AGENDA EVENTS (AE) - Detailed Terms and Conditions
General
We pride ourselves on providing a good service, starting by spending as much time as necessary with clients, to understand their needs, and working together to develop a project brief that they are completely happy with. This is central to our whole approach.
Being based in Scotland, we follow the laws and etiquette of business here. In particular, when considering personal data protection, we take the tenets of the Data Protection Act very seriously. We will seek from clients and delegates only such information as necessary for us to carry out our work, and undertake to use it only for the purposes for which it was given to us. We never sell or trade information in the form of contact lists. All information we may know about you will be held securely, and our processes are designed in such a way that it should never appear in public, without your permission. You should bear this point in mind, if for example, you agree to provide details for inclusion on a list of delegates or if you are including workplace contact details in a paper delivered to a congress, which could allow them to enter the public domain. More information, especially for those who are not familiar with the situation is available by following this link: www.ico.gov.uk/
We consider that our engagement begins with the agreement, and signing of the project brief with an authorised representative of the client organisation. A particular aspect of this brief which is very important to us is having a nominated contact within the organisation, who is authorised to make (or report to us) decisions, amend the project brief, supply information we need, and generally act as a point of contact with the client organisation's management. In some circumstances (and at our discretion), we can accept the nomination of a deputy contact, perhaps with responsibility for certain aspects of the project. However, we always reserve the right to take instruction only from the contact nominated on the project brief, even although they may not occupy a senior position within the client organisation. We would always prefer that the contact does not change throughout the duration of the project, although we realise that can sometimes be unavoidable. If the client elects to change its nominated contact, or alter the management structure of the team involved with the event, AE reserves the right to charge a management fee to cover the costs of extra meetings to review the implications for progressing the event. Progress reports and queries from us will be directed through the nominated contact, although we can arrange to copy documents around a management group or other stakeholders in the event, so that they are aware of any ongoing issues and decisions that need to be taken.
Cancellation
If a client decides to cancel a project before it has been completed, then AE will attempt to stop as many of its activities and those of its suppliers as possible, to avoid wasted expenditure by the client. In such circumstances however, it is likely that deposits paid will be forfeited, and AE or its suppliers may insist on further or full payment to cover costs already incurred.
If due to unforeseen circumstances, a supplier is unable to fulfil their planned role in the event, AE undertakes to make every effort to ensure a substitute as close to the original specification as possible. Clients should note that AE will not be held responsible for a financial loss due to circumstances beyond its control. During the planning phase AE will draw clients' attention to the consideration of the unforeseen events that might mar an event. In particular, AE considers the risk assessment process an important part of developing the project brief, especially in high profile events and Public Relations Projects. AE will always discuss risk with clients, and try to offer sound advice based on experience, but it is ultimately a decision of the client whether or not to take out an insurance policy to cover identified risks.
Payment
AE will draw up a mutually agreed schedule of payments with the client, its exact form depending on the nature and scale of the event, and the anticipated income and expenditure cash flows. This is part of the project brief, which will also contain a detailed estimate of anticipated costs. We undertake to inform you (and will await instruction), should circumstances change so that this estimate is significantly altered. If the client has a formal tendering process, then we are happy to provide a tender in whatever form is preferred, but reserve the right to be able to use our own project management protocols; if necessary, also reporting using protocols preferred by the client, although such requirements must be drawn to the attention of AE at the outset. Any extra items requested by the client after the project brief has been agreed (for example, the production and mailing of extra copies of conference proceedings) will generally be charged according to AE's scale of standard fees. If the client decides to cancel part of the project brief, AE will endevour to make as much reimbursement to the client as possible, notwithstanding any non-refundable items already paid for.
All sums mentioned are in Pounds Sterling (£ or GBP), although for reference, approximate conversions to other currencies can be shown in materials in the public domain. Payment from customers or delegates not based in the UK can be accepted via credit or debit card, or by an overseas draft, drawn in Sterling. All items invoiced by AE are liable to UK Value Added Tax (VAT - similar to the "sales tax" found in some other countries). Our VAT registration number is 880 3846 03. This is currently charged at 17.5%, and normally prices for delagates quoted on the website or in advertisements will be VAT inclusive, while the payment receipt returned to them will show a VAT analysis, and our VAT number, so that they may claim back the tax if appropriate. A few items are liable to the lower rate or are zero-rated, but this is unlikely to be a significant consideration for our clients; however visitors from overseas should note that when purchasing some "goods" as opposed to "services" in Scotland, it may be possible to avoid payment of VAT, and most retailers will be happy to advise customers about this.
Given that most contracts involve a long planning phase, the payment schedule will generally consist of a deposit and staged payments as our work progresses, with a final invoice after our work is finished. We expect clients to maintain the agreed payment schedule, and respectfully point out that we will not guarantee being able to source services for clients who fail to do so. If this should become a serious concern for us, we reserve the right to suspend further work on the project until the client has rectified the situation. When invoices remain unpaid, we reserve the right to charge interest to the sum outstanding at a rate of 5% per month, compounded; plus a reasonable administration fee to cover the associated expenses incurred by us. If part of the service that AE has agreed to provide for the client is to collect fees from the their delegates, then such payments will normally be batched and forwarded to the client at the end of each month. In the unlikely event that the client has not maintained the agreed payment schedule, then AE reserves the right to retain the amount that it is owed by the client from such collected fees.
Communication
AE will provide a regular report on every project. Normally this will be on a monthly basis, but for more involved events, these will be produced on a weekly, or even more frequent basis as appropriate. AE will agree this frequency with the client at the outset, as well as how the information will be distributed, (for example if each member of a management committee needs a hard copy.) For some events it will be appropriate to have a dedicated website, and such information can be placed there, in the public domain, or in a password-protected area. All routine written communication is carried out electronically, but hard copies can be provided if requested, at cost.
Clients or delegates can, of course, contact us with general informal enquiries or suggestions for improvements, at any time. However we request that any queries intended for a supplier should always be directed through AE, to ensure clear communication. From experience we know that bypassing this route often leads to confusion and mismanagement of a project. AE would never expect a client to give instruction directly to a supplier, but will be happy to facilitate meetings between clients and suppliers, either at the planning stage or as the project progresses to review progress and deal with problems. (If AE learns that a client has been deliberately flouting its operating procedures in this respect, it reserves the right to call further meetings, at the clients' expense, to resolve the matter and ensure that the project is completed to the satisfaction of all parties.)
Intellectual Property
Because our experience and creativity generally contributes a signinificant amount of value to the service we provide, we ask our clients and prospective clients to respect that, keep such knowledge out of the public domain, and to use it only for the purpose of the running of the project. Specifically, if we develop a project brief for a prospective client, who does not then enter into a contract with us to deliver it, we ask that they request our permission before the brief is passed to another contractor, or if they decide to do the work in-house. If our brief ends up being used this way, we reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee in retrospect, to cover the time and effort that we had invested in its preparation.
Behaviour
We consider ourselves to be a diligent ethical behaviour in how we operate. We always strive to follow not just the letter, but the spirit of all the legislation surrounding our activities. However, if at any time a customer or delegate has reason to be unhappy with how we are operating, we ask you to put your concerns in writing (or we will ask you to confirm the accuracy of the transcript of a telephone conversation). Once that knowledge is in our possesion, we undertake to examine all the circumstances diligently, and if we find that there is a problem with any of our processes, staff or ICT systems, we will rectify matters as soon as possible, and do everything reasonable within our power to correct any harm done. If the issue is with one of our suppliers, then we will advocate the client's best interests in attempting to find a solution.
In return we ask that clients bring to our attention any issues surrounding honest mistakes or poor service by us as quickly as possible, so that they may be resolved with a minimum of disruption. Clients and delegates should know that AE welcomes such informal contact, but would reiterate the earlier comments regarding acting on the instructions of a nominated contact, in the sense that it is generally easier for AE to deal with issues that are reported that way.
If an event demands consideration of a particular issue, or a client has a specific requirement not covered in these general terms, then AE will certainly attempt to include it in the conditions associated with that project brief.
February 2008