Terms and Conditions of the 15th International Coral Reef Symposium 2022, 3 – 8 July 2022
1. Organizer
Universität Bremen, Bibliothekstraße 1, 28359 Bremen In the following stated as Organizer.
The service partner contracted by the Organizer is: WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH, Geschäftsbereich Marketing und Tourismus, Abt. Bremen Convention Bureau, in the following stated as WFB Bremen Convention Bureau. Address and Contact: Findorffstraße 105, 28215 Bremen, Tel.: +49 (0)421-30 800 19, E-Mail: icrsreg2022@bremen-tourism.de.
The virtual platform is provided by Smart Abstract GmbH, Graf-Moltke-Str. 34, 28211 Bremen, in the following stated as Smart Abstract GmbH.
2. Applicability
a) The General Terms and Conditions apply to anyone, who attends the 15th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) 2022, 3 – 8 July 2022, onsite or online.
The Terms and Conditions are applicable for legal transactions related to deliveries of access to the symposium in the name and on behalf of the Organizer. By registering, you give your consent to the conference office of WFB Bremen Convention Bureau to share your registration data with the Organizer, Smart Abstract GmbH and MST Medien- Systemtechnik GmbH.
b) In addition to the Terms and Conditions the license conditions and terms of use for Smart Abstract GmbH and MST Medien- Systemtechnik GmbH are also applicable. If the license conditions and terms of use conflict with the conditions for participating in the 15th International Coral Reef Symposium 2022, then the latter shall prevail.
3. Event dates and business hours
Sunday, 3 July 2022 for the Icebreaker and Monday, 4 July 2022 – Friday 8 July 2022. Planned times are from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM (UTC+1:00). Times will be confirmed with the final program.
4. Venue
The symposium takes place at Messe Bremen and Congress Centrum Bremen in Bremen, Germany. Virtual content can be accessed via the virtual platform provided by Smart Abstract GmbH.
5. Registration
a) The registration is subject to the payment of the conference registration fee.
b) You must be an International Coral Reef Society member at the time of registration to receive the member rate. Applicants approved for membership after registering for the meeting will not be refunded the difference between the member and non-member rates.
c) All BSc and MSc students and doctoral (PhD) candidates are eligible to register in the student category.
d) Registration deadline for presenters (oral/poster), who submit (and update) previously accepted abstracts, is 16 March 2021.
e) Registration deadline for presenters (oral/poster), who submitted new abstracts, is 7 April 2022.
f) Registration deadline for non-presenting participants is 15 June 2022.
g) Additional tickets for accompanying person to attend the Icebreaker and ICRS Night are available for purchase until 15 June 2022.
h) If the onsite symposium cannot take place due to force majeure (such as the Covid-19 pandemic), all participants will be booked in their corresponding online registration category, free of charge. Any differences in fees will be reimbursed.
6. Registration fee
a) Prices for onsite participants:
ICRS Member: EUR 750.00
Non-Member: EUR 830.00
ICRS Student Member: EUR 510.00
Student: EUR 550.00
b) Prices for online participants:
ICRS Member: EUR 340.00
Non-Member: EUR 395.00
ICRS Student Member: EUR 195.00
Student: EUR 240.00
c) Prices for onsite accompanying persons: EUR 390.00
6.1 Discounts
a) Active participants (oral/poster presentation) of the 14th ICRS Virtual 2021 are eligible for a EUR 30.00 discount on the registration fee. The invoice number of the 14th ICRS Virtual 2021 must be provided for registration.
b) Those, who paid the Abstract Processing Fee for a new abstract submission in 2022, receive a reduction of their paid Abstract Processing Fee of EUR 70.00 on the registration fee. The invoice number of the Abstract Processing Fee must be provided for registration.
7. Terms of payment
a) All payments must be made in Euro. After the registration was submitted you will receive a written invoice (pdf-document) by e-mail. Your registration is only completed and valid after receipt of full payment.
SEPA
The payment method SEPA is only available in the European Economic Area. By entering your debit card details in the payment section during the registration process, you authorize the WFB Bremen Convention Bureau to debit the mentioned account by direct debit. At the same time, this will instruct your bank to allow WFB Bremen Convention Bureau to collect direct debit payments from this account. In case of an unredeemed SEPA order, due to reasons that the Organizer is not responsible for, a fee of EUR 10.00 is charged to the participant.
Credit card
For payment by credit card, the following credit cards may be used: Visa, American Express and MasterCard. The payment transactions via credit card occur through a PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliant payment system. The registration amount will be collected by the WFB Bremen Convention Bureau in the name of the Organizer.
b) All amounts in the final price related to scientific parts of the symposium are quoted in net. Fees for the participation in scientific conferences are exonerated from value-added tax according to § 4 section 22a) of German VAT Code.
c) Invoices are issued after the respective contract comes into effect, after the confirmation of registration is sent by the Organizer. The cashless payments of the invoice amounts must be made before the deadline(s) specified in the invoice, in full, without deducting anything, to the Organizer.
8. Hotel reservation
Please note that if you reserved a hotel via the registration system, the payment has to be made directly to the hotel on arrival. Once you have submitted your registration, you will receive a booking confirmation containing all relevant information regarding your booking and a voucher for your hotel reservation. After receiving your hotel voucher please contact the hotel directly, confirm your booking and give them your credit card details latest 7 days before arrival. Without these details the hotel room can be sold otherwise. Kindly note that in case of a late arrival after 6 p.m. the hotel has to be informed. In the event of amendment, cancellation or no-show, the terms and conditions of the respective hotels shall apply. WFB Bremen Convention Bureau is only the reservation agent and accepts no liability whatsoever.
All prices are stated per room/per night including breakfast/breakfast buffet; the prices are inclusive of VAT at the current statutory rate, i.e. 7 % VAT on the room rate and 19 % VAT on that part of the charge attributable to breakfast.
9. Changes and amendments
A service fee of EUR 20.00 will be charged for participants name a substitute. In case of the involvement of a third party in the contract, the third party and the original participant are jointly and severally liable for the invoice amount and any arising change/cancellation fees.
10. Change of symposium format
a) In case of cancellation of onsite event parts, all participants will automatically be rebooked in their corresponding online registration category, free of charge. Any differences in fees will be reimbursed.
b) Cancellation of onsite event parts will not affect the cancellation policy (§11).
11. Cancellation policy
Registration cancellations must be sent to the WFB Bremen Convention Bureau, ICRS 2022 via e-mail: icrsreg2022@bremen-tourism.de.
a) Written cancellation received on or before 7 April 2022 will result in a refund of the registration fee minus EUR 70.00.
b) Written cancellation received after a) and on or before 15 May 2022 will result in a refund of 50 % of the registration fee.
c) Written cancellation received after b) and on or before 31 May 2022 will result in a refund of 25 % of the registration fee.
d) Written cancellation received after 31 May 2022 no refunds will be granted.
12. Upload of presentations (oral/poster)
a) Onsite participants
Presenting participants (oral) have to provide their presentation file (format tba) upfront to MST. Submission deadline will be announced.
Those who want to submit their presentation in video format, displayed on the virtual platform, have to provide their presentation in video and PDF format upfront to Smart Abstract GmbH. Submission deadline will be announced.
Presenting participants (poster) have the option submit their poster in PDF format with a speed talk/video upfront to Smart Abstract GmbH. Both will be displayed on the virtual platform. Submission deadline will be announced.
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b) Online participants
Presenting participants (oral/poster) have to provide their presentation in video and PDF format upfront to Smart Abstract GmbH. Submission deadline will be announced. Failure of submission causes loss of right to present.
13. Copyrights
a) The presenting participant affirms that he/she is the author of the presented work. If information is used that comes from third parties, the presenting participant assures that he/she has licensed the rights of use for the use of this content (e.g. images, graphics or videos) or other content-related information for the purpose of his/her lecture. The presenting participant releases the Organizer from liability for infringed copyrights / rights of use towards third parties with regard to his/her presentation.
b) Transfer of usage rights to the Organizer
The presenting participant transfers the following rights of use to the ICRS 2022:
• The right to save the presentation on digital data carriers for 12 months.
• The right of reproduction through video and audio media, streaming or other technical means to present the scientific lecture publicly to all registered participants of the ICRS 2022. This right of publication is granted for the period of the symposium and for the 12 following months.
• The right of publication also includes the group of registered press representatives.br>
c) All the event-related documents, i.e. the manuscripts, exercises, and case studies are protected by copyright. The Organizer has exclusive rights to them. Participants are given a simple, non-transferable right of use for private use. Duplication, digitization, publication, sale, or giving access for downloading or any other use outside the event, even if only partially, requires the prior, explicit, and written approval of the Organizer. Any copyright notices, labels, or trademarks may not be removed. Making video and sound recordings of any kind for any event formats of the Organizer is prohibited. Online events may be attended only by the registered participant. The participant commits to safeguard the copyrights and to attend the events individually within the scope of the contractual agreement for personal use. Any kind of misuse can be legally pursued.
d) Authors who decide to mention their personal details in their manuscripts consent to these details being published in the conference transcript. We do not assume responsibility for the content of the manuscripts.
14. Photo, video and audio recordings
With your explicit consent (checkbox ticked) you grant the Organiser permission to create photo and video material of you during your participation of the symposium. This photo and video material may be published and reproduced by the Organiser for various purposes.
15. Recording of presentations
During presentations there are opportunities for interaction. The participant is aware that any questions will be asked publicly and furthermore the participant consents to them being published.
16. Abstract Book and Program Book
Printed copies of the Abstract Book and the Program Book will not be available for this symposium. In line with ICRS 2022's green strategy and the policy of the International Society for Reef Studies to reduce our environmental impact, all participants will have electronic access to the ICRS 2022 abstracts and symposium program.
17. Access to the virtual symposium
After making the full payment, the participant will receive all further information (especially for log-in) shortly before the start of the symposium via e-mail. This access is not transferable. The participant will be responsible for ensuring that he/she has the technical tools to be able to participate in the online parts and virtual platform.
18. Social Events and poster receptions
The minimum age for admission to the Sunday evening opening reception “Ice Breaker”, Thursday evening event “ICRS Night” and poster receptions is 18 years. Parents are responsible for their children.
19. Data protection
a) Registration implies your authorization to allow the WFB Bremen Convention Bureau to provide the Organizer with your registration information. Personal details that you provide to WFB Bremen Convention Bureau with your booking are processed electronically and are used exclusively for processing the booking and for customer service purposes. Your data will not be disclosed to third parties, exceptions are the involved business partners, like Smart Abstract GmbH and MST Medien- Systemtechnik GmbH. The right of objection of the person concerned pursuant to section 21 of the European Data Protection Act is expressly pointed out.
b) Please be aware that due to the nature of this scientific conference website, personal information (e.g. contact information for papers and presentations) is likely to appear in the functioning of this site such as session schedules and abstract citations, as well as in ICRS 2022 publications such as meeting programs, conference proceedings and books of abstracts. Submitted data is saved in a data base that can only be accessed by website administrators. We point out, however, that we are entitled in individual cases and on the order of the competent bodies to provide information on collected data for law enforcement purposes, to aid the police forces of the Länder in the prevention of risks and the Federal Intelligence Service in fulfilling the statutory duties of the constitutional protection authorities of the Federal Government and the Länder (legal basis Article 6 section 1 item c DS-GVO).
20. Smart Abstract – Mandatory information as per data protection legislation
Your participant data (name, e-mail address) and conference submission data (abstracts, co-authors) will be forwarded to Smart Abstract GmbH, Graf-Moltke-Str. 34, 28211 Bremen. Smart Abstract GmbH provides the website by means of which your presentation can be presented digitally at the event in question. To the extent that Smart Abstract GmbH processes your personal data, it acts as co-processor within the meaning of the Art. 28 GDPR. Smart Abstract GmbH will store your participant and abstract data for the duration of the event and will delete it from its systems in three (3) months after the end of the operation time of the event. Mandatory statutory retention obligations remain unaffected. You have the right at any time to obtain information concerning the origin, recipient and purpose of your stored personal data. You also have a right to objection, to data portability and a right of appeal to the competent supervisory authority. You can also demand the correction, deletion and, in certain circumstances, the restriction of the processing of your personal data.
21. Liability
a) Every effort will be made to ensure that all events take place as published in the final symposium program. The Organizer reserves the right, without prior notice, to change any arrangements, schedules, plans or other items relating to the symposium for reasons beyond its reasonable control. The Organizer shall not be liable for any loss or inconvenience caused by such changes. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the Organizer shall not be liable for any financial loss resulting from delays.
b) The Organizer will not be liable for the topicality, accuracy, and completeness of the conference documents and of the event proceedings. The Organizer cannot be held liable for choosing the contractor with regard to the venue. The Organizer does not guarantee technically flawless transmission and reception of data on the virtual event platform.
c) Participants are advised to take out personal travel insurance and to extend their policy to personal possessions. The Organiser is not liable for any cancellation of bookings, theft or damage to property.
22. Additional oral agreements
There are no additional oral agreements. Changes and amendments to these terms and conditions must be in writing in order to be effective. The same shall also apply for amending, replacing, or cancelling this written-form clause.
23. Final clause
If individual provisions of these conditions be or become ineffective, the validity of the remaining agreement shall not be affected by this. The laws of the Federal Republic of Germany shall exclusively govern.
The sole place of fulfilment, independent of the actual venue, for deliveries, services, and payments is Bremen.
24. Applicable law
The registration shall be governed by the German law. The place of jurisdiction is Bremen.
Bremen, January 2022
Code of Conduct of the 15th International Coral Reef Symposium
By registering for the ICRS 2022, you agree to the following terms:
a) Disrespectful, intimidating, threatening, harassing, abusive or otherwise exclusionary conduct of any kind is prohibited. This applies to all participants: attendees, presenters, exhibitors, staff, vendors, etc. Report unwelcome or unsafe behaviors immediately as detailed below, both if you experience them or observe them. Do not report via social media.
b) Communicate professionally and constructively, handling dissent and disagreement with courtesy, dignity and an open mind, being respectful when providing feedback, and being open to alternative points of view.
c) Be considerate of other’s participation - everyone should have the opportunity to be heard.
d) Participants must obey all applicable laws and regulations of the German government authorities while attending ICRS 2022.
e) Participants must comply with all applicable safety guidelines related to the conference venue.
f) Drink alcohol responsibly and respect the decision of others not to drink. Beer and wine will be offered at some official social events.
g) Participants will share information responsibly and clearly distinguish individual opinion from fact.
h) Personal information, experiences, photographs and data may only be shared with explicit consent.
i) Cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices must be turned off or silenced before entering a session. Participants should step out of session rooms to make calls or send emails or texts, as the back lighting on electronic devices is distracting to other participants.
j) Anyone requested to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to immediately comply.
Reporting Unacceptable Behavior:
a) If you are the subject of unacceptable behavior or have witnessed any such behavior as a bystander, please immediately notify the ICRS 2022 Safety Officer, or an ICRS 2020 staff member. For delegates who wish to lodge a complaint of harassment, the ICRS 2022 Safety Officer will be available and readily identifiable. Notification should be done by contacting the ICRS 2022 Safety Officer on-site or via e-mail as soon after the event as possible (the ICRS 2022 Safety Officer’s email address will be made available to all participants).
b) The Safety Officer will be responsible for reporting incidents to the ICRS 2022 organizing committee.
c) Anyone experiencing or witnessing behavior that constitutes an immediate or serious threat to public safety, or a criminal act is expected to alert the local authorities, e.g. Police, such as by dialing the local emergency services, Call: 110 (Police), 112 (Emergency telephone number). Those witnessing a potential criminal act should also take actions necessary to maintain their own personal safety.
d) Reporting should never be done via social media.
Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior:
a) The ICRS 2022 organizing committee and their designated representative or venue security may take any action deemed necessary and appropriate, including immediate removal from session, meeting or associated conference events, without warning and potentially without refund.
b) The International Coral Reef Society reserves the right to prohibit attendance at any future meetings.
c) Under suspected criminal circumstances, Bremen legal authorities will be contacted.