Using and Protecting Information from Your Event

Data protection is critical to the trust of your attendees and stakeholders.  There are a few key areas and considerations when you think about how you’ll be using the information you obtain from your event.

Data Collection – Registration

During registration, the prospective attendee will need to specifically accept the data use policy, privacy policy and data sharing with sponsors and show organizers.  This opt-in is specific and clear at the bottom of the registration form.  As a show organizer, if you have an additional privacy policy or data use policy, or other materials and information you need attendees to be both aware of and accept, you can add a message to the required acceptance element on registration.  Note that these clauses are also available to the attendee on every page throughout the event environment for reference after registration.

Data Collection – Event Usage

During the event, activities such as session viewing, participation in chat, visiting the exhibit hall, interacting with the booths are all logged and recorded for both show analysis and potential use by show organizers.  As an example, reporting is available on the viewing patterns for sessions, showing a breakdown by minute of attendees in a session.  All information and the specifics of what has been collected for an attendee is available in the Privacy Center.



Data Protection and Transparency

Data Collection – Lead Capture (Typically booths) 
Attendee visits to booths are logged (see immediately above) and shared with sponsors according to your sponsorship packages. This is allowed for in the terms of registration accepted by the attendee on registration for the event.  If a booth has other means of collecting information (perhaps a drawing or reference out to their own site to register for a newsletter), they will be responsible for those names and that process and should provide their own privacy policy and terms, along with providing and relevant opt-in processes they apply to lead capture.

Data Sharing
Data is shared with sponsors and vendors and “owned” by the show organizers in accordance with your sponsor packages.

This is fully supported by the opt-in requirement during registration for the event.  Data, once shared, falls under the control of the organization that it was shared to.

Responsibility for this information and controls on the use and security of that information follows that data. The target company will have policies and procedures in place to re-confirm, secure and use that information – they should follow their own guidance and counsel on how best to use that information and provide for their own compliance.

User Transparency and Personally Identifiable Information Removal
The Privacy Center provides for the tools needed for the attendee to review the information on file for their registration (including address, URLs associated with their account, etc.) as well as see the data collected on their use of the event.

The attendee can remove their personally identifiable information from the event. They must, of course, confirm this option selection and, upon doing so, their information including name, email, address, phone, etc. are all set to the word “Private.” The personal information is removed entirely, and they are logged out of the event.

They will no longer be able to review the event or gain access without subsequent re-registration.

It’s important to note that if you have shared data with sponsors prior to this removal of information, their personal information would have already been shared with the sponsor.

It’s up to the attendee to contact that sponsor and request that their information is removed from their systems if desired. This is typically an unsubscribe-type option.

Attendees are told of this when they unregister their information from the event.  Importantly, usage information (without personally identifiable details) is retained, so reporting on event activity levels (how many in a session, how many visited booths, etc.) is retained and available.

Post-Event Use of Information
After the event has completed, if you are further using information from the event (perhaps for a marketing email list, contacting attendees, etc.) it’s a good idea to re-affirm this with your attendees. This is typically a short email that confirms that the attendee wishes to receive additional non-event contact from your (and those of your sponsors) firm.

vConferenceOnline Use of Information
Information obtained from attendees and other participants in the event(s) is used on a transactional basis only, for confirmation emails (after registration) and reminders prior to and after the event to provide access details and other information necessary to make use of the event. We require attendees to accept our data use in this manner when they register for events.

A Final Word
vConferenceOnline is constantly monitoring and refining security for the platform. This includes encryption, web application firewalls, monitoring for unusual activity, controlled and restricted access to information and more.

We are consistently reviewing access logs and critical infrastructure and we deploy best practices from data capture to data use.

If you have any questions or concerns about these areas, please contact your Event Coach.