Data Protection Policy

1. GENERAL REGULATIONS

WORLDSymposia, LLC reserves the right to amend the existing data protection regulations in strict accordance with prevailing legal norms at any time.

1.1. Personal Data:

Your voluntarily transmitted personal details (through submission in the online forms) will be collected, saved and processed in accordance with the most recent legislation on data protection (EU-GDPR 2018).

Registration, abstract submission, additional bookings & hotel booking:
Registration and/or abstract submission to the WORLDSymposium Annual Scientific Meeting is not possible without collecting, saving and processing your personal data. This is done solely for the purpose of organizing and  implementing the event. Your data will only be passed on to third parties, who are directly involved in the event, when necessary – in accordance with your registration, abstract submission, hotel reservations (if applicable), airline ticketing (if applicable), and registration to receive updates about the WORLDSymposium Annual Scientific Meeting.

1.2. Photography/Video:

By registering to attend the WORLDSymposium Annual Scientific Meeting, you grant permission to WORLDSymposia, LLC to use photos/videos taken of you respectively and / or your company presence by our official photographer (team) onsite during the meeting for marketing purposes (event reporting, promotion of follow-up events & self-marketing) for an indefinite period of time. If you do not want to have any photos/films taken of you published, you may contact us at any time: info@worldsymposia.org.

1.3. Links to other websites:

Our online forms may contain links to other websites. WORLDSymposia, LLC is not responsible for the data you provide on other websites. Our partner companies are also bound to act according to EU-GDPR, the implementation however rests with each company individually. Our data protection guidelines are solely applicable to data controlled by WORLDSymposia, LLC.

2. INFORMATION OBLIGATION ACC. ART 12-14 EU-GDPR (EU-DSGVO)

The following information describes the type, purpose and scope of storing and processing your personal data.

2.1. Controller & Processor

WORLDSymposia, LLC c/o GMI, 1900 NW Corporate Blvd – Suite 410W, Boca Raton, FL 33431
Email: info@worldsymposia.org
Course Director: Chester B. Whitley, PhD, MD
Data Protection Coordinator: Eli Sananes, Global Meetings & Incentives
Data are collected within the framework of the WORLDSymposium Annual Scientific Meeting

2.2. Purposes of Processing:

Depending on the participant status and the bookings of the data subject (see Booking Overview E-Mail), the data are processed for one or more of the purposes listed below.

Processing Purpose Data Categories
Participant Management
(Registration, Additional Bookings)		 name
contact data
address data/invoice data
registration data
additional bookings
travel data (if necessary)
passport data (if necessary)
special requirements (sensitive data)
special dietary requirements (sensitive data)
Hotel Management name
contact data
address data/invoice data
hotel booking data
travel data (if necessary)
credit card guarantees (if necessary)
Scientific Management &
Coordination of Grants and Awards		 name
contact data
date of birth (if necessary)
lecture data (speaker, topic, title)
Industry Management
(Exhibition & Sponsoring)		 name
contact data
company data
General Organization /
Accreditation & Compliance		 name & city/country
institution/organization (if necessary)
specialization (if necessary)
lecture data (speaker, topic, title)
General Organization /
Accounting		 name
contact data
registration data
additional bookings
bank data (if necessary)
credit card data (if necessary)
Marketing & Development name
contact data
photography/video
statistical data (ONLY anonymized)

2.3. Legal Basis for the data processing purposes:

Processing Purpose Legal Basis
Participant Management
(Registration, Additional Bookings)		 Binding completion of the registration for the participation of the selected event
Written confirmation of the group coordinator that participant data may be used
Binding booking of ticket(s) to one or more events of the selected event
Consent of the data subject (sensitive data)
Hotel Management Binding conclusion of a hotel booking by the person concerned or his group coordinator
Written confirmation from the group coordinator that participant data may be used
Scientific Management &
Coordination Grants and Awards		 Binding completion of the abstract submission for the selected event
Acceptance of active participation in the selected event
Industry Management
(Exhibition & Sponsoring)		 Binding contract conclusion of the data subject and the company represented by him/her to take part at the selected event
General Organization
(Accreditation & Compliance, Accounting)		 Fulfillment of contract and law
Legitimate interest of the controller (see point 4.4.)
Marketing & Development Legitimate interest of the controller (see point 4.1.-4.2.)

2.4. Third Party Data Recipients – Categories:

The recipients only receive the data they require, not your full data record. Your data will only be forwarded when the organizational process makes it necessary – in accordance with your registration and reservations – and when a legal basis exists.

Processing Purpose Data Categories Recipient Categories
Participant Management
(Registration, Additional Bookings)		 name
contact data
address data/invoice data
registration data
additional bookings
travel data (only if necessary)
passport data (only if necessary)		 WORLDSymposium, service providers
(fulfillment agents)
 special dietary requirements (sensitive data) Caterer
Hotel Management name
contact data
address data/invoice data
hotel booking data
travel data (if necessary)
credit card guarantees (if necessary)		 DMC, travel agency, hotels
Scientific management & coordination of grants and awards name
contact data
date of birth (if necessary)
lecture data (speaker, topic, title)		 cOASIS – abstract management software – USA
A standard clause agreement with the provider of the abstract processing software cOASIS regarding data protection according to the GDPR is in place.
Industry Management
(Exhibition & Sponsoring)		 name
contact data
company data		 WORLDSymposium, service providers
(fulfillment agents)
General Organization/ Accreditation & Compliance name & city/country
institution/organization (if necessary)
specialisation (if necessary)
lecture data (speaker, topic, title)		 WORLDSymposium, relevant accreditation authorities, service providers
(fulfillment agents)
General Organization/ Accounting name
contact data
registration data
additional bookings
bank data (if necessary)
credit card data (if necessary)		 WORLDSymposium, responsible authorities, bank, fiscal office, tax consultant, service providers
(fulfillment agents)
Marketing name
contact data		 online mailing provider
Development statistical data
(ONLY anonymised)		 organizing society

2.5. Transfer to Third Country:

Processing Purpose Data Categories Recipient Categories
Scientific management & coordination of grants and awards name
contact data
date of birth (if necessary)
lecture data (speaker, topic, title)		 cOASIS – abstract management software – USA
A standard clause agreement with the provider of the abstract processing software cOASIS regarding data protection according to the GDPR is in place.
Marketing name
contact data		 Mailchimp – USA / Online Mailing Provider / adequacy decision of EU = Privacy Shield framework, Mailchimp participates in and has certified its compliance with the EU-U.S. privacy shield framework.

2.6. Data Storage Period:

Sensitive data (special dietary requirements), which are collected with consent of the data subjects, as well as passport data and information submitted for statistical data collection are irrecoverably deleted with the end of the event wrap-up.

All other data are stored for 7 years, to meet the retention period according to the Austrian VAT Act 1994 (Umsatzsteuergesetz 1994) and to permit post-event support and service (i.e. belated participation confirmations and presentation certificates).

In the case of (e.g. annually) recurring congresses, the data are stored for at least 7 years after the end of the entire event series.

Upon revocation of the person concerned, their data will be deleted immediately.

3. DATA SUBJECT RIGHTS

Your rights according to EU-GDPR:

3.1. Data Subject Rights acc. Art 15-21 EU-GDPR:

  • Right of access by the data subject
  • Right to rectification
  • Right to erasure/”Right to be forgotten”
  • Right to restriction of processing
  • Right to data portability
  • Right to object (at legitimate interest of the controller)

3.2. Right to withdraw consent acc. Art. 7 EU-GDPR

Depending on your participant status, we request different declarations of consent. These are queried within the online forms or directly inquired from the affected person/group coordinator/company representative. The declarations of consent are not compulsory according to the EU GDPR.

Each data subject has the right to withdraw his/her given consent(s) at any time. The withdrawal of the consent does not affect the legality of the processing carried out based on the declaration of consent until the withdrawal.

Processing of your data by WORLDSymposia, LLC
Your personal data (comprising name, contact data, address data, organization/institute & registration category), collected by WORLDSymposia, LLC, may be passed on to the WORLDSymposium Annual Scientific Meeting organizers and third party vendors. WORLDSymposium has permission to process your personal data and to contact you directly for own purposes including email updates, promotion of topic-related events, information about activities of the event (eg: membership, awards, travel grants, etc.) and the evaluation and further development of the current event, as well as future events.

This declaration of consent is queried within the online registration:
Transfer of your data to exhibitors and sponsors

Badge scanning in the exhibition area & at satellite symposia sessions:
Please note: If you have your badge scanned by an exhibitor/sponsor at the WORLDSymposium Annual Scientific Meeting, you give consent that your personal data (consisting of name, contact data, address data & organization/institute), collected by WORLDSymposium, will be forwarded (via a contracted service provider) to the exhibitor/sponsor that scanned your badge, and the respective company may contact you directly for its own purposes.

3.3. Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority acc. Art 77 EU-GDPR

Every data subject shall have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, if the data subject considers that the processing of personal data relating to him/her infringes to the EU-GDPR.

4. DESCRIPTION OF OTHER PURPOSES

Legitimate Interests of the Controller acc. Art 6 (1) f) EU-GDPR

4.1. Advertising/Marketing:

Processing data of the data subject to inform him/her about the above-mentioned event, as well as future and topic-related events.

4.2. Development:

Processing data of the data subject to develop the program as well as the organization and implementation of the above-mentioned event, future and topic-related events.

4.3. Publication of the program:

Processing data of the data subject for the promotion and publication of the event program via various communication channels (including website, mobile app and print media).

This concerns the following data subject categories: speaker & chairs, abstract presenters, industry

4.4. Accreditation & Adherence to national and international compliance regulations: DFP, CME, EFPIA, MedTech, etc.

Processing data of the data subject in order to organize the accreditation of the scientific program and to adhere to national and international compliance regulations in the field of medical events.

Concerns the following data subject categories: WORLDSymposium, speaker & chairs, abstract presenters, industry.