Terms of use for the eforum

The digital event platform is operated by Koelnmesse GmbH, Messeplatz 1, 50679 Cologne, Germany (hereinafter referred to as “Koelnmesse”).

You can view, save, and print out the terms of use at any time on the digital event platform.

The use of our digital event platform requires your consent to the following terms of use.

The digital event platform gives you access to the digital part of the event. For more details about this, please see Section 2.

The digital event platform and its features shall not be used for purposes other than those intended. Therefore, please use the platform only to the extent permitted by law and in accordance with our terms of use. If you violate any applicable German law or our terms of use, we reserve the right to exclude you from using the digital event platform.

Using the platform does not give you ownership to any copyrights or industrial property rights.

After purchasing/receiving an event ticket or exhibitor pass, you can use the access data selected in the ticket shop or in the Koelnmesse account to enter the digital event platform of the event for which the ticket/pass is valid and, depending on the type of ticket, access the following platform features.

Exhibitors/Products (Showrooms): These contain the profile pages and information of all exhibitors at the event, access to their individual showrooms, details about their contact persons, a link to their multimedia files. In the showrooms, you will also be able to send meeting requests or express your interest to exhibitors, recommend them to others, and bookmark them.
Program: Information about the event’s speakers and sessions as well as conference content streaming and video on demand.
Planning: Bookmark interesting companies, sessions, and people.
Networking: In this area, you will be able to view your connections with exhibitors or participants and find new contacts.
Communication: Audio/video communication with participants registered on the event’s digital event platform.
Content: Other information about the event.

We reserve the right to modify, discontinue, take down, or interrupt operation of these basic features at any time and without separate notice for any reason, for example to the extent necessary to perform scheduled or unscheduled maintenance work, troubleshooting, or make other changes.

The networking feature gives users the opportunity to connect and network directly with other attendees registered on the event’s digital event platform. The platform distinguishes between “public participants” and “private participants” in the event. This distinction is relevant in terms of whether and when the respective contact is available to you for networking.

“Public participants” are (i.) the persons designated by the respective exhibitor and those (ii.) who provide a certain service within the scope of an agreement with Koelnmesse, such as speakers or hosts. These persons are basically available for the networking feature in the context of fulfilling the contract.

Public attendees also include (iii.) trade attendees who have not disabled the networking feature.

“Private participants” are all Participants who have disabled the Networking feature. These people, if they have disabled this feature, will be removed from the People directory.

The networking function is activated by default. However, the user can deactivate it in his profile and activate it again after deactivation. For use, the user's contact data known to us is imported into the platform from previous systems (e.g. ticket store or CRM system). The user can then add to or complete this data in the platform at any time.

When using the platform, you agree to abide by the basic principles of “netiquette”. Anyone who violates these principles may be excluded from using the platform.

Furthermore, you agree to only provide complete and correct information in your profile.

You also agree to keep your access data, including passwords, for this platform secret and adequately protect them from unauthorized use. You must inform Koelnmesse immediately if you suspect in any way that there has been any unauthorized disclosure of your access data and/or passwords and/or any unauthorized access.

Moreover, you shall be responsible for ensuring that the content you share on the digital platform (e.g. via links) does not contain any viruses, worms, or Trojan horses. You shall be liable for compensating Koelnmesse for any damages incurred as a result of non-compliance with these obligations due to a fault of your own and shall also release Koelnmesse from any claims brought by third parties, including legal fees.

The misuse of platform features is not permitted. This particularly includes the automated reading of data as well as the automated sending of requests or messages to other platform users. You agree to refrain from doing anything that could jeopardize or disrupt the functioning of the digital platform. It is also prohibited to distribute illegal content, address people in an inappropriate or discriminatory way, or ask them for private information (e.g. gender, age, or place of residence). It is not permitted to share or disseminate content that violates third-party rights, in particular patent rights, utility model rights, copyrights, trademark rights, design rights, or similar third-party property rights, or other legal regulations, in particular criminal law and youth protection law. Commercial advertising and links to advertising as well as excessively long texts in chat forums are not welcome. In the event of a violation of this, we reserve the right to exclude you from further using the platform.

Koelnmesse makes no guarantees with respect to the availability, reliability, functionality, or suitability of the platform for your purposes. Unless mandatory liability is provided under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz), liability shall be excluded due to willful intent, gross negligence, injury to life, limb or health, assumption of a guarantee of quality, fraudulent concealment of a defect, or breach of essential contractual obligations. Essential contractual obligations are those obligations whose fulfillment is essential for the proper execution of a contract and the fulfillment of which the contracting parties may regularly rely on. Damages for breach of essential contractual obligations shall be limited to the foreseeable damage typical for the contract, provided such a breach is not attributed to willful intent or gross negligence.

You may terminate the contract for using the platform, including the networking features, at any time without providing reasons by sending an email to datenschutz-km@koelnmesse.de . Koelnmesse also has the right to terminate the contract for use of the platform for just cause. Just cause may include, for example, violation of the provisions contained in Section 4 of these general terms of use.

These terms of use are subject to German law. In the event that you are a merchant as defined by the German Commercial Code (Handelsgesetzbuch), the exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising out of or in connection with these terms of use shall be Cologne, Germany, including all questions relating to the existence, validity, or termination of these terms of use.

Each provision of these terms of use shall be construed separately and independently. If any provision of these terms of use is invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part, the validity of the remaining provisions of these terms of use shall not be affected thereby. In such a case, the provision in question shall only be limited or deleted to the extent strictly necessary and replaced by a valid provision that comes closest to the intended purpose of these terms of use.

Status: July 2021