Terms and conditions
Congress registration and payment
The registration deadlines are as follows:
Early Bird registration until: 05.07.17, 24:00 CET
Standard registration until: 08.09.17, 12:00 CET
Onsite registration from: 09.09.17
Only fully completed and signed registration forms will be accepted. The registration will only be confirmed upon receipt of payment in full, as well as a proof of status if required (please refer to paragraph "Proof of status"). If the registration form and/or the full payment and/or the proof of status have not been received before the deadline indicated, the registration will be cancelled OR the next registration fee will automatically be charged.
To be registered under the ERS Gold Member fee or ERS Member through National Society Agreements fee, the full membership reference number must be provided by the published deadline. Furthermore, the delegate must have an active membership at the time of registration. No refunds will be made for delegates who acquire or renew their membership after the registration has been confirmed. Please verify that your membership is active, and that you are eligible for the registration category that you are applying for, prior to registering for the Congress. For further assistance, please contact members@ersnet.org.
All registration and course fees are exempt of VAT. Payment by bank transfer is only possible until 28 July, 2017 at 24:00 CET. The registration fee for active participants includes admission to the Scientific Sessions and the Exhibition. Postgraduate courses, Skills workshops, Meet the expert sessions, Professional development workshops and Challenging clinical case sessions are not included in the registration fee.
The official language of the Congress is English and no translation will be offered.
Proof of status
To register for the Under 40, Allied Health Professional or Scientist (PhD, non MD) fees, the required proof must be forwarded by the published deadline (together with the registration fee).
Proof of status is an official letter written by the head of department, hospital, company or academic institution, which confirms the status of the applicant. The document must be issued in English on the organisation's official letterhead.
If proof of status documentation is sent after the early bird / standard registration deadline, the next registration fee will be applied even if the online registration was completed within the deadline.
Letter of confirmation, payment receipt and invoice
A letter of confirmation/payment receipt/invoice will be sent by email after the ERS 2017 Registration PCO has received a fully completed and signed registration form, the applicable full payment, and the proof of status (where required).
Name badge pre-mailing
ERS offers participants who have registered before 28 July, 2017 the opportunity to receive the delegate name badge by postal mail, prior to the Congress. In the event that a delegate has requested this service, and either fails to notify the ERS 2017 Registration PCO that the name badge has not arrived or fails to bring the name badge to the Congress, a handling fee of 50 EUR will be charged to print a new name badge. Notification of name badges which have not arrived will only be accepted by email or fax and only until 25 August, 2017. After this date, any claims will be handled as a lost name badge (please see below).
Registration name change / lost name badge
A handling fee of 50 EUR will be charged for every name change to an existing Congress registration. Name changes will only be accepted by email or fax indicating the new and old name and only until 08 September, 2017. After this date, all name changes must be carried out onsite, and a written notification of the person being replaced must be presented.
For a lost name badge a fee of 50 EUR will be charged.
Cancellation / refund policy
Notification of cancellation must be made in writing and sent to the ERS 2017 Registration PCO by email or fax by 28 July, 2017 at 24:00 CET. The refund of the registration fee, minus a 25% administration charge, will be made after the Congress. No refunds will be made for cancellations after this date. Any refund claims must be sent by 28 July, 2017. The cancellation policy also applies to Postgraduate courses, Challenging clinical case sessions, Skills workshops, Professional development workshops and Meet the expert sessions.
No refunds will be granted for unattended sessions or early termination of attendance. As mentioned below (please see "Visa Requirements"), it is the sole responsibility of the participant to take care of his/her visa requirements. In case of a visa application rejection, refunds will be made only if the visa application was filed in due time (before 05.07.17), and if a document from the Embassy is sent immediately after the rejection to the ERS 2017 Registration PCO. These two conditions must be fulfilled. Please note that a notification sent to the ERS 2017 Registration PCO after the Congress will not be accepted.
Modification of the programme
ERS reserves the right to modify the programme, which is published as an indication only.
Cancellation of the Congress
In the eventuality that the ERS Congress cannot be held or has to be moved or changed due to:
- any reason(s) beyond its control that prevent or substantially hinder the act of holding the Congress
- unforeseen political and economic events, acts of God, national emergency, national mourning, strike/demonstration, closure of airports or any other event of "Force Majeure"
- its statute as a medical association, compelling ERS to consider the potential health risks (e.g. pandemic flu) of the Congress to participating doctors and their patients
Participants cannot hold ERS liable for any damages, costs, or losses incurred, such as transportation costs, accommodation costs, financial losses, etc. Under these circumstances, ERS reserves the right to retain the entire registration fee and to use it for a future ERS Congress, or to reimburse the registration fee after the deduction of costs already incurred for the organisation of the ERS Congress, and which could not be recovered from third parties.
Letter of invitation
Participants requiring an official letter of invitation should contact the ERS 2017 Registration PCO.
To receive a letter of invitation, participants must be fully registered to the Congress, and payment in full has to be submitted. Participants must be aware that the letter of invitation has to be requested sufficiently in advance, and that the letters of invitation will not be sent after 08 September, 2017. The letter of invitation does not financially obligate the ERS in any way. All expenses incurred in relation to the ERS Congress are the sole responsibility of the participant. Any costs for express mailing of documents must be covered by the participant.
Visa requirements
It is the sole responsibility of the participant to take care of his/her visa requirements. In case of a visa application rejection, a refund will be made if the visa application was filed in due time (before 05.07.17), and if a document from the Embassy is sent immediately after the rejection to the ERS 2017 Registration PCO. These two conditions must be fulfilled. Please note that a notification sent to the ERS 2017 Registration PCO after the Congress will not be accepted.
Children
The minimum age for a participant is 18 years old. Children under the age of 18 will not be allowed access to any part of the Congress.
Accompanying persons
Due to changes in the pharmaceutical industry code of conduct, ERS is no longer able to grant access to the Congress for accompanying persons. The Congress is only accessible to certified healthcare professionals, associated press, industry representatives and other stakeholders in the science, management and prevention of lung disease.
Congress App, provided by SpotMe
The European Respiratory Society will be partner with SpotMe this year to provide the very best interactive Congress experience available. The Congress app is available for free for all ERS delegates and will allow you to navigate the programme, network, access session materials, use the interactive floor plan and exhibition map, interact with faculty, collect CME points, access Congress materials, watch missed sessions and much more. Full access to the app is available by invitation-only and delegates will need to provide an active, individual email address to receive, download and use this essential Congress tool.
Please ensure that you provide this information when you register yourself or customers to avoid disappointment onsite. This data will not be passed on or used for any other purpose other than allowing delegates to use this service during the Congress.
Data protection and sharing of contact details
All data provided may be used (saved, stored, processed, transmitted and deleted, but not modified) and shared with the ERS Congress partners/suppliers in compliance with the privacy policy to allow for booking(s). Furthermore, the data provided may be shared with the host society and sister societies (medical societies). ERS may film, photograph or take television or video footage in public spaces during the ERS International Congress. By agreeing to these general terms and conditions, you agree that any images in whichyou may appear may be used in relation to the promotion of future ERS events and on the ERS website.
ERS and the official ERS Registration PCO periodically shares contact details of participants with third parties that may use these details to contact delegates regarding activities at the conference or other communications which may be of interest. Active participants' badges will contain a barcode/QR code, which will act as an electronic business card, enabling visitors to leave their contact details for exhibitors quickly and easily. Data protection is warranted in accordance with the Swiss Data Protection Act and the Tele Service Data Protection Act.
The right of the participants to film, photograph or take television of video footage during Congress is prohibited, unless a written authorisation is granted by ERS.
Liability
ERS is not responsible for any bodily or material damage (including theft) sustained by participants during the ERS Congress, which is not directly the fault of ERS. Each participant is responsible for his or her own insurance in such events.
Fulfilment and jurisdiction
Any litigation stemming from the above general terms and conditions and contract will be tried in Lausanne, Switzerland, where Swiss law is exclusively applicable.