CODE OF CONDUCT
The Public Affairs Council is committed to providing a safe, productive and welcoming environment for all meeting participants. All attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, Public Affairs Council staff members, service providers and others are expected to abide by this Event Code of Conduct.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancellations received 21 days or more before the first day of the meeting will be fully refunded. For meetings where the registration fee is $289 US [or the euro equivalent] or less, no refunds will be granted 20 days or fewer before the meeting. Otherwise, cancellations received between 20 and 10 days before the meeting will be charged a $200 US administrative fee. Cancellations received between 9 and 5 days before the meeting will be charged a fee equal to half the registration fee (a minimum $200 US administrative fee will apply for all events). No refunds or credits will be granted for cancellations received 4 days or fewer before a meeting or for no-shows. Please note, the Public Affairs Institute has a different cancellation fee structure, which is available here.
Cancellations must be submitted in writing via e-mail. You will receive confirmation of your cancellation via email. Substitute registrants from the same organization will be honored with prior notification to the Public Affairs Council. Conference registrations may not be split between multiple attendees.
The Council reserves the right to cancel an event due to severe inclement weather or natural disaster. Registrants will receive a full refund of the registration fee only. The Council will not be held responsible for any incidental charges incurred by the registrant due to event cancellations for the conditions listed above.
SPONSOR & EXHIBITOR CANCELLATION POLICY
For our annual sponsorship package options, cancellations are not permitted once payment has been remitted. For all other sponsorships, cancellations received prior to the redemption of any sponsor/exhibitor benefits will receive a full refund. Cancellations received on or before the materials deadline will receive a refund equal to half of the sponsor/exhibitor fee. No refund will be issued after the materials deadline has passed. For a list of benefits and the materials deadline, please reference the sponsor/exhibitor agreement that was included with the registration form. Cancellations must be submitted in writing to [email protected].
FEES/PAYMENT
Payment must be received before the meeting. Participants who choose to register onsite at the conference will be required to provide payment at the time of their registration. For those who have registered in advance, if payment has not been received in the Public Affairs Council offices by the start of the meeting, you will be required to provide a credit card number before you can gain access to the conference. You will have the option to use that credit card to pay for your registration in its entirety OR to have the Council hold the credit card for 30 days so that you may provide an alternate form of payment. If payment is not received within 30 days of the close of the conference, the credit card provided will be charged the full conference fee.
If your organization is not a member of the Public Affairs Council at the time of the meeting, you will be charged the non-member registration fee. However, if your organization joins within one month after the meeting, you will be refunded the difference between the member and non-member fees.
MARKETING TO CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS
E-mails and/or marketing to the full conference participant list by conference participants, sponsors or exhibitors is strictly prohibited. This is due to numerous complaints from our attendees. Sponsoring companies are welcome to send targeted e-mails to select groups of clients and/or prospective clients to aid in event-related communications. Attendee lists are non-transferrable and sharing outside of the sponsoring organization is prohibited. If the Council receives complaints about e-mails or marketing sent to participants, the company will be notified. Should there be continued issues, the Council reserves the right to cancel sponsorship, exhibitor and/or event registrations for current and future programs, in which case no refunds will be granted.
GUEST POLICY
Guests at conferences are defined as friends/family of paid participants without company affiliations. Requests to register individuals with company affiliations as guests will be denied. Guests are only permitted at certain Public Affairs Council conferences and participation may be limited to individual events. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
SPONSOR POLICIES
E-mails and/or marketing to the full conference participant list by conference participants, sponsors or exhibitors is strictly prohibited. This is due to numerous complaints from our attendees. Sponsoring companies are welcome to send targeted e-mails to select groups of clients and/or prospective clients to aid in event-related communications. Attendee lists are non-transferable and sharing outside of the sponsoring organization is prohibited. If the Council receives complaints about e-mails or marketing sent to participants, the company will be notified. Should there be continued issues, the Council reserves the right to cancel sponsorship, exhibitor and/or event registrations for current and future programs, in which case no refunds will be granted.
Materials deadlines help the Council ensure sponsor or exhibitor information is included in the printing of attendee materials and other sponsorship fulfillment is completed, where applicable. The Council will send reminders in advance of deadlines, but the Council cannot guarantee the fulfillment of benefits if sponsors and exhibitors miss those deadlines.
Advance payment of sponsorship fees is required. Payment must be received no later than the materials deadline for the conference. Please reference the sponsorship confirmation you received via e-mail for specifics on the materials deadline for the event you are sponsoring. As a reminder, you must be a Public Affairs Council member in good standing at the time of the meeting to take advantage of any sponsorship opportunities.
Per our general conference policies, conference registrations, including complimentary registrations that are part of a sponsorship, may not be split between multiple attendees. Any applicable complimentary registrations must be assigned in advance of the conference. Beyond these complimentary registrations, if you or your staff would like to attend any of the conference sessions beyond your sponsored event, you must register and pay the conference fee. If you are not registered for the full event, you only get access to attendees and sessions during your company’s sponsored event or in the exhibit hall. If you register at least one representative to attend the entire conference, you get full access to current and potential customers, meaning you have an array of networking opportunities throughout the three-plus-day event.
Many sponsors and exhibitors coordinate events for clients/potential clients in the free time during the conference and/or dinners after the evening receptions. You are welcome to plan your own events, however, If a sponsored event conflicts with the scheduled conference agenda and is posted in the app, it will be removed without prior notice.
Sponsors may distribute information at their sponsored event but immediately following that event, your items must be picked up by your company representative. Otherwise, the general distribution of unauthorized marketing materials, including promotions for conference-adjacent events, during the conference is strictly prohibited. The Public Affairs Council reserves the right to revoke registration without refund in such instances.
For more information on how to make the most of your sponsorship, take a look at our Sponsor and Exhibitor Tip Sheet.
EXHIBITOR POLICIES
E-mails and/or marketing to the full conference participant list by conference participants, sponsors or exhibitors is strictly prohibited. This is due to numerous complaints from our attendees. Sponsoring companies are welcome to send targeted e-mails to select groups of clients and/or prospective clients to aid in event-related communications. Attendee lists are non-transferrable and sharing outside of the sponsoring organization is prohibited. If the Council receives complaints about e-mails or marketing sent to participants, the company will be notified. Should there be continued issues, the Council reserves the right to cancel sponsorship, exhibitor and/or event registrations for current and future programs, in which case no refunds will be granted.
Materials deadlines help the Council ensure sponsor or exhibitor information is included in the printing of attendee materials and other sponsorship fulfillment is completed, where applicable. A reminder will be sent in advance of deadlines, but the Council cannot guarantee the fulfillment of benefits if sponsors and exhibitors miss deadlines.
If you or your staff would like to attend any of the conference sessions beyond the Resource Marketplace, you must register and pay the conference fee.
Advanced payment for your booth is required. The Resource Marketplace fee includes one six-foot table and entrance to the marketplace for a total of two non-registered staff members of your organization. Exhibitors must pay for any audio-visual or additional items needed for the execution of your booth. The Council will provide a request form upon receipt of a completed registration form. Please complete that form and return it at your earliest convenience.
To assure the safety and timely delivery of your property, we ask that you contact the meeting venue directly and work with their staff to coordinate the shipping, storage, and on-site retrieval of any shipped items. Though Council staff is available to assist you if a problem arises, we are often tied up with other responsibilities related to the successful execution of the conference as a whole and will be unable to coordinate the handling of exhibitors’ property.
Due to last-minute additions and changes, booth assignments will not be provided prior to your arrival at the conference. Booth assignments are made at Council staff’s discretion, with preferential placement given to event sponsors.
Please be aware that outside food and drink is prohibited, and you may be fined if outside food or drink is discovered by the venue. If you’d like to provide any food or beverages, you must coordinate this directly with the venue. If the Council is penalized for any outside food and beverage discovered at an exhibitor booth, these fees will be billed back to the exhibitor found to be at fault.
For additional information, take a look at our Sponsor and Exhibitor Tip Sheet.
MEDIA AND REPORTING POLICY
Unless otherwise noted, the Public Affairs Council’s events are closed to the news media. In addition, detailed reporting on conference proceedings by members or non-members without the expressed written consent of the Public Affairs Council is strictly prohibited. This policy allows participants to speak candidly about their public affairs programs without concern about being misquoted or misrepresented. We also prohibit the use of tape recorders or other recording devices in all conference sessions. Journalists who would like more information about corporate and association public affairs and the Public Affairs Council’s programs should contact the Council’s president, Doug Pinkham, at +1 202.787.5964 or email.
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