PART J – Additional Policies.

3.2 When attending a Conference, using our mobile application and/or our website (“App”), you are also subject to the following policies:

(collectively, the “Terms”).

3.3 We are committed to protecting your personal information. These Terms include and incorporate by reference our privacy policy, which explains the types of information collected, stored, shared and processed in connection with the relevant Conference, how and why we use such information, who we share it with and your legal rights.

4. Your agreement with us

You should read this document carefully. These Terms govern your online registration, attendance at and/or participation at a Conference. By registering for the Conference you agree that you have read and accepted these Terms and agree to be legally bound by them. If you do not wish to be bound by these Terms, please do not register, attend or participate in the Conference.

5. Registering on behalf of another

If you are registering on behalf of another person it is your obligation to make sure that the person attending is aware of these Terms and accepts them. By completing and submitting the registration form you are representing and warranting that you have made the person attending aware of these Terms and that they have accepted these Terms.

5.1 Youth attendees

5.1.1 Our Conferences are not aimed at attendees under the age of 18 (“youth attendees”, “minors”). However, we may allow minors to attend our Conferences, subject to the following terms:

Youth attendees aged between 4 and 17 years must purchase a Youth Ticket and be accompanied by a ticketed parent(s) and/or guardian at all times during a Conference and all related events;
Youth attendees aged 3 years and under are admitted free of charge and must be accompanied by a ticketed parent(s) and/or guardian at all times during a Conference and all related events;
Youth attendees are not allowed to attend any of our evening events under any circumstance;
Youth attendees cannot have any account associated with our App and/or website;
Youth attendees must be registered with their parent(s) and/or guardian’s data. We will not collect personal data from minors;
Youth attendees will be issued with a wristband only, with no associated personal data;
Youth attendees are strictly prohibited from consuming alcohol during a Conference and all related events. If a minor is found to be consuming alcohol during a Conference and/or any related event, the tickets from the minor and their parent(s) and/or guardian will be immediately voided and they will not be allowed into the Conference anymore;
Youth attendees are strictly prohibited from viewing and/or interacting with content that is not appropriate for minors. It is the parent(s) and/or guardian’s responsibility to verify any age restrictions related to content displayed and/or presented during a Conference and all related events;
Youth attendees are strictly prohibited from celebrating any type of contracts and/or deals with stakeholders during the Conference and all related events;
Youth attendees shall not provide their personal data for marketing purposes to stakeholders during a Conference and all related events.

5.1.2 The parent(s) and/or guardian is responsible for ensuring compliance with these rules at all times during a Conference and all related events. Non-compliance with these rules will lead to immediate ticket cancellation for the minor and their parent(s) and/or guardian.

5.1.3 We reserve the right to select the Conference(s) and/or related events where minors will be allowed to enter, based on health, safety and legal reasons. This may change from one year and/or location to the other.

5.1.4 Please contact us at tickets@websummit.com to obtain more information and to book a youth attendee ticket.

6. Changes to this policy

These Terms apply to you from the date of publishing and until these Terms are superseded by a new version. We may update these Terms at any time for legal or regulatory reasons, or to reflect changes in our services or business practices. Any amended Terms will be posted here.

7. Contact us

For questions about registration or assistance with any registration problems, please contact us at tickets@websummit.com. If you have any other questions, concerns, or complaints, you may contact us at info@websummit.com.

Part B – General Terms

8. Admittance to Conferences

8.1 Attendees over the age of 18 years are generally allowed to attend a Conference and related events. We, in our sole discretion, and without any liability or obligation to refund, reserve the right to refuse admittance to or to eject from the Conference and/or related events anyone that we determine:

is behaving in a manner that could disrupt, hinder or cause a nuisance to the Conference and/or related events, or the enjoyment of any other person or partner at the Conference;
represents a security or health & safety risk to the Conference or to any person or partner; and/or
fails to comply with, or is likely to fail to comply with, these Terms.

8.2 You may view our anti-harassment policy here.

8.3 You agree to comply with all applicable laws in connection with your attendance or participation at a Conference and related events.

9. Conference, related events and initiatives

9.1 When you purchase a ticket, you are entitled to attend the specific Conference your ticket relates to, during the days and year marked on your ticket. We, in our sole discretion, and without any liability, reserve the right to reschedule, postpone or cancel the Conference, as per rules outlined in the section below.

9.2 Our Conferences aim at bringing together a diverse and global audience of technology entrepreneurs, investors, startups, established companies, media organisations and thought leaders through a number of initiatives and events.

9.3 During the Conference, apart from the talks, presentations, discussions, and round tables lead by our carefully selected speakers, high-level attendees and partners, you may get access to related events and initiatives such as, but not limited to:

Partners’ offers: our global partners display their own offers and initiatives on builds during the Conference. You are able to connect with them in person during the event and/or through our App.
Startups’ offers: our startups display their own offers and initiatives on stands and boards during the Conference. You are able to interact with them in person during the event and/or through our App.
Job Boards: our global partners display career opportunities and open positions at their respective organisations. You can apply to these open positions at any time during the Conference.
Attendee Perks: attendee perks provide our partners with the opportunity to create exclusive offers of their products or services for our attendees.
Mentor Hours: Mentor Hours are a series of pre-scheduled, hour-long group meetings between our high-level speakers and/or attendees. It’s carefully designed to foster both individual and collective growth.
Masterclasses: masterclasses are a chance for our global partners to engage with our attendees in an interactive environment. They allow our partners to curate content, including digital presentations that may be shared, in a private and dedicated space.
Night Summit: Night Summit is a series of social events and receptions for our Conference’s attendees in different entertainment and cultural venues.
Drinks’ party and/or dinners: drinks’ party and/or dinners provide our global partners with the opportunity to engage with a smaller number of attendees in a social environment.
PITCH: PITCH is our startup competition that showcases the world’s most promising early-stage startups in a live, onstage pitching battle.
f.ounders: f.ounders is an invite-only gathering of the world’s leading technology company founders.
Startup showcase: the startup showcase is a series of quickfire presentations with startups highlighting their solutions to the biggest issues in their fields.
Investor meetings: investor to startup meetings are a series of pre-scheduled, 15-minute meetings between tech’s most influential investors and the most promising startups in our startup programme.
Corporate Innovation Summit (CIS): CIS is a one-day, invite-only event right before a Conference, that connects high-level attendees and organisations shaping the global tech industry. It includes roundtables, masterclasses and networking events.
Venture: Venture is an invite-only gathering of the most influential angels, VCs and LPs. This one-day event is centred around curated roundtable discussions, and offers valuable opportunities to engage with the people driving change in the venture industry.
Gathering: Gathering is a private, invite-only event taking place before a Conference, bringing together 200 of our selected early-stage startups. The selected startups spend time in small groups, exchanging ideas, networking, and learning from thought leaders on stage, in masterclasses and in roundtables.

9.4 We, in our sole discretion, and without any liability, reserve the right to suppress any of the above-mentioned related events and/or initiatives, or create new related events and/or initiatives from one year and/or Conference to the other.

9.5 The possibility to subscribe for the above-mentioned related events and initiatives will vary depending on the (a) type of ticket you hold (i.e., general attendee; startups; investors; partners; etc.); and (b) event or initiative capacity and/or availability. We do not guarantee that all of our attendees will be able to subscribe and/or will be invited to the referred related events and initiatives.

9.6 If you subscribe or accept the invitation to attend a related event and/or benefit from an initiative, your personal information will be processed and shared with the relevant stakeholder(s) (i.e., partner(s), startup(s), investor(s), etc.) for the purposes of enabling your attendance and/or providing you with the respective benefit. Your data may also be shared for purposes such as, but not limited to: capacity control and security; sharing of related presentations and materials; tailoring of content; catering and health; development of perks and gifts; and target audience profile analysis.

Please review our Privacy Policy to learn more about how your personal information is used and your legal rights.

10. Changes or cancellation of a conference

10.1 We try to make sure that the Conference programmes, speakers, topics, venues and dates are correct at the time of publishing. We reserve the right to make substitutions, alterations, postponements, or cancellations to the content, format, themes, name, performers, hosts, moderators, venue, timing or dates of a Conference. We reserve the right to do so at any time and will not be liable to you for any cost incurred by you as a result (including, without limitation, travel, accommodation and other expenses).

10.2 We will endeavour to notify you as soon as reasonably practicable of any substitutions, postponements, or changes by posting the updated information on the Conference website homepage. Significant changes will be notified by email.

10.3 IF THE CONFERENCE IS POSTPONED, WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH A SUBSTITUTE TICKET TO THE CONFERENCE ON THE RESCHEDULED DATE. NO REFUNDS WILL BE PROVIDED IF THE CONFERENCE IS POSTPONED.

10.4 In the unlikely event of cancellation of a Conference, our total aggregate liability to you is limited to the refund of paid fees that remain after credit card and payment processing fees have been incurred and deducted, and we will not be liable to you for any expenditure, damage or loss incurred by you as a result of the cancellation.

11. Photography, audio and video recording

11.1 Any use of photographic, audio, video or other recording equipment at a Conference is strictly prohibited unless it is approved by us in writing in advance.

11.2 By attending the Conference you acknowledge and agree that the Conference (or any part of it) may be photographed or recorded by us or our partners. You agree to permit us, or any third party licensed by us, to use, distribute, broadcast, or otherwise globally disseminate your likeness, name, job title, company name, voice and words in perpetuity in television, radio, film, newspapers, magazines and other media now available and hereafter developed, both before, during and any time after the Conference, and in any form, without any further approval from you or any payment to you. This grant includes, but is not limited to, the right to edit the media, the right to use the media (alone or together with other information), and the right to allow others to use or distribute the media.

12. Your attendance at a conference

12.1 You are responsible for advising us at the time of making your booking regarding any special access requirements you require at the Conference.

12.2 You are responsible for arranging your own appropriate insurance cover in connection with your attendance or exhibition at a Conference. We and our related companies will not be liable for any injury or damage to any person or to any real or personal property however caused (except for death or personal injury as a result of our negligence or for any other type of liability that cannot be excluded or limited by law).

12.3 During the Conference, you shall conduct yourself in an orderly manner and shall not act in any manner which causes offence, annoyance or inconvenience to other Attendees. Attendees shall not canvass, promote, advertise or solicit for business in a manner which, in our sole discretion, is deemed unacceptable. We reserve the right to remove from the Venue any attendee who we consider in our reasonable opinion contravenes applicable laws or regulations or our policies and procedures or those of the Venue, is likely to cause offence or annoyance or is otherwise inappropriate or does not comply with these terms.

12.4 The Conference is environmentally conscious and promotes a paperless event, where possible. As an attendee, you undertake not to distribute promotional materials or similar items save where a Litter Charge has been agreed with our express prior written consent. Minimum Litter Charge €5,000. Any attendee wishing to distribute promotional material or similar items should email accountsreceivable@websummit.com to arrange invoicing and payment in advance of the event. All funds relating to the Litter Charge will be donated to a local Community / Environmental Fund of our choosing.

13. Refund and cancellation

13.1 Your ticket remains our property and is a personal revocable licence, which may be withdrawn, and admission to a Conference may be refused at any time upon a refund of the printed registration price.

13.2 If you are eligible under applicable law to avail of a right to cancel your purchase of a ticket within 14 days without giving any reason and to receive a reimbursement of payments, you need to notify us in writing of your decision to cancel your Conference’s ticket within 14 days of the day the contract for distance selling was concluded. The refund will be made in the same form as the original payment was received (for example, a credit card payment will be refunded to the same credit card account number).

13.3 All purchases of Conference tickets are non-refundable in their entirety after the end of this 14-day ‘cooling off’ period. You acknowledge that all refunds are subject to a deduction of a €10 or $10 transaction fee or as otherwise advised (depending on the currency of your original transaction). Our free and subsidised ticket promotions sometimes include a processing fee. This processing fee is non-refundable in its entirety.

13.4 Extended ‘cooling off period’ for flash sales purchases

13.4.1 Notwithstanding the standard ‘cooling off’ period as described at clauses 13.2 and 13.3 above, purchasers of flash sale tickets for Web Summit Qatar 2025, Web Summit Rio 2025 and Web Summit Vancouver 2025 are granted the right to receive a full refund of the amount paid if the sale of the ticket sale is cancelled or revoked more than sixty (60) days before the scheduled event. For the avoidance of doubt, this extended ‘cooling off period’ as detailed in this clause 13.4 applies exclusively to tickets bought during flash sales or as part of flash sale promotions.

13.4.2 Refunds will be processed in the same form as the original payment was received.

13.4.3 We reserve the right to make further adjustments to the terms of the extended ‘cooling off period’ as deemed necessary from time to time.

14. No reselling

14.1 The tickets you purchase are for your personal use or that of your business only and may not be resold under any circumstances, including but not limited to use as part of any promotion or competition. This includes subsidised tickets such as one-day tickets, Women in Tech Tickets, Young Entrepreneur, Loyalty, Open Source, Developer, Youth Ticket and/or Scholarship tickets.

14.2 Reselling or otherwise transferring your ticket, not in accordance with the Terms, will void the ticket and the ticket holder will not gain entry into the Conference. Where there has been any resale or attempted resale of any tickets (or any other breach of this term), we reserve the right to cancel the relevant tickets with immediate effect.

14.3 We reserve the right to cancel any ticket purchase made by any person or body whom we reasonably believe to be associated with any ticket reselling or ticket broker.

15. Wristbands and lanyards

15.1 For security and identification reasons, we require all attendees to:

display on their wrist the official Conference wristband;
display around their neck the official Conference lanyard containing their badge (except for youth attendees); and
carry photo identification and display it at all times on request.

15.2 You will find details of the cost of replacing lost or damaged wristbands for a Conference on our website. The cost of replacing lost or damaged wristbands is correct at the time of publication and is subject to change.

16. Online surveys

In order to enhance our services and add value to your experience, we may ask you to participate in an optional online survey regarding our Conference(s) and/or related events and initiatives. If you choose to participate, your personal data will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy

17. Visa requirements

17.1 It is your sole responsibility to take care of visa requirements, a valid passport and other necessary documentation for entrance into the country the Conference is taking place. If you require an entry visa to attend, volunteer or exhibit at the Conference, you must allow sufficient time for the visa application procedure.

17.2 In the event you are not granted a visa or fail to obtain valid travel documents or are not permitted to travel, we are under no obligation to refund your ticket unless you are eligible under applicable law.

18. Intellectual property rights

18.1 All intellectual property rights in and to the Conference, the Conference content, and all materials distributed at or in connection with the Conference are owned by us, our related companies, and/or the Conference sponsors or speakers attending the Conference. You must not reproduce or allow anyone to reproduce trademarks or materials distributed by or on behalf of us at a Conference for any reason, without our prior written permission.

18.2 Nothing in these Terms shall vest in you any legal or beneficial right in or to any intellectual property rights owned or used under licence by us or our related companies, or grant to you any right or licence to any other intellectual property rights of us or our related companies. All such intellectual property rights shall remain the exclusive property of us and our related companies.

18.3 It is strictly forbidden for any company, organisation, or person to attempt to host or organise any event in conjunction with, contiguous to or purporting to be related to a Conference or its affiliates without our express prior permission and cooperation of us. We reserve their right to take such action (legal or otherwise), including a claim for damages as we, in our sole discretion, deem appropriate in the circumstances.

19. Your Contribution and Messages

19.1 We may permit you to send messages and other communications (“Messages”) to us or other users via the App and/or Website (“Digital Platforms”). You are solely responsible for your Messages and the consequences of sending them, and expressly release us and agree to hold us harmless, from all and any liability arising from your Messages. You grant us (and we accept) a global right to use, store, and reproduce your Messages for the limited purpose of facilitating sending them to your chosen recipients (and we may also use third-party service providers to facilitate the sending of your Messages). You represent and warrant that your Messages will not infringe any third-party right of others. You acknowledge and agree that the provisions of our Content Guidelines and Anti-Harassment policy shall also apply to Messages that you send.

19.2 We may permit your sharing and publishing of your content to the Conference (such as a workshop or other public contributions to the Conference) subject to these Terms and Conditions and our Privacy Policy (“Your Contribution”) and you grant us a global, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual right to use Your Contribution in relation to the Conference. You understand that you are responsible for Your Contribution and it may be publicly available. You agree to waive any moral rights in Your Contribution. We have discretion whether to publish Your Contribution and we reserve the right without further notice to you, to monitor, censor, edit, remove, and/or delete any and all of Your Contribution at any time which we believe to violate these Terms of Use, our Content Guidelines and our Anti- Harassment policy. We reserve the right to access, read, preserve and disclose any of Your Contribution or any other information that we obtain in connection with the Conference as we reasonably believe is necessary to (i) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process, subpoena or governmental request; (ii) enforce this Agreement, including investigation of potential violations of it; (iii) detect, prevent or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues; (iv) respond to your user support requests; or (v) protect the rights, property or safety of us, our users or the public.

19.3 You are not permitted to engage in or attempt to engage in any activity in breach of the Terms of Use, this includes:

Impersonating or misrepresenting an individual or entity in a manner that is considered misleading or deceptive;
Partaking in activities that are considered fraudulent, unlawful or false, such as scams;
Using our Digital Platforms in any way that breaches any applicable local, national or international law or regulation;
Sending mass solicitation material without intent or purpose, such as spam;
Knowingly transmitting any data, or sending or uploading any material, that contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time-bombs, keystroke loggers, spyware, adware or any other harmful programs or similar computer code designed to adversely affect the operation of any computer software or hardware;
Knowingly sending, receiving, uploading, downloading, using or re-using any material that does not comply with our content standards;
Violating the privacy of individuals, or distributing confidential or personal information relating to individuals;
Violating or infringing any intellectual property or proprietary rights of individuals or entities, including but not limited to copyrights.

19.4 You may not use your username, display name, or profile bio to engage in any practice prohibited by these Terms and Conditions.

20. Warranties

20.1 To the extent permitted by the applicable law, we disclaim all warranties or conditions, either express or implied, or any part of them in respect of any aspect of a Conference or any related materials. You acknowledge and agree that in accepting these Terms you have not relied on any representation or warranty that is not expressly included in these Terms and you agree that you shall have no remedy in respect of any misrepresentation which has not become a part of these Terms.

20.2 Except as set out in these Terms, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Organiser excludes all conditions, terms, representations and warranties relating to the Conference and any ticket or Package, whether imposed by statute or by the operation of law or otherwise, that are not expressly stated herein.

21. Limitation of Liability

21.1 You acknowledge and agree that views expressed by speakers at or in connection with the Conference are their own and the Web Summit Group (including the Organiser) do not accept any responsibility or liability for any advice given or views expressed during or in connection with the Conference.

21.2 Materials shared or distributed at or in connection with the Conference are intended for information purposes only and should not be relied upon by you or others. We and our related companies do not provide any guarantees, conditions or warranties that the materials are complete or accurate and do not accept any responsibility or liability for reliance by you or any person on any aspect of the Conference and/or any information provided at the Conference.

21.3 To the fullest extent allowed by applicable law:

(a) Web Summit Group (including our affiliates, parent undertakings, subsidiaries, and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, legal representatives and sub-contractors, and our related companies) shall not be liable to you whether, in contract, tort (including for negligence), misrepresentation, restitution or otherwise for any loss of profits; loss of sales or business; loss of agreements or contracts; loss of anticipated savings; loss of income; loss of opportunity; loss of or damage to goodwill; loss of use or corruption of software, data or information; and/or similar losses or pure economic loss, or for any indirect or consequential loss, costs, damages, charges or expenses however arising under or in connection with the performance or contemplated performance of the Terms, even if we had been advised of the possibility of same in advance; and

(b) subject to paragraph (c) (below), our total aggregate liability in contract, tort (including negligence), misrepresentation, restitution or otherwise, arising under or in connection with the performance or contemplated performance of the Terms is limited to the total amount paid by you to us for your ticket to participate and access the Conference, after the payment of any processing fees or bank charges applicable.

(c) Nothing in these Terms purports to exclude or limit liability for any fraudulent statement or act or in respect of any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

21.4 The Organiser does not make any warranty as to the Conference in general and in particular in relation to (i) the presence or absence or location of any other sponsor/exhibitor or potential sponsor/exhibitor; or (ii) the benefit or outcome (commercial or otherwise) that you may achieve as a result of attending or sponsoring the Conference. In particular, note that:

(a) personal arrangements and expenditures, including travel, accommodation, hospitality and other costs and expenses incurred by you relating to the Conference which have been arranged by you are at your own risk, and we shall not be responsible or liable to you for any wasted or unrecoverable costs or expenditure in relation to such personal arrangements, even if caused as a result of the cancellation, rescheduling or alteration of a Conference;
(b) we shall not be responsible or liable to you for any loss of enjoyment or amenity, including where a Conference has been cancelled, rescheduled or altered; and
(c) we shall not be responsible or liable to you (and you will not be entitled to any refund) if admission to a venue or event is refused or revoked at any time as a result of your breach of these terms and conditions or the Venue’s rules and regulations.

21.5 We are not responsible for the actions or failures of any venue, performer or other Conference sponsors. Under no circumstances shall we be liable for death or personal injury suffered by you or your guests arising out of attendance at a Conference, unless caused by our negligence. Neither shall we be liable for any loss or damage sustained to your property or belongings, or those of any member of your party, attending a Conference.

22. Indemnity

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold the Web Summit Group, our related companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, joint ventures, third-party service providers, and our respective employees, contractors, agents, officers, and directors harmless from all claims, liability, damages, losses, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise out of or are related to any breach of the Terms by you or any other liabilities incurred by theWeb Summit Group arising out of your attendance or participation or access to the Conference.

23. Force majeure

23.1 It is possible that the Conference may not be available at any given time due to (a) power or server outages or issues (b) update or maintenance periods (c) as a result of war, acts of God, flood, drought, earthquake or other natural disasters; (d) epidemic or pandemic; (e) terrorist attack, civil war, civil commotion or riots, war, the threat of or preparation for war, armed conflict, imposition of sanctions, embargo, or breaking off of diplomatic relations; (f) nuclear, chemical or biological contamination or sonic boom; (g) any law or any action taken by a government or public authority; (h) collapse of buildings, fire, explosion or accident; (i) any labour or trade dispute, strikes, industrial action or lockouts; (j) non-performance by suppliers or subcontractors; (k) interruption or failure of utility service and/or (l) electronic or communications failure. We will take reasonable efforts to provide you with notice of interruption to the Conference. Where the Conference is unavailable for reasons beyond our control, we shall have no liability to you.

23.2 We are not liable if the Conference is, in whole or in part, cancelled, rescheduled or postponed, or for any failure or delay to perform our obligations under these Terms, if such event results from anything beyond our reasonable control (for example (a) power or server outages or issues (b) update or maintenance periods (c) as a result of a war, acts of God, flood, drought, earthquake or other natural disaster; (d) epidemic or pandemic; (e) terrorist attack, civil war, civil commotion or riots, war, threat of or preparation for war, armed conflict, imposition of sanctions, embargo, or breaking off of diplomatic relations; (f) nuclear, chemical or biological contamination or sonic boom; (g) any law or any action taken by a government or public authority; (h) collapse of buildings, fire, explosion or accident; (i) any labour or trade dispute, strikes, industrial action or lockouts; (j) non-performance by suppliers or subcontractors; and (k) interruption or failure of utility service , (l) electronic or communications failure y) or anything else that renders performance of the Conference, in whole or in part, impracticable, illegal or impossible).

23.3 We are not liable if a Conference is, in whole or in part, cancelled, rescheduled or postponed, or for any failure or delay to perform our obligations under these Terms, if such event results from anything beyond our reasonable control (for example, natural disasters, flood, fire, acts of terror, war, labour strike, extreme weather malicious damage, compliance with any law or governmental order, or mechanical, electronic or communications failure or degradation, or any other emergency) or anything else that renders performance of a Conference, in whole or in part, impracticable, illegal or impossible.

24. Governing law and jurisdiction

24.1 This interpretation, formation and operation of the Terms and all non-contractual obligations arising from or connected with them shall be governed by and construed in accordance with, and all disputes between the parties arising out of or in any way relating to the Terms or any disputes between the parties in any way connected with the subject matter of these Terms (whether contractual or non-contractual) shall be governed by, the laws of Ireland.

24.2 Each of the parties submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Irish Courts.

24.3 We do not offer Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), including through the European Commission’s Online Dispute Resolution Service. If you have a complaint please contact us at info@websummit.com.

24.4 Nothing contained in the Terms shall limit our right to bring enforcement proceedings in another jurisdiction or to seek interim, protective or provisional relief in the courts of another jurisdiction.

25. Other terms

25.1 These Terms (including our privacy policy) contain the entire agreement and understanding between us in respect of all matters which are referred to herein and supersede any prior, written or oral agreement between us relating to such matters. You confirm that in agreeing to accept these Terms you have not relied on any representation that is not expressly included herein and you agree that you shall have no remedy in respect of any misrepresentation which has not become a part of these Terms. However, nothing in these Terms purports to exclude liability for any fraudulent statement or act.

25.2 If a court with jurisdiction over these Terms finds that any part of these Terms is wholly or partly unenforceable, you agree that where possible, the court should modify the terms to make that part enforceable while still achieving its intent. If the court cannot do that, you agree that the court should not have regard for that unenforceable part but still enforce the rest of these Terms. The clauses of these Terms which by their nature should survive if the Agreement between you and the Organiser is terminated, shall survive such termination.

25.3 If we fail to insist that you perform any of your obligations under these Terms or we do not act or delay in acting to exercise a right or remedy provided by these Terms that does not mean we have waived our rights or remedies against you and will not mean that you do not have to comply with your obligations.

25.4 These Terms are personal to you. You agree not to assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms to anyone else without receiving our prior written consent. We may assign or transfer these Terms without your consent by providing you with notice.

25.5 You recognise and agree that no agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment is created as a result of these Terms and you do not have any authority of any kind to bind us in any respect.

25.6 You agree that the only way you can provide us with a legal notice is at the address(s) set out in Part A above.

25.7 To the extent allowed by law, the English language version of the Terms is binding and any translations are for convenience only.

25.8 In these Terms:

a reference to the Terms includes all its parts described, and includes any amendment to or replacement of them;
headings are for reference purposes only and do not form part of the Terms;
a reference to a statute, code or other law includes regulations and other instruments under it and consolidations, amendments, re-enactments or replacements of any of them;
the singular includes the plural and vice versa; and “includes”, “including”, “for example”, “such as” and similar terms are not words of limitation.
If you are a consumer, nothing in these Terms excludes any of your applicable consumer or other statutory legal rights that cannot be waived.

Part C – Attendee terms ^

26. Tickets and pricing

26.1 You will find details of attendee ticket pricing and fees for a Conference here. Ticket prices for a Conference are correct at the time of publication. You agree that the Organiser will receive the fees net of all applicable taxes, including sales, VAT, service or withholding taxes.

26.2 We reserve the right to change the ticket prices at any time but any changes will not affect tickets that have already been purchased.

26.3 A valid ticket entitles you to entry to the relevant Conference as an Attendee but does not include any requirements or costs associated with travel to or from the Conference or any accommodation costs incurred and we shall have no liability for such costs or expenses.

27. Delivery

27.1 Once a successful ticket transaction has been completed, tickets are delivered in electronic soft-copy via email to the email address nominated by the Attendee. For some ticket types, it may be necessary to complete required information such as the Attendee’s name or tax identification number before the tickets can be issued.

27.2 The ticket acts as a receipt for the transaction and can be used to gain entry to the Conference listed on the ticket. The ticket reference number can be used to access the mobile app, to register at the Conference.

27.3 All tickets must be assigned and Conference Profile completed within thirty (30) days of receipt of the ticket or if you have received your ticket less than thirty (30) days before the first day of the Conference, within 1 day of receipt of the ticket,

27.4 Should you fail to do so, the Organiser reserves the right to refuse entry to the Conference.

28. Discounts

We may from time to time offer certain discounted ticket promotions to encourage attendance at a Conference. We are not obligated to offer any discounts for a particular Conference and reserve the right to change or withdraw a discount offer at any time at our sole discretion.

29. Women in tech tickets

To address any gender imbalance at our Conferences, we may, from time to time, offer free and/or subsidised Conference tickets to Attendees who identify as women (“Women in tech tickets”) at our absolute discretion. It is a strict condition of these promotions that only Attendees who identify as women can gain admission to a Conference using women in tech tickets.

30. Ticket name changes

30.1 In our efforts to allow young people to attend our Conferences, we may, from time to time, offer free and subsidised tickets to our Conferences. It is a strict condition of these promotions that only individuals from 18 to 23 years of age, inclusive, can gain admission to a Conference using these tickets. Any person redeeming a Discounted Day Ticket must provide relevant identification, such as a citizenship card or passport. No name changes for Discounted Day Tickets will be facilitated prior to the commencement of the Conference.

30.2 If an Attendee finds that they cannot attend a Conference they must notify us as soon as possible (and in any event no later than 7 days before the commencement of the Conference) by email at info@websummit.com and request a name change on their ticket. We may at our absolute discretion permit the name change. Under no circumstances shall a name change be permitted by the Organiser after you have completed your Conference Profile.

31. Service animals

Please note there are no pets or animals permitted, except service animals. Service Animals are animals individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.

Part D – Volunteer terms ^

32. Selection

You may apply to be a Volunteer at a Conference.

32.1 There is no guarantee that applicants wishing to volunteer at the Conference will be selected and the selection of Volunteers is at our sole discretion.

32.2 Selected Volunteers must attest to the truth of all statements made in their volunteer application.

32.3 Without limiting their other obligations under these Terms, Volunteers are subject to the following rules governing their relationship with us:

Volunteers will not receive compensation for travel or accommodation associated with the Conference;
Volunteers who violate any of these Terms, behave in a manner that could be disruptive to the Conference or any other Attendee, Volunteer, Exhibitor and/ or partner, consume alcohol and/or illegal substances before or while on duty, or fail to show up for an assigned shift may be stripped of their credentials, denied access to the Conference, and may be subject to removal from the Conference grounds;
Volunteers acknowledge they may be photographed or recorded in accordance with the section “Photography, Audio and Video Recording”; and
Volunteers who may be handling confidential information agree to handle such information in the strictest confidence and abide by the rules governing its use as provided for in the Privacy Policy].

33. Ticket refund

If you have been selected to be a Volunteer at a Conference but have already bought a ticket, you are not eligible for a refund or reimbursement under any circumstances.

Part E – Exhibitor terms ^

34. Exhibitors

34.1 We offer space at Conferences to Exhibitors who wish to occupy a location at the Conference (“Space”) and operate a stall where they can exhibit certain goods or services to attendees (an “Exhibit”) at agreed times, subject to these Terms and the Terms and Conditions agreed between the Exhibitor and the Organiser in the Partnership Agreement.

34.2 The Exhibitor is only permitted to conduct business from its allotted Space and shall not canvass, promote, advertise or solicit for business in any other area of the Venue without our express prior written consent.

34.3 The Exhibitor is prohibited from sub-letting the Space without our express prior written consent. If and to the extent that the Exhibitor is permitted to sublet the Space, the Exhibitor shall remain responsible for the Space and shall be liable for any breach of these terms by any party to whom the Space is sublet.

34.4 The Exhibitor shall not canvass, promote, advertise or solicit for business on behalf of unrelated Third Parties without our express prior written consent.

34.5 The Exhibitor’s operation of the Exhibit at the Conference shall be carried out in full compliance with these Terms.

35. Location of exhibits

We retain the right in our absolute discretion to relocate the Exhibits and/or require the Exhibitor to occupy an alternative Exhibit within the specified site at the Conference where we deem it to be necessary for the best interests of the Conference or as may be required on security, health & safety grounds or otherwise.

36. Standard of upkeep

The Exhibitor must keep and maintain the interior, exterior, fittings and equipment installed at the Exhibits in clean, orderly, sanitary and good repair.

37. Waste

The exhibitor is responsible for the disposal of all waste products and rubbish, and for taking off-site all rubbish generated by it. If required, the Exhibitor shall provide litter bins for use at the Conference which the Exhibitor must remove from the site at the end of each day. The Exhibitor is also responsible for the periodic clean-up of tables and floors in their Exhibit area and the surrounding area.

38. Access

We permit the Exhibitor to operate the Exhibit between the hours as communicated from time to time. The Exhibitor must ensure, to our complete satisfaction, that all Exhibits and rubbish are completely dismantled and removed off-site each day of the Conference. The Exhibitor is not entitled to permit anyone, other than its personnel or those having business with the Exhibitor, to have access to the Exhibit area.

39. Health and safety

39.1 An Exhibitor vending food and beverage must ensure that it is registered with its local food standards and safety office and is, at all times, in compliance with the relevant laws and safety and compliance standards. The Exhibitor must possess and display at its Exhibit a valid licence demonstrating its registration with its local food standards and safety office.

39.2 All cooking and heating equipment shall be of a safe and compliant standard. The Exhibitor must ensure that any external gas units are appropriately caged. Such units shall be kept away from public access. The Exhibitor must ensure that its Exhibit is equipped with the proper number, size and type of charged fire extinguishers.

40. Security instructions

The Exhibitor must observe and comply with, and ensure that its staff engaged at the Exhibits observe and comply with, all instructions and directions given by or on behalf of us or venue management, and with our and venue management’s rules and regulations as communicated from time to time. The Exhibitor must not damage or allow its employees to damage the site that is hosting the Conference or the Exhibit or any part thereof. All Exhibitor personnel on site must wear identification badges at all times and must not enter any restricted areas.

41. Provided equipment by us

41.1 All equipment (screens, laptops, cabling and other electronic equipment, rooms, furniture etc.) supplied by us at the Conference are on a rental basis and no exchange, transfer or refund of ordered items on-site will be permitted. Any complaint regarding rented items or installation must be lodged by emailing partnersuccess@websummit.com before the opening of the Conference. In respect of items rented on the day, items should be inspected immediately and tested to ensure they work. Otherwise, all items are deemed to be received in good order and condition.

41.2 Exhibitors must pay for all damages or losses to the equipment supplied to them. The equipment must be insured by the Exhibitor, who will remain liable until our authorised staff have collected the equipment. In case of non-return, the Exhibitor will be required to reimburse us for the full cost of the equipment at the original insurance value.

41.3 Cancelled orders are not refundable. Non-standard items may be offered on request, subject to a separate quotation, and are subject to the same terms.

41.4 Nothing in these Terms creates or deems to create the relationship of landlord and tenant between us and the Exhibitor nor should these Terms be construed as creating a transfer of a property interest to the Exhibitor nor any greater interest in the Conference in favour of the Exhibitor.

42. Exhibitor insurance

Each Exhibitor must effect and maintain with an insurer of repute the level of insurance as set out in the Partnership Agreement, and upon request shall produce to us evidence of the current policy of such insurances and receipts for the premiums payable thereof. Failure to make provision of such evidence to our satisfaction will permit us to immediately terminate these Terms and your right to Exhibit at the Conference.

Part F – Investor Exhibitor terms ^

43. Investor accreditation is reserved for investors actively investing in startups and venture funds. You may only purchase an Investor ticket type if you meet the criteria outlined in the Investor Accreditation Policy. Please note that Investor Tickets are granted and made available at the sole discretion of the Organiser. The Organiser reserves the right to cancel or downgrade (at its sole discretion) any Investor ticket and the person will not be granted access to the Conference or other event Investor specific areas (as applicable).

Part G – Startup Exhibitor terms ^

44.1 Startup packages are reserved for eligible startups and include the number of individual Conference passes specified in your order for the Conference (“Startup Package”). You may only purchase a Startup Package if you meet the criteria. Please note that Startup Packages are granted and made available at the sole discretion of the Organiser and subject to review and approval. The Organiser reserves the right to cancel or downgrade (at its sole discretion) any Startup package and the person will not be granted access to (i) the Conference, (ii) other Startup specific areas and/or (iii) Startup benefits (as applicable).

44.2 Startups are eligible to apply for PITCH, Startup masterclasses, Mentor Hours and other Startup programmes (“Programmes”). Each Programme is subject to availability and criteria.

44.3 Startup Exhibitors must complete their Conference Profile and Startup profile information by the dates specified by the Organiser. Should the Startup Exhibitor fail to adhere to these deadlines, the Organiser reserves the right to cancel or downgrade (at its sole discretion) any Startup Package.

Part H – F.ounders Terms

45. Purchasing Tickets

45.1 F.ounders is an invite-only gathering of the world’s leading technology company founders, subject to an additional ticket. If you are invited, you will receive the possibility to purchase the ticket by email.

45.2 We may provide complimentary tickets to attendees. We reserve the right to choose whether we will provide complimentary tickets and which attendees may benefit from them from one year and/or Conference to the other.

45.3 You can find details of general attendee ticket pricing and fees for a Conference here. Ticket prices for a Conference are correct at the time of publication. You agree that the Organiser will receive the fees net of all applicable taxes, including sales, VAT, service or withholding taxes.

45.4 We reserve the right to change the ticket prices at any time but any changes will not affect tickets that have already been purchased.

45.5 A valid f.ounders ticket entitles you to entry to the relevant f.ounders event as an Attendee but does not include any requirements or costs associated with travel to or from the Conference and/or f.ounders event, or any VISA or accommodation costs incurred. We shall have no liability for such costs or expenses.

46. Privacy Policy

46.1 If you purchase a ticket or register for a f.ounders event, your personal data will be processed for the purposes of providing you with the services herein outlined, in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

46.2 Please notice you will be featured in our Websites and its subdomains, and App(s) (“Digital Platforms”); as well as emails and Black Book(s) as part of the service. If you do not wish to be featured, please email tickets@f.ounders.com and data.protection@websummit.com (in copy).

PART I Digital Platforms

47. Scope

These rules govern the relationship between us and:

attendees to the Conference Websites and their related subdomains;
users of the Conference apps; and
participants of the online surveys relating to a Conference.

Including organisations, such as but not limited to, partners, startups, investors, among others (together hereinafter referred to as “Organisations”, “Entities”, or “Third-parties”).

Together hereinafter referred to as the “Digital Platforms”.

48. Acceptable use

When accessing and using any of our Digital Platforms you are prohibited from:

violating any law, statute, ordinance or regulation;
using the Digital Platforms (or any part of it) for any illegal purpose. You agree to use it in accordance with all relevant laws;
promoting or providing information about illegal activities, promoting physical harm or injury against any group or individual, or promoting any illegal acts;
uploading or transmitting through the Digital Platforms any computer viruses, macro viruses, Trojan horses, worms or anything other harmful activity;
overriding any security feature of the Digital Platforms or jeopardise the security of your account or someone else’s account (such as allowing someone else to log in to your profile as you);
interfering with the operation of, or places an unreasonable load on, the Digital Platforms (such as viruses, denial of service attack or gaming algorithms);
using manual or automated software, devices or other means or processes to access, scrape or crawl the Digital Platforms or any content or information contained in it;
engaging in ‘framing’, ‘mirroring’, or otherwise simulating the appearance or function of the Digital Platforms;
removing any copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights notices contained in or on the Digital Platforms;
modifying, creating derivative works or copying or storing any significant portion of the Digital Platforms or any related technology (unless allowed by law or we expressly authorise);
using the Digital Platforms (or any part of it) in a manner which may result in; (i) the Digital Platforms being interrupted, damaged, rendered less efficient or such manner designed to interfere with, interrupt or disrupt the normal operating procedures of computers or Digital Platforms; (ii) sharing any material which is unlawful, libellous, abusive, obscene, pornographic, discriminatory, harmful, fraudulent, deceptive, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar invasive of another’s privacy, hateful or otherwise objectionable, defamatory, offensive, or of an obscene or menacing character, or that may cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety; (iii) impairing the effectiveness or functionality of the Digital Platforms; or (iv) violating or infringing the rights of any person, firm or company (including, but not limited to, intellectual property rights, confidentiality and/ or privacy of the Digital Platforms);
attempting to grant any unauthorised access to any part or component of the Digital Platforms;
copying or distributing any part of the Digital Platforms in any medium without our prior written consent; and
altering or modifying any part of the Digital Platforms other than as may be reasonably necessary to use the Digital Platforms for their intended use; or
reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling, deciphering or otherwise attempting to obtain the source code or underlying ideas or information of or relating to the Digital Platforms or any related technology, or any part thereof unless allowed by law.

49. Conference App

To attend a Conference, you must complete a Conference App profile. Your profile will be discoverable and visible in the app to other Conference attendees and Organisations. Your conference profile must include your name, job title, company name and a profile photo, as well as some of your topics of interest (“Conference Profile”).

50. Badge Scanning

Enabling QR code scanning in your profile will allow other attendees and/or Organisations to receive your contact information by scanning your badge (“lanyard”). You may also scan other attendees’ lanyards and/or connect with Organisations by scanning QR codes made available by them. Please note this is completely optional. When you consent to Organisations scanning your lanyard, you give them your direct marketing consent. You will be subject to the communications and policies of those Organisations. Therefore, you must exercise your rights and any revocation of consent for communications with such Third-parties.

51. Disclaimer

51.1 While we will use reasonable endeavours to verify the accuracy of any information we place on the Digital Platforms, we make no warranties, whether express or implied in relation to its accuracy. We will develop and operate the Digital Platforms with reasonable skill and care and will use reasonable efforts to promptly remedy any faults of which we become aware. However, the Digital Platforms, all materials, information, software, products and services included in or available through the Digital Platforms are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis for your information and personal use only without any representation or endorsement. We do not guarantee that access to the Digital Platforms will be uninterrupted or error-free.

51.2 To the fullest extent permitted by the applicable law, we disclaim all warranties or conditions, either express or implied, or any part of them in relation to the Digital Platforms, all materials, information, software, products or services offered on the Digital Platforms whether by us or on our behalf, and in relation to any results or information obtained through the Digital Platforms and any reliance on any such results or information and conclusions drawn from such results or information. You acknowledge and agree that in accepting these Terms you have not relied on any representation or warranty that is not expressly included in these Terms and you agree that you shall have no remedy in respect of any misrepresentation which has not become a part of these Terms.

51.3 To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we disclaim all warranties, representations, conditions and duties of any kind, whether implied or expressed, including without limitation, any warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security, accuracy, condition or completeness, or any implied warranty arising from course of dealing or usage or trade.

51.4 You acknowledge that we cannot guarantee and therefore shall not be in any way responsible for the timeliness, security, performance or privacy of the Digital Platforms and any information provided to or taken from the Digital Platforms by you.

52. Digital Platforms Intellectual Property

52.1 We are the owner or licensee of all intellectual property rights in the Digital Platforms. You acknowledge and agree that all copyright, trademarks and all other intellectual property rights in all material or content contained within the Digital Platforms shall remain at all times owned by us or our licensors. You are permitted to use this material only as expressly authorised by us. We reserve all rights not expressly granted in and to the Digital Platforms and the content on the Digital Platforms. You agree not copy, publish, republish, redistribute, archive, store, adapt, alter, modify, translate, create derivative works from, summarise, photocopy, scan, syndicate, sell, licence, frame, harvest, scrape, grant or purport to grant any rights in or otherwise make available any content from the Digital Platforms.

52.2 “Web Summit”, “The Summit”, “Dublin Web Summit”, “The Summit Dublin”, “Lisbon Web Summit”, “Collision”, “RISE”, “MoneyConf”, “f.ounders”, “f.”, “Machine:Con”, “Ci”, “EnterConf”, “Pub Summit”, “Surge”, “Brand X”, “Surf Summit”, “Forum”, “planet : tech”, “Venture”, “B1nate.i0”, “Creatiff”, “Enterprise X”, “FullSTK”, “Future Societies”, “HealthConf”, “Modum”, “Music Notes”, “Night Summit”, “Panda Conf”, “SaaS Monster”, “Startup University”, “Web Summit Rio”, “Web Summit Qatar”, and “Talk Robot” are trademarks belonging to us. No licence or consent is granted to you to use these trademarks in any way and you agree not to use these trademarks without our prior written permission.

53. Access to Digital Platforms

53.1 We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to terminate or block your access to all or part of the Digital Platforms, with or without notice, for any reason or no reason, including without limitation your violation of these Terms.

53.2 If you do not log in to your account in any of our Digital Platforms for a period equal to or greater than 2 consecutive years, it will be deemed inactive. Inactive accounts may be deleted by us at any time.

53.2 Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer.

54. Lead Scanning Feature

54.1 Organisations have the possibility to activate the Lead Scanning Feature for their ticket holders (i.e., their guests). This feature allows them to give their ticket holders the possibility to collect direct marketing consent on their behalf, by scanning attendees’ lanyards via their company profile.

54.2 The Lead Scanning Feature is deactivated by default. It can be activated by each Organisation on the ticket dashboard. The Feature may be activated for some or all ticket holders, in line with these T&Cs.

54.3 Organisations can only activate this Feature if the ticket holder is their direct employee and/or is a documented representative of the Organisation, with established contractual obligations, particularly concerning confidentiality and data protection compliance.

54.4 Organisations are strictly prohibited from activating this Feature for external guests and/or ticket holders that do not have a contractually documented relationship with the Organisation.

54.5 Web Summit reserves the right to terminate contracts and/or packages with any Organisation found to have breached these T&Cs. In such circumstances, we may proceed to the termination immediately at any time by written notice to the respective Organisation. We shall not be required to refund any fees received by the respective Organisation and we will have no obligation towards the Organisation.

54.6 Web Summit shall be entitled to submit an invoice in respect of the balance (or the whole as the case may be) of fees which will become immediately due and payable by the respective Organisation and it will not be liable to the Organisation for any loss or damage of any kind resulting from such a termination.

54.7 Web Summit reserves the right to refuse celebrating new contracts and/or packages for future Conferences with the respective Organisation.

54.8 The Organisation found to have breached Web Summit’s T&Cs and applicable legislation (particularly concerning data protection) will hold Web Summit harmless from any losses and damages due to any breach, abuse or violation, whether by action or omission, regardless of fault.

Part J – Additional Terms ^

55. You are also subject to the following policies which govern your access to and use of our digital platforms and the Conference: