CONFERENCE TERMS & CONDITIONS
By attending this conference, all attendees agree to the following conditions
Definitions
These Terms & Conditions for delegates apply to every person registering as a regular (member, under-graduate, graduate or post-graduate trainee/counselor/student/research fellow/(senior) researcher or lecturer (reader)/principal investigator/professor and other academic personnel) or corporate attendees, including those from exhibitors, sponsors, or advertisers for the International Conference On Nanoscopy series (thereafter referred to as "ICON"), to be held in Jena, Germany from Sept. 28-1 Oct., 2020 (hereafter referred to as “the conference”), organized by Leibniz IPHT and Exxilon Scientific (hereafter referred to as “the conference organizers”).
All references to a date or a deadline, mentioned in these terms and on other conference documents, refer to the Central European Time Zone (CET).
Liability
The attendance of the ICON Conference is at your own risk.
The conference organizers shall be held liable in the framework of a duty of care as a respectable business according to local statutory provisions. The liability of the conference organizers – for whatever legal reason – shall be limited to intent and gross negligence. The liability of commissioned service providers shall remain unaffected by this. Oral agreements shall not be binding if these have not been confirmed in writing by ICON/Exxilon/IPHT.
In no event shall the Conference Organizers be liable for death, injury, any loss, cost or expense suffered by any person (including accompanying persons, partners, or attendant caregivers). In particular, they are not liable for losses arising from the provision or non-provision of services provided by hotel companies or transport operators. Nor are they liable for losses suffered by technical, mechanical or electrical breakdown within any premises visited by speakers, delegates, exhibitors and/or partners in connection with the ICON conference.
Every effort will be made to conduct this conference according to the schedule and dates posted. However unlikely, unforeseen circumstances may result in schedule changes or conference cancellation. Registrants will be notified by email of major changes or cancellation.
No liability is assumed for inaccuracy, erroneous descriptions, delays, damaged or lost property, personal injury, accidents of all sorts, natural catastrophes, fire, terrorism, war or death.
Fulfillment and Jurisdiction
The terms of this contract shall be fulfilled in Jena, Germany, and, in the event of any legal claims arising from either party, Bielefeld, Germany shall be the sole court of jurisdiction.
Conference Registration
The Conference Organizers have settled on a fixed registration fee for all participants to encourage attendance during the entire conference and to provide the conference financing. The fixed registration fee will be charged regardless of the length of time a participant attends the conference.
The fixed registration fee will cover registration for delegates, students and postgraduate trainees, counselors, company representatives, and includes entry to all conference sessions, corporate satellites, the exhibition and poster area, the networking mixer, the opening session and the closing session, provided that sufficient seating space is available. The fee also includes taxes, all coffee breaks, and meals as specified in the program including the conference dinner. It will not provide for recreation, faxes, taxi, laundry, conference photograph or any other personal expenses. Please note that the security personnel of the conference center are responsible for granting or denying access to conference halls in case of overfilling, according to room capacities and national legislation. The conference organizer cannot guarantee available space in every session.
To be eligible to register as a student or postgraduate trainee, individuals must present proof of full-time enrollment at a recognized university, college, poly-technic, research institute or an according program (i.e. student ID, confirmation of head of department, etc.) by sending such validation pre-registration via e-mail (info (at) exxilon-scientific.com) to the organizers.
Only fully completed registration forms will be accepted. An invoice will be sent after the receipt of your registration, a confirmation of payment will be sent upon receipt of payment in full. If the full payment has not been received before the deadline indicated, the registration will remain valid, however the due fee will be increased according to the payment period (early/regular/on site).
Accompanying persons need to register separately and are charged the fee under the same conditions as participants.
The conference organizers cannot guarantee that a conference bag and other conference materials will be available for late registrations. All conference materials will be distributed on-site.
If the maximum delegate capacity is reached, the conference organizers reserve the right to refuse additional registrations.
Letter of Invitation
Individuals requiring an official Letter of Invitation from the conference organizers can request one by contacting the ICON conference secretariat via email (info (at) exxilon-scientific.com). To receive a Letter of Invitation, delegates must first register to the conference and submit any necessary information, as stated on the online form.
The Letter of Invitation does not financially obligate the conference organizers in any way. All expenses incurred in relation to the conference, the registration and the attendance are the sole responsibility of the delegate.
Delegates with Special Needs
Every effort will be made to ensure people with special needs are catered for.
Should you require any specific assistance, catering or arrangements to be made on your behalf, please include a brief statement on your registration form under the section ‘Special Requirements’.
As a general rule, our catering will NOT serve any foodstuffs containing porcine meat or derived products.
Registration Confirmation
Registration confirmations will be sent by email after the online registration, a related payment and any necessary documents have been received by the organizers' conference secretariat. Delegates may be requested to present this registration confirmation at the registration counter as proof of their registration and payment.
Registration Name Change
A handling fee of EUR 50.– will be charged for every name change to an existing conference registration. A new registration form for the substitute delegate should NOT be submitted. Name changes will be accepted by email indicating the old and new names including the required contact details until August 1, 2023. After this date, all name changes must be carried out on-site and paid directly.
Methods of Payment
All registration and function/exhibition/advertisement payments should be made in advance and in EURO and bank transfer only. If no attendee payment has been received until August 30, 2023, your registration will be invalid and you will be taken off the participants list.
Sponsor and exhibitor fees should be payed no later than 8 weeks before the conference. Unforeseen delays beyond the company's control will be allowed for. Beyond this, we reserve the right to hang punitive payments and/or offer the space to another company (we regularly have a waiting list).
All bank fees and money transfer costs must be paid by the transmitter. Any negative balance will be collected on site. Indicate the registration number and the delegate’s full name as a reference on all bank transfers. Exhibitors and advertisers will receive a separate invoice.
Cancellation Policy
Notice of cancellation (e.g. in case of sickness, lack of funding or any other personal reasons) must be made in writing by email to the ICON conference secretariat (info (at) exxilon-scientific.com). The notification must include all relevant information regarding the bank account to which a possible refund may be remitted.
Registration fees may be refunded as follows:
-
Written cancellation received:
-
before August 15, 2023: 80% refund
-
between August 15 and Aug 30, 2023: 50% refund
-
after Aug 30, 2020: no refund
-
The date of the email receipt date will be the basis for considering refunds. Please indicate your bank details on your written cancellation. Refunds will be made exclusively after the conference.
In the case of over-payment or double payment, refund requests must be made in writing and sent to the ICON conference secretariat by email.
No refunds will be granted for unattended events or early termination of attendance, in case of cancellation of speakers, lack of space in the conference room or any other incidents during the conference, which are beyond the control of the conference organizers.
By registering to ICON 2023 participants/speakers/exhibitors/advertisers agree that neither the organizing committee nor the ICON conference secretariat/Exxilon/Leibniz IPHT assume any liability whatsoever. Participants are requested to make their own arrangements for health and travel insurance. The conference fee does not include insurance. We strongly recommend that, when registering for the Conference and making travel arrangements, a travel and/or equipment insurance policy be taken out to cover any loss, cancellation, medical costs, etc. The conference organizers do not take responsibility for any delegate, speaker, advertiser or exhibitor failing to insure their travel and attendance.
Cancellation of the Conference
In the event that the conference cannot be held or is postponed due to events beyond the control of the conference organizers (force majeure) or due to events which are not attributable to wrongful intent or gross negligence of the conference organizers, the conference organizers cannot be held liable by delegates for any damages, costs, or losses incurred, such as transportation costs, accommodation costs, costs for additional orders, financial losses, etc.
Under these circumstances, the conference organizers reserve the right to either retain the entire registration fee and to credit it for a future conference, or to reimburse the delegate after deducting costs already incurred for the organisation of the conference and which could not be recovered from third parties.
Modification of the Program
The conference organizers reserve the right to modify the program. No refunds can be granted in case of cancellation of speakers, lack of space in the conference room or any other incidents during the conference which are beyond the control of the conference organizers.
Abstract Submission
The invitation to submit an abstract or the eventual selection as an abstract speaker does not constitute an offer to pay travel, accommodation or registration costs associated with the conference. Similarly, no speakers' fee is paid to successful applicants of presentations or posters. This policy does not apply to “invited speakers”. The invitee grants the conference organizers permission to publish the abstract in the Conference Handbook in hard copy and/or electronically or online. Reference to yourself may also be used within marketing material to promote the conference. If you wish invoke the opt-out option (see Privacy Policy) but still wish to submit please contact the conference secretariat. The conference organizers' decision on rejection or acceptance of the abstract is final.
Exhibitors
Every effort will be made to ensure that the exhibition and workshops are held to the exhibitor's satisfaction, but ICON reserves the right to rearrange the exhibition or workshop without prior notice. Furthermore, ICON/Exxilon solely provide a platform for companies to advertise their products, but we can neither guarantee attendance numbers nor that delegates will interact with companies presenting their products. For workshops: In case of insufficient participant numbers, i.e., below 5, the fee will be fully refunded but only if the venue does not bill ICON separately for the room. In this case, only a partial refund will be possible.
ICON/Exxilon neither provide any insurance for the exhibitor's equipment nor damage to the venue caused by the exhibitor or protection from industrial espionage by competitors. ICON/Exxilon cannot provide security personnel to guard equipment beyond the normal venue security arrangements. If you require this, please make your own arrangements. Furthermore, ICON/Exxilon/the venue can neither be held liable for handling acceptance of goods at the venue/exhibition area nor the transportation to and from the venue. We will make every effort to be of assistance to the exhibitors, but will bill the extra effort and time if this surpasses a reasonable effort and time.
Visa Requirements (see also Travel Information)
It is the sole responsibility of the delegate to fulfill his/her visa requirements. Delegates who require an entry visa must allow sufficient time for the application procedure. Delegates should contact the nearest Germany embassy or consulate to determine the appropriate timing of their visa applications.
Note: German embassies and consulates-general are independent decision-making agencies for visas, sometimes after specific checks have been made with other E.U. countries. You cannot appeal against the rejection of a visa application, neither can ICON intervene on your behalf in case of a rejection or to speed up the procedure.
Delegate registration details will be shared with the German immigration authorities to assist in the immigration process if this is required by the authorities. However, the conference organizers and/or Exxilon/IPHT will not directly contact embassies and consulates on behalf of visa applicants.
Travel and Health Insurance
As a part of a visa application, individuals must have travel-health insurance for the duration of their stay in the E.U.. This insurance can be obtained from any approved insurer. Individuals need to check with the responsible embassy/consulate for a list of approved insurers available in their country.
Individuals must have insurance for their entire stay in the E.U. and therefore are encouraged to ensure and pay for the correct number of days. The visa will only be given for the dates that are covered by the insurance policy, which need to relate to the travel dates.
When traveling within the E.U. for holidays, business, studies, etc., E.U. citizens are entitled to any necessary medical treatment and have the same rights to health care as people insured in the country they are in. Please apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in order to provide proof that you are insured in an EU country. If you don't have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), or you can't use it (for instance, for private health care), you can't be refused treatment, but you might have to pay for your treatment upfront and claim reimbursement once you get home. Please note that the EHIC will not help you with rescue and repatriation - if you need free transport back home after falling seriously ill or after having an accident while visiting another EU country, you will need separate insurance cover (usually included in a separate travel insurance policy).
For further information and if you are a U.K. citizen (Brexit), please see European Union's Information website.
A separate travel insurance is advised, since these will not only cover the costs of repatriation, but also loss or theft of goods, or extra travel/hotel costs due to force majeure. Please ensure that you have the appropriate travel insurance before attending the conference, since the conference organizers and ICON/Exxilon/IPHT will not be held liable (this also applies to invited speakers and exhibitors/advertisers).
Data Protection and Sharing of Contact Details (see also Privacy Statement)
Every effort will be made to protect your data and to observe your right of informational self-determination with regard to the collection, processing and use of your personal data.
ICON/Exxilon collects and stores all necessary personal data for the preparation and execution of the Conference 2023 (ICON 2023). In order to facilitate border entry and visa applications, ICON will share contact details of concerned delegates with German immigration authorities.
ICON/Exxilon/IPHT periodically performs e-mailings to delegates on behalf of third parties regarding activities at the conference or other communications, which may be of interest. Email contact details of delegates will not be passed on to third parties. Participants may opt out of these emailings at any time. This will not affect official correspondence from the conference secretariat.
A number of exhibitors may request to obtain your contact information. This information contains your full name, affiliation, postal address, email and phone number as provided during the registration process.
Recording and Photography
No part of the ICON conference may be recorded, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to video or audio recording, photography, photocopy or any other information storage or retrieval system known now or in the future, without the explicit written permission of the conference organizers. The conference organizers reserve the right to record sessions in digital format or otherwise and use these and their content in future events, publications or broadcasts. In addition, the organizers reserve the right to take photos of any person associated with or attending the conference and use these for the ICON or associated websites or any printed materials associated with ICON or the organizing entity.
Date and Place of Issue
8th of February 2023, Steinhagen, Germany