TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR HOSTED BUYERS AND BUYERS
IWRT 2024
Please read these Terms carefully as they contain important information. These Terms set out the terms and conditions on which the Hosted Buyer or Buyer must agree in order to participate in the International Workshops on Religious Tourism, organized by ACISO – Associação Empresarial Ourém-Fátima.
- 1. Definitions
In these Terms and Conditions, the following words shall have the following meaning unless the context otherwise requires:
1.1. “IWRT”: International Workshops on Religious Tourism
1.2. “Organizer”: The International Workshops on Religious Tourism are organized by ACISO - Associação Empresarial Ourém-Fátima, a non-profit organization with public utility, headquartered at Travessa 10 de Junho n. º 11, 2490-567 Ourém, Portugal.
1.3. “Event” or “event” means the event to be held at Centro Pastoral Paulo VI, in Fátima, scheduled between February 22nd and 23rd, 2024.
1.4. "Exhibitors" encompass all companies/institutions interested in participating in the event by occupying stand space and promoting their products and/or services at the IWRT, adhering to the "Terms and Regulations" of the event, which they have previously accepted and agreed upon.
1.5. “Supplier”: A company or organization that coordinates or provides travel services, accommodation, transport, transfers, and other services related to tourism.
1.6. "Hosted Buyer" is any tour operator or business travel professional who has requested to be selected by the organization as such and has agreed to the terms and conditions outlined in this document. Hosted Buyers are accepted by ACISO to participate in the IWRT as buyers of travel products and services.
1.7. "Buyer" is any tour operator or business travel professional who has applied to participate in the event and has agreed to the terms and conditions outlined in this document. Buyers accepted by ACISO to participate in the IWRT as buyers of travel products and services, will be required to self-sponsor their flights.
1.8. “Participants” – this term will be used further to refer to both Hosted Buyers and Buyers, simplifying the rules that apply to both.
1.9. “Pre-Scheduled Appointments (PSA)” means/denote the one-to-one appointment matching program operated by ACISO to coordinate the appointments of the Hosted Buyers and Buyers with Suppliers and Exhibitors based on preselected Suppliers, Exhibitors and Hosted Buyers and Buyer appointment preferences.
1.10. “Pos-tour” or “Fam-trip” means familiarization trip that takes place after the event. The Hosted Buyer must apply prior to the event using the software provided by the organization. All applications will be approved by the order of registration and approval of the hosting organizer of the tour. Please note: Hosted Buyer can only apply for ONE pos-tour/fam-trip until the limit of places available.
1.11. Participation Fee - costs that are charged to Hosted Buyer and Buyer that makes part of qualifying criteria.
1.12. “NO SHOW” refers to Participants who doesn’t attend a pre-scheduled appointment onsite and is reported by the Exhibitor or Supplier as not in attendance. A Hosted Buyer who misses two or more appointments per day of attendance or does not inform ACISO of a cancellation in written less than 30 days before the Event, will be considered as a NO SHOW and may incur the NO SHOW fee.
- 2. Qualifying criteria
2.1. To qualify for the Hosted Buyers and Buyers program, the applicants must be agency representatives, tour operators, travel agents, association, or corporate buyers responsible for planning, organizing, recommending, or making financial decisions for events outside their home country.
2.2. Payment of the Participation fee within 7 consecutive days after receiving an acceptance to participate and before the previously announced validation date is one of the obligatory qualifying criteria for Hosted Buyers and Buyers.
2.3. The Participants of all Events must have purchase authority and be final decision makers for this matter. Furthermore, they must commit to attending ALL individual appointments during their participation at the event with Suppliers and Exhibitors accordingly with the Pre-Scheduled Appointments.
2.4. Hosted Buyer who does not meet the qualifying criteria will be given the opportunity to attend as Buyer and may be able to take advantage of the transfer and hotel accommodation, along with meals, indicated by the Organizer.
2.5. The approval of any Participant belonging to professional sectors/categories not included in the above is subject to the Organizer’s final decision.
2.6. The Organizer reserves the right to decline a Participant application without necessarily providing a reason for doing so.
2.7. To be accepted as Hosted Buyer, the applicant should meet strict qualifying criteria. The Organizer may contact the applicant and/or appropriate meeting Suppliers or other sources to verify the information on their application. Additionally, justification of your expressed interest in participating in the event will be required through a Letter of Requirements for participation (for new Hosted Buyers).
2.8. The Organizer retains the right to decline Participant, even after their acceptance into the event, for non-compliance with the obligation outlined in paragraph 2.2.
- 3. Registration
3.1. Qualified Participants will receive complimentary items:
3.1.1. Admission to the Conference
3.1.2. Admission to the official B2B meetings site
3.1.3. Pre-scheduled appointments with Suppliers and Exhibitors
3.1.4. Up to three nights stay (room and indicated meals) in a four-star hotel in Fátima.
3.1.5. Airport and local transfers when applicable, to and from the Hotel, within the event program dates. Excludes transfer costs from Participant territory of origin (exp. home or office) to your local airport or train station etc.
3.1.6. Lunches and dinners during the event.
3.1.7. Snacks/coffee-break at the Hosted Buyers Lounge during the B2B meetings
3.1.8. Complimentary bag with printed time-schedule, informative material, entrance badge and souvenirs
3.1.9. Opportunity to participate in the post-tour/fam trip, with priority given to Hosted Buyers, choosing only one from the suggested options until places are available.
3.2. Qualified Hosted Buyers will receive additionally complimentary Economy Flights from selected destinations to and from the International Airport of General Humberto Delgado – Lisbon. No expenses are covered by the Organization for different ways of travel (by car, train, bus, different flight carriers).
3.3. All other costs and incidental expenses are the responsibility of each Participant. Examples include: private transfers, flight upgrades, hotel upgrades and/or services, additional nights’ accommodation, personal extras, travel insurance, etc.
3.4. The program does not provide kosher food.
3.5. Completion of the application form does not automatically guarantee a place in the Hosted Buyers program. The Hosted Buyer will be notified by email in writing if the application is successful. ACISO reserves the right to decline your registration without reason. The Organizer’s decision is final.
3.6. The Organizer will only accept one application per company. If more than one application per company is received, only the first application will be accepted.
3.7. All required sections of the application form must be fully completed. Failure to do so will result in the form not being processed.
3.8. Participants who are not accepted for the Hosted Buyer program may apply again in a future event.
3.9. Successful applicants will only be accepted as Participants if they have read and agreed to these Terms and Conditions and have ticked the relevant boxes on the online application form.
3.10. By accepting the Hosted Buyer or Buyer status, all Participants are consenting to their contact details being made available to all Suppliers and Exhibitors as well as all official Event Partners and Sponsors.
- 4. Attendance
Rules applied to Participants: Hosted Buyers and Buyers
4.1. The Organizer is responsible for coordinating the Participant at the Event, including accommodation, transfers, and appointment scheduling. All attendance queries should be directed to the Organizer. Participants are not allowed to contact IWRT travel providers (i.e., agents, airlines, and hotels) directly unless advised to do so.
4.2. Confirmed Participants are obliged to pay a nonrefundable Participation fee after their Hosted Buyer or Buyer status has been confirmed.
4.3. The Participation fee must be paid by each Participant via PayPal within 7 consecutive days after receiving validation from the organizer.
4.4. Only one person per company can be accepted as a Hosted Buyer or Buyer.
4.5. Participants must obtain adequate travel insurance coverage for their stay, and it is recommended that each Participant take out adequate insurance for their baggage and medical needs.
4.6. The Organizer takes no responsibility for any Participant who may miss flights, transfers, or functions related to the Event. This includes Participants missing flights due to visa complications, airline delays, and cancellations. Any additional expenses incurred are at the Participant’s own cost.
Rules applied only to Hosted Buyers:
4.7. Flights will be booked by the Organizer for the period of the Event only.
4.8. Hosted Buyers who wish to make their own travel arrangements must inform the Organizer directly and ensure that travel is planned according to their chosen days of attendance and at times that allow them to fulfill their full obligation of appointments. In that case, all expenses related to the Hosted Buyer’s air ticket shall be their own responsibility. The Hosted Buyer must ensure that their visit is organized within the dates set by the Organizer for the One-to-One appointments. These dates must be agreed upon between the Hosted Buyer and the Organizer. In this case, the Hosted Buyer may enjoy all Hosted Buyer privileges, including accommodation, except for the air ticket expenses.
Rules applied only to Buyers:
4.9. Buyers are responsible for arranging their own flight travel and must inform the Organizer directly to ensure that their travel is planned at times that allow them to fulfill all their appointment obligations. The Buyer must also ensure that their visit is organized within the dates set by the Organizer for the B2B appointments.
4.10. If the Buyer chooses to use the transfers organized by the Organization from and to the airport it is possible only within the event dates, also these dates must be agreed upon between the Buyer and the Organizer. In this case, they may enjoy Buyer´s privileges, including accommodation, designated meals, and transfers.
- 5. Appointment setting
5.1. Participants who are accepted by the Organizer commit to attend all one-to-one appointments during their participation in the Event. One-to-one meetings have to be arranged in advance using an on-line appointment system. The relation and matching of the appointments will be performed by an advanced computer algorithm, specially developed for this purpose by the Instituto Politécnico de Leiria.
5.2. Please note that attendance at appointments will be monitored and non-attendance shall constitute a breach of these Terms and conditions. The Organizer will give on-site instructions on attendance verification.
- 6. Fees, cancellations, NO SHOWS and refunds
6.1. Participation Fee – a fee for European Participants, by European we mean all EU countries and the one that are included in Schengen Area, the value of 50€ + VAT at the Portuguese legal rate (fifty Euros plus VAT), except for those that are registered at VIES, or €100 (one hundred Euros) for Participants from the rest of the world, based in non-EU countries.
6.2. Please note that, the Participation fee is non-refundable. Taking into account that the process of the organization and associated administrative costs, is not possible to refund this value.
6.3. If the Participant needs to cancel his participation in the Event, he/she must inform the Organizer in writing. The cancellation will not be effective only until the Hosted Buyer or Buyer receives a written acknowledgement from the Organizer.
6.4. Cancellations received after being accepted as a Hosted Buyer or Buyer are subject to individual decision by the Organization.
6.5. Cancelation before the purchase of the airplane tickets in case of Hosted Buyers and for Participants more than one month before the opening date of the Event are not subject to a “NO SHOW” fee, except the Participation fee as mentioned in 6.1 paragraph.
6.6. ‘NO SHOW’ is defined as a Participant who, without giving prior written notice of cancellation, does not complete appointment requirements and/or is not present for the Hosted Buyer and Buyer activities at the Event onsite or cancel its trip after the arrangements as mentioned in “No Show” description in paragraph 1.11.
6.7. ‘NO SHOW’ fees for Participants will be applied against any of the items mentioned in paragraph 1.11 and additionally in case of Hosted Buyer, after the flights has been agreed, confirmed, and purchased.
6.8. The Participant´s attendance is monitored by the Organizer and other entities. In the event of a breach of these Terms and Conditions related to a “NO SHOW”, the Organizer reserves the right to cancel the Hosted Buyer or Buyer status and charge the ‘NO SHOW’ fee. The ‘NO SHOW’ fee includes cost of the issued air ticket in case of Hosted Buyer, and for all Participants other costs, fees and charges exceeds this amount, in which case the real amount shall be charged by the Organizer by issuing a corresponding invoice.
6.9. All cancellation charges and NO SHOW fees do not include VVAT at the Portuguese legal rate (23%) or equivalent tax. An invoice receipt detailing the charges will be sent by the Organizer.
6.10. Cancellation - NO SHOW fees, including flight cancellation fees and other costs/charges shall be payable by the Participant within 14 days of the closing date of the Event. The Organizer shall take payment of such cancellation and NO SHOW fees from the Participant. The Organizer will provide a receipt in respect of such charges for cancellation of attendance fees, NO SHOW fees and in case of Hosted Buyers, flight cancellation fees.
6.11. Medical Cancellations:
Any Participant who cancels due to Medical Condition must provide a medical certificate within one week (7 consecutive days) of notification failing which the Participant will be deemed to have cancelled the attendance and the Cancellation Fees shall apply. All medical certificates must be in English, not handwritten, and with an official stamp and signature.
- 7. Payment methods
The Participation Fee payment is made through the PayPal system. After the validation of the Hosted Buyer or Buyer status by the Organization, an email with payment information via PayPal will be sent. It is not necessary to have a PayPal account to process the Participation Fee payment. Please note that only registrations with completed payment will be considered valid for participation in IWRT2024.
- 8. Substitution
8.1. The acceptance to the Hosted Buyer or Buyer program is non-transferable. Should a circumstance arise whereby the Hosted Buyer or Buyer has to cancel his participation, he may request to be substituted by another person from their organization/company. The Organizer may choose to accept that substitute person after reviewing their fully completed application form.
8.2. It is important that the substitute company representative meets the eligibility criteria, and that the substitution is made sufficiently in advance (must be within thirty (30 working days), before the start of the event. If the flight has been confirmed and purchased, its cost will be charged.
8.3. If the substitution is made after the air ticket has been issued, cancellation charges could be applied unless agreed otherwise with the Organizer.
- 9. Travel
9.1. Travel will be arranged on dates suitable for attendance to the Event.
9.2. Due to airline restrictions, changes to confirmed travel plans or travel change requests received later than 30 days prior to the opening of the Event will be considered by the Organizer on a case-by-case basis.
9.3. The Organizer reserves the right to make charges for travel changes. Charges will be notified to the Hosted Buyer and will issue a corresponding invoice.
9.4. Any unused flight tickets must be returned directly to the Organizer.
9.5. Participants from certain countries may require a visa to enter Portugal / the European Union. It is the responsibility of each participant to contact the Organizer for a visa application letter and to organize their own individual visa. Buyers who are unable to travel because of failure to obtain a valid visa will be subject to the standard cancellation or NO SHOW fee charges.
9.6. The travel insurance is the responsibility of each individual Participant. The Organizer will not supply travel insurance for Participants. Travel insurance must be in effect from the day of departure up to and including the day of arrival to the home country.
9.7. Participants are responsible for the payment of excess baggage, customs fines, etc. The Organizer does not endorse or approve export gifts or samples given to Participants by Suppliers or Exhibitors. It is the responsibility of each attendee to ensure that such gifts may be legally removed from Portugal and brought to their home country.
9.8. Participants must settle all expenses with the hotel prior to departure and will indemnify the Organizer for any failure to do so.
- 10. Familiarization trips
10.1 Familiarization trips are organized by the host destination. Hosted Buyers or Buyers are accepted by the host destination on the basis that they meet the criteria determined by the host destination. Transfers are coordinated by the Organizer and the host destination. Accommodation and meals are of the sole responsibility of the host destination for the duration of the trip.
10.2 Attendance at a fam trip is subject to arriving/departing flights availability and places available in each tour.
10.3 If a Hosted Buyer or Buyer needs to cancel his participation in a fam trip, then he must inform the Organizer. The cancellation must be acknowledged in writing by the Organizer for it to be effective.
- 11. General Conditions
11.1 The Organizer shall not be liable to the Hosted Buyer or Buyer, in contract, tort or otherwise for any loss of profit, loss of business or revenue, loss of anticipated savings or any indirect or consequential loss or damage, costs or expenses arising out of or in connection with the Hosted Buyers attendance at the Event.
11.2 All matters and questions not covered by these Terms and Conditions are subject to the decision of the Organizer. Foregoing Terms and Conditions may be amended or added by the Organizer at his discretion.
11.3 The Hosted Buyer or Buyer agrees to abide by any and all amendments and changes by the Organizer, as well as rules and regulations set out in the present Terms and Conditions for Hosted Buyers and Buyers.
12. Force Majeure
Force Majeure shall include, but not be limited to: fire; casualty; flood; epidemic; pandemic; World Health Organization travel advisory or travel alert; earthquake; explosion or accident; blockade embargo; inclement weather; governmental restraints; restraints or orders of civil defense or military authorities; act of public enemy; riot or civil disturbance; act or threatened act of terrorism, strike, lockout, boycott or other labor disturbance; Venue cancellation; inability to secure sufficient labor; technical or other personnel failure; impairment or lack of adequate transportation facilities; inability to obtain condemnation, requisition or commandeering of necessary supplies or equipment; general fuel or energy shortages, local, state or federal laws, ordinances, rules, orders, decrees or regulations whether legislative, executive or judicial, and whether constitutional or unconstitutional; or acts of God or any other cause or causes not reasonably within the control of the Organization. Its agents, its employees, and its subcontractors shall not be liable for loss, damage or delay resulting from a Force Majeure event, or any other circumstances outside the Organizer’s or its subcontractors’ control which shall make it impossible or inadvisable for the Organizer using its reasonable discretion to hold the Event at the time and place provided or interferes with Organizer’s ability to get the Hosted Buyers or Buyer to the Event or to provide flights, hotels, transfer, appointments, events or other services to Participants. The Organizer reserves the right to reschedule the Event at another date and/or at an alternative site which will be communicated to the Participants by e-mail.
13. Jurisdiction
The Organizer and the Participants will settle all eventual disputes in an amicable way. In case a dispute cannot be settled in this way, the Organizer and Hosted Buyer or Buyer agree that the District Court of Santarem (Tribunal da Comarca de Santarem), Portugal are competent to settle any such dispute, according to Portuguese Law.