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IET Events Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) explains how IET Services Limited (“IET Services”), and Institution of Engineering and Technology (“IET”) will collect, use, or otherwise process your personal data in respect of IET Events.

In this Policy, IET Services and the IET are referred to together as "We" / "Us" / "Our".

This privacy notice provides you with information about how We use your personal data when you register for and attend an Event run by Us. It supplements Our Privacy Notice on Our website, available here https://www.theiet.org/help/privacy

The IET and what it does

The IET is registered as a charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698). It is supported by a wholly owned trading subsidiary, IET Services Limited. IET brands include Inspec, E&T, Electrical Standards, Wiring Regulations, Faraday and Venues.  Additionally, the IET maintains a relationship with Foothold, the IET benevolent fund, which is a separate charity that offers services to members in need of special assistance.

As appropriate, and when lawful to do so, the IET may disclose your information to any of these legal entities for the purposes of introducing and delivering goods and services to you. In order to offer you the IET's global activities and events, it may be necessary to share personal data with IET offices outside the European Economic Area (EEA) (IET China, IET India, USA and Hong Kong offices) and IET Local Networks (set up and run by IET volunteers for the benefit of members).

IET Services Limited is registered in England & Wales (no 909719).

  • personal data” is information relating to you as a living, identified or identifiable individual.

We are data controllers in accordance with applicable data protection and privacy laws, including but not limited to the UK GDPR and the EU GDPR. If you have any queries relating to Our use of your personal data or any other related data protection questions, please contact Our data protection team by using the following email address: compliance@theiet.org

What personal data We process

We collect, maintain, and process the personal data which you share with Us. For example:

  • When you register for Our events, enter a paper, submit a proposal for Our events, or enter a competition/prize draw, you may provide Us with certain information including:
    • your name, contact details (such as email address, phone number, address), company details, job title and role, dietary requirements, age range or gender, your rationale for attending an event, details of your previous attendance at Our events, your submission.
  • When you Register an account on our website, We process your contact details in order to provide the service to you and you may be given the option to opt -in or consent to receiving marketing communications from us about similar products and services. You can log in and change these preferences at any time.
  • When you browse our IET UK website, We use necessary cookies. Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as page navigation, security and access to secure areas.
    • If you consent to analytics We collect certain personal data automatically whilst you browse Our website, for instance your IP address, the browser you are using, and the pages you have visited.

How We use your personal data, and Our lawful basis for doing so

We use personal data in the following ways:

How We use your personal data

Lawful basis

If you wish to attend one of Our events, you will be asked to provide your contact information including your organisation’s name and the information referred to above, as well as information about any dietary requirements or access provisions you may need.

We may also ask for payment if there is a charge to attend.

  • For attendance at an event, for the purpose of performing a contract with you, or in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.

  • For legitimate interest or your consent if the event is not charged.

  • For dietary requirements or access provisions, We rely on consent under article 6(1)(a) of the UK GDPR and EU GDPR (and under article 9(2)(a)) as this type of information is classed as special category data.

  • The additional information which We process is for Our legitimate interest to facilitate the event and provide you with an acceptable service, as well as to help Us understand the types of delegates which are interested in the event for future event planning purposes.

  • Or with your consent.

We will use your personal data where you have registered to attend, exhibit at an event, or submit a proposal for an event.

In accordance with Our Event Terms and Conditions. The author or speaker may be required to be present at the conference to present the submission. The speaker sessions may be recorded. The speaker will be asked to complete a Photography and recording consent form at the event. Papers that are presented may feature on the IET websites and Inspec, the IET Digital Library or be indexed on IEEE Xplore and IET social media forums.

Attendees are notified where recording is taking place.

Entrants eligible for a competition associated with an event will read and accept all terms and conditions that apply to the award (including the Competition and Awards Standard Terms) And agree that if you are a winner, your name and photographic image and submission the prize is awarded for will be published on the IET websites and social media forums. Winners will be asked to complete a Photography consent form at the event.

  • We process your information for the purpose of performing a contract with you, or in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.

  • Under legitimate interest for events that are not charged.

  • Award competition – Legitimate interest – name, submission and award title.

  • Recording and photography and subsequent publication with your consent.

If you visit Our website, and accept or opt -in to analytics, We will collect standard internet log information (e.g. IP addresses, browser details, page that you arrived on Our website from) and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We also use cookies in accordance with Our cookies policy.

We do this to find out such things as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site, for example.

The purpose for implementing the above is to maintain and monitor the performance of Our website and to constantly look to improve the site and the services it offers to Our users.

  • We rely on consent for the optional cookies which We use.

  • We rely on legitimate interest for necessary Cookie use.

To provide you with information about Our services or events which you have requested from Us, in relation to events We run or other services which We provide.
  • We rely on legitimate interest to provide you with information about similar products you have purchased from us.

  • We rely on the consent that you have provided to Us. 

To provide Our third-party commercial organisations with your details so that they can provide you with information about their goods, services or events.

Please note that the processing by third parties of your personal data for such purposes will be governed by their separate privacy policies.

  • We rely on the consent that you have given for providing such third parties your personal data for such purposes. 

If you choose to participate in Our competitions or prize draws, We ask you to provide the required information, as set out in Our events information pages. If you win a competition that includes the shipment of a prize, We may either email you the prize using the contact details you have provided or contact you to ask for a delivery address to deliver the prize.

We process this information so that you are able to participate in Our competitions and so that We can notify/announce you as winner, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the competition agreed between Us. We may also use your aforementioned personal information to detect and prevent fraud and misuse of Our Services.

  • We rely on legitimate interest or the consent that you have provided to Us.

Processing of your personal data may be necessary for compliance with Our legal obligations.
  • We process your information for the purpose of complying with Our legal obligations.

For statistical analysis and reporting in gaining commercial insight into Our events, for analysis on the performance of the event and how services can be improved for Our future events.

We may ask for your feedback on the event.

  • We rely on legitimate interests for such purposes.

 

Please note that where it is necessary for you to provide personal data as part of a contractual requirement, then where you do not do so, then We may be unable to perform Our obligations under the contract.

We also wish to inform you that We do not undertake any form of automated decision-making (including profiling).

Who do We share your personal data with?

We share your personal data (to the extent that it is appropriate to do so) with:

  • The venue at which the event will take place.
  • The caterers for the event.
  • Our third-party service providers, (including the online event registering or booking platform) payment processing and emailing/mailing companies.
  • To create a delegate list (which will include your name, company, email or telephone number), which will be shared with an Exhibitor/s or Sponsor/s at the Event, with your explicit consent.
  • Our third-party cookies providers.

How do We process your personal data?

In accordance with the UK GDPR and the EU GDPR, and applicable International data protection laws, We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard your personal data.

Other than as set out above, We will not disclose any of your personal data without your permission unless it is lawful to do so, or We are required to do so (for example, if required to do so by law, a court order or for the prevention of fraud or other crime).

Data Retention

We will only keep your personal data for as long as we are either required to do so by law or any applicable statutory limitation period, or as is required to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected.

We maintain a data retention schedule to meet Our data protection obligations in this respect. Please contact Our data protection team by using the following email address: compliance@theiet.org for any questions or information which you may have in this regard.

Transferring your information

We process your personal data in the UK and in the EEA. Transfers between the two areas are permitted by virtue of: the UK GDPR’s adequacy regulations in respect of the EEA; and the EU GDPR’s adequacy decision in respect of the UK.

In the course of carrying out the activities referred to above, We may also transfer your data outside of the UK and EEA. In such cases, We will take steps to ensure that your personal data is adequately protected in accordance with the applicable UK GDPR or EU GDPR legal requirements, which may include UK IDTA and EU addendum and reliance on EU - US DPF and UK extension that have been approved for such purposes, or other permitted transfer mechanisms.

Your rights in relation to your personal data

You have the following specific rights in respect of the personal data which We process:

  1. The right to be informed about how We use personal data. This Policy satisfies that right by explaining who We are; the purposes for which We process personal data and Our lawful basis in so doing; the categories of data We process; third party disclosures; and details of any transfers of personal data outside the UK and the EEA.
  2. The right of access to the personal data which We hold. In most cases this will be free of charge and must be provided within one month of receipt. To obtain a copy of the personal data We hold on you, please write to Us and provide Us with your details or email compliance@theiet.org. There are some exemptions to this right, which means you may not always receive all the information which We process.
  3. The right to rectification where data is inaccurate or incomplete. In such cases We shall make any amendments or additions within one month of your request.
  4. The right to erasure of personal data, but only in very specific circumstances typically where the personal data is no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which it was originally collected or processed, or, in certain cases where We have relied on consent to process the personal data, when that consent is withdrawn and there is no other legitimate reason for continuing to process that personal data; or when you object to the processing and there is no overriding legitimate interest for continuing the processing.
  5. The right to restrict processing. You can ask Us to temporarily limit the use of your personal data whilst We are considering: a challenge which you have made to the accuracy of your personal data; or an objection which you have made to the use of your personal data. You can also ask Us to limit the use of your personal data rather than delete it, if: We processed your personal data unlawfully, but you do not want it deleted; or We no longer need your personal data, but you want Us to keep it in order to create, exercise or defend legal claims.
  6. The right to data portability only applies to information which you have given Us. You have the right to ask that We transfer the information which you gave Us from one organisation to another or give it to you. The right only applies if We are processing your personal data based on your consent or under, or in talks about entering into a contract and the processing is automated.
  7. The right to object in cases where processing is based on legitimate interests, where: Our requirement to process your personal data is overridden by your interests; or where the legitimate interest were for the purposes of direct marketing.
  8. The right to withdraw consent. Where you have provided consent to Our use of your personal data you may withdraw your consent by emailing Us at compliance@theiet.org
    Once you have withdrawn your consent, We will no longer process your personal data for the purposes for which you had originally consented. You should note that as a result We may be unable to provide you with certain services which relied on the processing for which you withdrew consent.
    You may unsubscribe from Our marketing emails using the unsubscribe option in the email or by logging into your MY IET account and changing your preferences, or by informing Us by emailing Us at compliance@theiet.org.

Contact details

Please contact Our data protection team at compliance@theiet.org if you have any questions about the processing of your personal data, or if you would like to exercise any of your data rights.

If you believe We have not processed your personal data in accordance with data protection law you may raise a compliant with the IET Data Protection Officer (DPO) privacyoffice@theiet.org

If you consider that processing of personal data relating to you infringes data protection law, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. The UK supervisory authority is the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF Tel: 0303 123 1113

If you are a resident of the EU/EEA you can contact the IETs GDPR Representative in the EU, European Data Protection Office (EDPO) You can contact EDPO regarding matters pertaining to the GDPR by using EDPO’s online request form: https://edpo.com/gdpr-data-request/ or by writing to EDPO at Avenue Huart Hamoir 71, 1030 Brussels, Belgium.

If you are resident in India you may contact the IET India Designated Grievance Officer at india@theiet.org.

Version: 03.2024

How does this privacy notice relate to other privacy notices?

This privacy notice explains how we use your personal data in relation to your interest in, or attendance at, an event run by us. It supplements our privacy notice on our website.

You can download the full IET Events privacy policy below.