Registration of GDC and Global Diaspora Week: Terms and Conditions

These are the terms (the “Agreement”) that govern your attendance and participation in the Global Diaspora Week events and other events organized by the GDC (the “Event”).

By registering for the Event, you agree to this Agreement, which creates a legally enforceable contract between GDC and the registered attendee or participant (“you”). If you are enrolling on behalf of another person, it is your obligation to make sure that the person who will be attending is aware of and agrees these conditions. You warrant that you have made the attendee or participant aware of these terms and that they have accepted these terms by completing the registration on their behalf.

1. Attendee Requirements

1.1 Admittance. Your registration grants you access to the Event for which you have signed up. Any and all other expenditures related with your attendance are exclusively your responsibility, and GDC assumes no responsibility for them.

1.2 Use of Likeness. By attending the Event, you acknowledge and agree to grant GDC the right to record, film, photograph, or otherwise capture your likeness in any media now available or hereafter developed at the Event, and to distribute, broadcast, use, or otherwise globally disseminate such media in perpetuity without further approval from you or payment to you. The right to modify such media, the right to use the media alone or in combination with other information, and the right to authorize others to use or disseminate the media are all included in this grant to GDC.

1.3 Event Content. GDC maintains the right to change any and all aspects of the Event, including but not limited to the Event name, themes, content, program, speakers, performers, hosts, moderators, venue, and time, in its absolute discretion.

1.4 Age Requirements. No one under the age of 21 will be admitted, including children in strollers with their parents.

1.5 Identification. All participants must show two kinds of identification: a government-issued photo ID and a document showing their affiliation with the organisation listed on their registration (pay stub, business card, etc.).

6 Visa Requirements. It is the attendee’s sole obligation to meet any government visa requirements. Attendees who require an entry visa should leave enough time to complete the process. Attendees should contact the nearest embassy or consulate to find out when their visa applications should be submitted. GDC will not contact embassies or consulates on behalf of visa applicants, nor will it give any other visa-related assistance. Failure to secure a visa prior to the Event is not an acceptable reason for requesting a refund.

1.7. Compliance with local laws: Before, during, and after the event, all participants must guarantee that they are fully compliant with their local regulations. GDC will not be held liable for any violations of local laws committed by attendees prior to, during, or after their attendance.

2. Prohibited Conduct

2.1 Limitations on Use. By enrolling for a free GDC Events pass, you agree that you will not sell, trade, transfer, or share your code or badge. You undertake not to distribute, sell, or trade your badge if you register for a paid GDC Event Pass. If GDC determines that you have broken this policy, GDC may cancel your badge(s), retain any payments you have made, report you to law enforcement authorities, and prohibit you from attending future GDC Events.

2.2 Disruptive Conduct. You understand and agree that GDC reserves the right to remove you from the Event if GDC concludes, in its sole discretion, that your presence or behavior disrupts or hinders the Event or other attendees’ participation in the Event. GDC badges are the property of GDC and must be returned to the organization upon request.

2.3 Badge Misuse. Attendees caught wearing badges from past GDC events, fabricated badges, sharing or exchanging badges, and/or sharing or swapping badges will be expelled from the event and barred from attending future events. Such behavior is considered theft of service, trespassing, and fraud by GDC, and violators will be reported to criminal enforcement authorities. If such behavior is detected after an Event, violators will be charged based on onsite registration pricing and will be asked to pay the full amount of their invoice.

2.4 Suitcasing. “Suitcasing” is the practice of attending a trade show but soliciting business from other guests and exhibitors while “working the aisles” from a suitcase or briefcase. The only legitimate area to conduct business during show hours is within a contractual exhibit space on the show floor, for the benefit of the show and the exhibitors that support it. GDC management encourages exhibiting firms to preserve their investment by reporting any infractions. Attendees who are caught soliciting business in the hallways or other public areas, or in another company’s booth, may be expelled from the event and may be barred from attending future events at GDC’s discretion.

2.5 Photography, Recording, Live Streaming, and Videotaping. GDC Event attendees are not permitted to record or broadcast audio or video from sessions. Cameras are permitted on the show floor during GDC. Attendees are permitted to photograph the event for use in corporate or yearly reports, company media pieces, marketing materials, and so on.

2.6 Unethical/Non-Compliant Marketing. Anyone who engages in or is suspected of engaging in unethical or non-compliant marketing techniques may be denied admittance by GDC.

2.7 Without limiting the terms of this Agreement, you must follow the GDC Events Code of Conduct, as amended by GDC from time to time (the “Events Code of Conduct”), which is attached hereto as Exhibit A.

2.8 If you fail to comply with this Agreement or any other agreement between you and GDC or any GDC affiliate, GDC may take any action it deems appropriate in response, including canceling your Event registration without a refund or banning you from the applicable Event or any or all other Events, without limiting any other remedy under the Agreement or applicable law.

2.9 In addition to the conditions and prohibitions set forth in this Section 2, GDC has the right, in its sole discretion, to prevent any prospective attendee from registering for or attending any Event. Furthermore, GDC reserves the right to cancel any attendee’s registration and refund any admission fees paid to GDC in its sole discretion; provided, however, that if an attendee’s registration is cancelled for violating any prohibition or requirement set forth in this Section 2, GDC may retain all fees paid.

3. Fees

3.1 Payment. The necessary fees for the Event must be paid at the time of registration. If your payment is insufficient or denied for any reason, GDC reserves the right to refuse admission to the Event and will not be liable.

3.2 Taxes. The fees may be subject to sales tax, value added tax, or other taxes and levies, which will be added to the fees if applicable.

4. Badges

4.1 In the Event areas, badges must be worn at all times.

4.2 Your badge cannot be modified, exchanged, or reissued to a different individual once you have received it on site.

4.3 If your badge is misplaced, you will be charged the current onsite rate for a replacement.

4.4 GDC will use the personal information you give in accordance with our privacy policy, which can be found in the agreement’s privacy section.

4.5 An Event badge may be available for pick-up at the appropriate check-in area of the Event venue during the specified Event dates if you are attending an in-person Event. Without an Event badge, you will not be permitted to enter the Event venue. Badges may contain technology that can be used to track your attendance and involvement in the Event (including visiting booths and attending sessions). You hereby permit the operator of the badge scanner to collect and process such information by enabling your badge to be scanned at an Event. You understand that if your badge is scanned with a badge scanner by or for any sponsor or other third party (each, a “Event Sponsor”), that Event Sponsor may have access to a third-party report that includes such attendance and participation information, as well as certain of your Registration Information.

4.6 GDC is not liable for any Event Sponsor’s or other third-privacy party’s policies. To discover more about the Event Sponsor’s or a third party’s practices with respect to any information collected, please contact them. To be clear, any Personal Data collected by GDC for GDC’s use in connection with your attendance or participation in the Event will be subject to GDC’s Privacy Statement. If you do not want your information to be used or disclosed in the ways mentioned in this Section, do not allow any Event Sponsor or third party to scan your badge at any Event, and do not attend a virtual Event.

4.7 In case of virtual events, You acknowledge, agree, and accept that GDC may share your information with any of our vendors or Event Sponsors, and that GDC, our vendors, and Event Sponsors may use your information for any purpose. Sponsors may contact you about items and services in which we believe you would be interested. This could be based on your interactions with the Event and its content, as well as the information we have on you.

5. Registration Confirmation

5.1 You will receive an email confirmation of your registration after you have completed it. Please double-check that your email address is correct on the registration form. Check your spam folder in case any of your GDC emails were intercepted by spam filters.

5.2 The email address and mailing address you provided on your registration form will be used to send you important information for registered participants.

6. Government Employees and Officials

If you are a government employee or official, you must identify yourself as such during the Event registration process, and you may be requested to show your government-issued employee badge during the check-in process if the Event is in person. If you are a government employee or official and are given free or reduced attendance or participation at an Event, you must notify your employing government agency in advance of your presence and receive their approval to accept free or discounted attendance at the Event. Upon GDC’s request, you must also affirm your compliance with the above. If you are a government employee or official, you must additionally follow any applicable laws and regulations imposed by your employing agency for the length of the Event, including those governing the acceptance and disclosure of gifts and gratuities.

7. Changes to Events

The schedule of events is subject to change at any time. GDC cannot promise that any third party (such as an exhibitor or a speaker) will attend, or that any scheduled session, breakout, keynote, or other activity will take place.

GDC maintains the right to make any changes to an Event program or format at any time for any reason, including without prior notification (including modification of the schedule or content of, or cancellation of, any session, breakout, keynote or other activity). Any changes to an Event are not the responsibility of GDC, and no reimbursement will be given in the event of a change (including modification of the overall Event program, or the schedule or content of, or cancellation of, any session, keynote or other activity).

8. Security

GDC retains the right to take any security measures it deems necessary for the protection of attendees and participants of in-person Events, including without prior warning. All such security measures, including the following, will be followed by you:

You will wear your Event badge such that it is visible to other Event attendees and participants at all times during an in-person Event (including at any Event venue or during any Event session, keynote, or other activity). Your Event badge will not be shared or exchanged with anyone else. If you do not comply with this rule, your Event badge will be confiscated, and your attendance or participation in the Event will be terminated.
During specific hours of an in-person Event, bags may be randomly examined.
You will never leave any luggage or other personal belongings unattended. Property that is left unattended may be removed.
Firearms and other weapons, explosives, and other hazardous materials or articles are prohibited at in-person Events. You will not bring or have any such goods with you or in your possession during your attendance at an in-person Event.

9. Affiliated Services

The GDC Events mobile app (or any other app or website through which you can register for an Event or access Event information or materials) may contain or make available information about third-party lodging, transportation, and other services (each, an “Affiliated Service”). Affiliated Services are Third Party Materials, to be precise. For clarity, hotel reservations are given as an Affiliated Service, and GDC is not liable for any issues or conflicts that may arise between you and the hotel. If an Event is canceled for whatever reason, you will be responsible for following the hotel’s cancellation policy.

10. Intellectual Property

10.1 GDC or the Event sponsors or speakers appearing at the Event own all intellectual property rights in and to the Event, the Event content, and all items distributed at or in conjunction with the Event. Without the prior written permission of GDC, you may not use or reproduce, or allow anyone else to use or reproduce, any trademarks (including without limitation “GDC,” etc.) or other trade names appearing at the Event, in any Event content, or in any materials distributed at or in connection with the Event for any reason..

10.2 For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to vest in you any legal or beneficial right in or to any trademarks or other intellectual property rights owned or used under license by Global Diaspora Cooperation or any of its affiliates; nor does this Agreement grant to you any right or license to any other intellectual property rights owned or used under license by Global Diaspora Cooperation or any of its affiliates, all of which shall at all times remain the exclusive property of Global Diaspora Cooperation or its affiliates.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties, Limitation of Liability

11.1 GDC makes no warranties about the Event or any materials related to or offered at the Event, and disclaims all implied warranties, including but not limited to warranties of fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, timeliness, and merchantability, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws governing this Agreement. The Event is being offered “as-is.” GDC and its affiliates do not assume any responsibility or liability for your or any other person’s reliance on any component of the Event or any information supplied at the Event.

11.2 Unless otherwise required by law, neither GDC nor its affiliates will be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential costs, damages, or losses arising directly or indirectly from the Event or any other component of it, or from this Agreement.

11.3 GDC’s maximum aggregate responsibility for any claim relating to or arising out of the Event or this Agreement, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise (including any negligent act or omission), shall be limited to the amount you have paid to GDC under this Agreement..

11.4 You agree that any and all disagreements, claims, and causes of action arising out of or related to this program will be resolved on an individual basis, without the use of a class action.

12. COVID Policy

To limit the danger of exposure to COVID-19 when attending activities hosted or supported by GDC, social distancing must be practiced and facial covers used at all times.

You certify that you do not fall under any of the following categories by attending the GDC event:

(1) Individuals who have experienced any symptoms associated with COVID-19, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, either currently or within the last fourteen (14) days; (2) Individuals who have traveled in the last fourteen (14) days, either internationally or to a community where COVID-19 is being spread sustainably; or (3) Individuals who feel they may have been exposed to a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, or who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, but have not yet been approved as non-contagious by state or local public health authorities or the health care team in charge of their care.

DUTY TO SELF-MONITOR. By registering for an in-person GDC event, you agree to self-monitor for COVID-19 signs and symptoms and to inform GDC if you have symptoms of COVID-19 within fourteen (14) days of the event. GDC also invites you to notify other guests with whom you had close touch during the event. GDC cannot promise, and does not imply, that it will or can notify everyone who was in close proximity to a person with a probable COVID case of the potential exposure due to the nature of the event.

LIABILITY WAIVER AND RELEASE OF CLAIMS. You accept that your presence at this in-person Event benefits you personally and that you voluntarily participate in it. By registering for the Event, you agree to release, waive, and forever discharge GDC and its owners, parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, volunteers employees, as well as its speakers and exhibitors (the “Released Parties” ), from any and all liability, claims, and demands of any kind or nature, either in law or in equity, to the fullest extent permitted by law, including but not limited to damages or losses caused by the Released Parties’ negligence, fault, or conduct of any kind, including but not limited to death, bodily injury, illness, economic loss, or loss or damage to property, which you, your heirs, assignees, next of kin, and/or legally appointed or designated representatives may have or which may hereafter accrue on your behalf,

13.RISK ASSUMPTION. By registering for the Event, you agree to the following terms and conditions.:

Attending a GDC event in person exposes you to infectious diseases, including but not limited to COVID-19. While certain regulations and personal discipline may lessen this danger, major disease and death remain a possibility. You knowingly and freely assume all risks involved with the Event, even whether they arise from the Released Parties’ negligence, fault, or behavior of any type. You accept and bear any risks of bodily harm or damage to your personal property that you may encounter while attending an Event, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, and you hereby waive any claims you may have against the Released Parties. YOU ARE DEEMED TO HAVE GIVEN A FULL RELEASE OF LIABILITY TO THE RELEASED PARTIES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW BY ATTENDING AND/OR PARTICIPATING IN THE EVENT.

It is absolutely voluntary for you to attend or participate in an Event or any connected activities. GDC does not guarantee admission to some or all of the events (including any session, breakout, keynote or other activity). All event sessions, breakouts, keynotes, and other activities, if applicable, are seated on a first-come, first-served basis unless otherwise noted by GDC.

GDC maintains the right to limit the number of Event attendees and participants, to cancel or terminate any Event registration, to refuse to provide any individual with access to Event materials, and to limit the number of Event attendees and participants, including without prior notice.

14. Privacy Policy

14.1 GDC values your privacy and considers it to be essential to our purpose. Our Privacy Program ensures that your data is handled appropriately and that your personal information is kept safe. The sensitivity of the personal and other information we manage is reflected in our Privacy Program. It also complies with the standards of privacy legislation in all of the countries and states where our participants live. If you have any queries or would like to exercise your rights regarding how GDC’s affiliates and partners manage your personal information, please contact them directly. This section of the Privacy Notice outlines how GDC collects, uses, and discloses personal data.

14.2 Information We Collect And How We Collect The Information:

We gather Personal Data from all Users when they voluntarily supply it to GDC, such as when they register for access to our registration portal, contact us with questions, respond to one of our surveys, or browse or utilize certain portions of GDC’s services. Your name, address, email address, and any other information that you choose to supply and/or that enables Users to be personally recognized are examples of Personal Data that we may collect. We also automatically collect certain technical data supplied to us by the computer, mobile device, and/or browser you use to use the Services (“Automatic Data”). Automatic Data includes, for example, a unique identifier associated with your access device and/or browser (such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address), characteristics of your access device and/or browser, statistics on your activities on the Services, information about how you came to the Services, and data collected through Cookies, Pixel Tags, Local Shared Objects, Web Storage, and other similar technologies.

Our Cookie Statement contains further information about how we use Cookies and other similar tracking technology. We may connect such Non-Personal Data (including Non-Personal Data we obtain from third parties) with your Personal Data when you register for the Services or otherwise submit Personal Data to us. In this case, any merged data will be treated as your Personal Data until it can no longer be associated with you or used to identify you.

We may also gather Personal Data through third-party sources, such as Organizers, other Users, social media or other third-party integrations, your credit card issuing bank, our payment processing partners, or other third parties.

14.3 How We Use The Information We Collect

If you give Personal Data for a specific purpose, we may use it in connection with that purpose. If you contact us by email, for example, we will use the Personal Data you supply to react to your query or solve your problem, and we will respond to the email address from which you contacted us.

We will use your Personal Data to provide you with access to or use of the Services or any functionality thereof, as well as to analyze your usage of such Services or functionality, if you give Personal Data in order to get access to or use of the Services or any functionality thereof. For example, if you provide Personal Data about your identification or qualifications to use specific parts of the Services, we will use that information to decide whether or not to provide you access to those parts of the Services and to assess your continued qualification to use those parts of the Services.

We may use your Personal Data for internal business purposes, such as improving the content and functionality of the Services, better understanding our Users, improving the Services, protecting against, identifying, or addressing wrongdoing, enforcing our Terms of Service, managing your account and providing you with customer service, and generally managing the Services and our business.

We may use your Personal Data for marketing and advertising purposes, such as (but not limited to) email marketing, SMS marketing, display media, and device targeting (such as tablets, mobile devices and televisions). We do this to keep you informed about programs or events we think you’d like, to create promotional or marketing materials, and to display GDC or event-related content and advertising on or off the program that we think you’d like.

If we intend to use any Personal Data in a way that is inconsistent with this Privacy Policy, we will notify you prior to or at the time the Personal Data is collected, or we will obtain your agreement after the data is received but before it is used.

14.4 How We Disclose And Transfer Your Personal Data

We are not in the business of selling your personal information to other parties. This information is a critical component of our interaction with you. As a result, we will not sell your personal information to third parties, including marketers. As set forth in this Privacy Policy, there are some circumstances in which we may disclose, transfer, or share your Personal Data with third parties without additional notification to you.

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, we may also share your Personal Data with our parent organisations, subsidiaries, and/or affiliates. Our parent organisations, subsidiaries, and affiliates will be obligated to protect your personal information in line with this policy.

We may share your Personal Data with GDC’s contractors and service providers that handle Personal Data on our behalf to execute GDC-related assignments. Our marketing agencies, online advertising providers, data enhancement and data services providers, database service providers, backup and disaster recovery service providers, email service providers, payment processing partners, customer service, tech support, hosting companies, and others are among the organizations we work with. We may give them with information, including Personal Data, in connection with their fulfillment of such activities when we hire another organization to do so.

We may disclose your Personal Data if required to do so by law, such as in response to a subpoena or request from law enforcement, a court, or a government agency (including in response to public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements), or if we have a good faith or belief that such action is necessary to (a) comply with a legal obligation, (b) protect or defend our rights, interests, or property, or (c) prevent or mitigate harm to our or third parties’ rights.

14.5. The Storage Of Your Personal Information

We may store Personal Data ourselves, or we may transmit it to third parties who will store it in compliance with our Privacy Policy. We take reasonable precautions to protect Personal Data obtained through the Services against loss, misuse, unauthorized use, access, unintended disclosure, modification, and destruction. No network, server, database, or Internet or email transmission, on the other hand, is ever completely secure or error-free. As a result, you should exercise extreme caution when determining what information you transmit to us electronically. When revealing any Personal Data, please bear this in mind.

14.6 Access, Update, Correction or Deletion Of Your Personal Data

If you submit a data deletion request, GDC will be authorized to delete or anonymize the request’s Personal Data from our database, even if this involves denying access to the data to a third party. You understand, however, that even if GDC deletes or anonymizes your Personal Data at your request or in accordance with this Policy, your Personal Data may still be available in the third party’s databases if it was transmitted to the third party before GDC received or acted on any deletion or anonymization activity.

14.7 Retention Period For Personal Data

We may keep your Personal Data for as long as you are a participant of our programs. Upon request to GDC, you may have your account with us deleted. However, we may keep Personal Data for a longer period if necessary or permitted by applicable laws. Even if we delete your Personal Data, it may be retained for a longer amount of time on backup or archive media for legal, tax, or regulatory purposes, or for legitimate and reasonable business objectives.

14.8Minors

We do not collect Personal Data from children under the age of sixteen (16) without their parental consent. Please do not submit any Personal Data through the registration platform if you are under the age of sixteen (16). We encourage parents and legal guardians to keep an eye on their children’s online activities and to help us enforce our Privacy Policy by educating their children to never provide Personal Data over the Services without their permission. If you believe a child under the age of 16 has contributed Personal Data to us through the Services, please notify us and we will make every effort to remove the information from our databases.

14.9 International Privacy Laws

Please be advised that if you access the Services from outside the European Union (EU), you are transmitting information (including Personal Data) to the EU, where our servers are located. Depending on the type of information and how it is maintained by us, it may be transmitted within the EU or back out of the EU to countries outside of your place of residence. These countries (including those in the EU) may not have data protection regulations as comprehensive or protective as those in your own country; however, this Privacy Policy will always govern our collection, storage, and use of your Personal Data.

14.10 For EEA, SWITZERLAND AND UK ONLY

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires GDC to give Users greater information regarding the processing of their Personal Data. Therefore in addition to the information in this section, and in line with the provisions of the GDPR, you should be aware that we are processing your information because:

You gave us your consent; the processing is required for our contractual relationship; the processing is required for us to comply with our legal or regulatory requirements; and/or the processing is in our legitimate interest as an event organizer (for example, to protect the security and integrity of our systems and to provide you with the right values, etc.).

Personal Data Transfers

We may need to move your Personal Data outside of the country from which it was originally submitted because GDC is a worldwide organization. This may be intra-group or to third parties with which we collaborate who are located in jurisdictions outside the EEA, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, which have no or less stringent data protection legislation than those in Europe.

We take legally needed efforts to ensure that sufficient safeguards are in place to secure your Personal Data if we move it outside of the EEA, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom. This includes the adoption of Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Parliament and the Council in accordance with Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/914 of June 4, 2021.

Retention of Personal Data

We keep your Personal Data for as long as it’s needed or for other vital reasons including complying with legal responsibilities, resolving disputes, or enforcing our agreements.

If you have an account with us, we will normally keep your Personal Data for ninety (90) days after you request that it be closed or for seven (7) years if it has been dormant.

Your legal rights.

You have the right under data protection law to obtain a copy of the Personal Data we hold about you, to request that we amend, restrict, or delete your Personal Data, to object to profiling, and to unsubscribe from marketing communications.

For the most part, you can exercise these rights by changing your browser’s “cookie settings” (for more information, see our Cookie Statement); or contacting us through the means listed on our website. Please note that we will evaluate requests to exercise data protection rights on a case-by-case basis.

Because of the regulations in your country or the exemptions available in data protection legislation, we may not be legally compelled to comply with your request in some cases. If you have a problem about how we treat your Personal Data, please contact us using the information channels displayed on our website to clarify your situation. If you are dissatisfied with how we handled your issue, you may file a complaint with the appropriate data protection authority.

GDC as a data controller and a data processor

Organizations that process personal data for their own purposes (known as “data controllers”) and organizations that process personal data on behalf of other organizations are distinguished under EU data protection law (known as “data processors”). If you have a concern or a complaint about how your Personal Data is handled, you should always direct it to the relevant data controller, since they are the ones who are in charge of it.

Depending on the circumstances, GDC may operate as a data controller or a data processor in relation to your Personal Data.

14. Miscellaneous

The failure of GDC to exercise any right granted herein shall not be construed as a waiver of any other rights granted hereunder. GDC is not liable for any failure to perform its obligations under this Agreement if the failure is due to a cause beyond GDC’s reasonable control. If any term of this Agreement is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be modified or removed to the bare minimum required so that the remainder of this Agreement will continue in full force and effect and enforceable. Except with GDC’s prior written agreement, you may not assign, transfer, or sublicense this Agreement. The parties agree to be bound by the laws of the Netherlands, and to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Netherlands’ applicable courts. A party who substantially prevails in an action initiated under this Agreement is entitled to receive reasonable lawyers’ fees and costs from the other party. Except as otherwise provided herein, both parties agree that this Agreement is the complete and exclusive statement of the parties’ mutual understanding and supersedes and cancels all previous written and oral agreements, communications, and other understandings relating to the subject matter of this Agreement, and that all modifications must be in writing signed by both parties. As a result of this Agreement, no agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment is formed, and you understand that you do not have any right to bind GDC in any way.

Exhibit A

GDC Events Code of Conduct

We believe in equality for all at GDC. As a result, regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, or any other classification protected by law, we are committed to creating event environments that are diverse, inclusive, safe, and free of discrimination.

The following policy applies to all GDC event participants:

Expected Behavior

1. Be considerate, respectful, and cooperative.
2. Avoid insulting, discriminating, or harassing language and actions.
3. Be aware of your surroundings as well as the other participants. If you see a risky scenario or someone in trouble, notify the event staff.
4. Keep your badge on you at all times when attending the event or visiting the event sites.

Unacceptable Behavior

Among the unacceptable behaviors are, but are not limited to:

1. Any verbal, physical, or visual conduct based on sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, race, age, national origin, or handicap is considered harassment and discrimination. Inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces (including presentation slides); intentional intimidation, stalking, or following; harassing, photography, or recording; persistent disruption of sessions, talks, or other events; inappropriate physical contact, and any unwanted sexual attention

2. Any rowdy, vulgar, or disrespectful behavior or language, including profanity, obscene gestures, or racial, religious, or ethnic slurs.

3. Dressing in provocative, improper, or otherwise possibly objectionable clothes that is not appropriate for a professional work atmosphere.

4. Possession of a weapon or any object capable of being used as a weapon that could be used to threaten or injure people if used in a specific way.

5. Any destruction or vandalizing of personal property or event site or materials.

6. Having any open can, bottle, or other container containing any alcoholic beverages in any event venue or function, unless in areas specially designated for the consumption of alcohol or being intoxicated, as decided by GDC. Please consume in moderation.

7. Having any prohibited substances in your possession. The use or usage of illegal substances is not tolerated by GDC in any of its event venues.

8. Except in authorized areas, smoking is prohibited.

9. Assembling with the intent of disturbing the peace, performing any illegal conduct, or participating in any offensive behavior.

10. Any additional criminal behavior that hasn’t already been mentioned.

11. Many event venues are open to the public; please be courteous to all clients of these establishments.

12. Failure to follow the event venue’s rules and regulations, as well as the event staff’s instructions.

13. Disseminating your event badge to others.

Consequences of Inappropriate Behavior

Behavior that is not appropriate will not be allowed. Anyone who is ordered to quit engaging in undesirable behavior is expected to do so right away. If a participant participates in undesirable behavior, the event organizers have the right to take any action they see fit, including expulsion from the event without notice or refund and, if necessary, the participation of local police officials.

Guidelines On Reporting Unacceptable Behavior or Suspicious Person/Behavior/Package.

If you have a grievance or concern about harassment, discrimination, bullying, or any other behavior that violates the GDC Events Code of Conduct, please inform an event staff member or security personnel as soon as possible. Please also report this if you see it occurring to someone else. You have the option of keeping your report entirely private.

If you observe something suspicious or want to report a security issue after the event has ended, remember to See Something, Say Something by contacting local authorities .

Updates

GDC reserves the right to change the Code of Conduct at any moment, and the provisions are non-negotiable. GDC’s rights, which it expressly retains, are not affected by this Code of Conduct. We can make GDC Events safe and welcome by working together.