General terms and conditions

The following terms and conditions, dated 29th June 2023, apply to the contracts for the sale of congress and event tickets (admission tickets) for events, or parts thereof, organised by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kardiologie – Herz- und Kreislaufforschung e.V. (hereinafter referred to as the Organiser).

For better readability, the text does not generally use more than one gender although, naturally, all the statements made refer to both the female and male genders, as well as non-binary gender identities.

Section A governs the general provisions which always apply. Section B additionally applies if admission tickets are purchased by means of remote communication methods (online, telephone, fax, self-check terminal admission tickets, scanning of member data). Section C applies when admission tickets are purchased on-site at the ticket office. Section D additionally applies if the event is a virtual event.

Section E stipulates the General Terms and Conditions of Business for the purchase of congress and event tickets for which m:con is acting on its own behalf and on its own account, so called non-scientific part of the Event; so called non-scientific part of the Event.

Section A: General Provisions

1. Scope of Validity

The following terms and conditions of the organiser exclusively apply. Counter-confirmation by the customer, with reference to their own terms and conditions of business or purchase, are hereby vetoed. Deviations from the General Terms and Conditions of Business shall only be effective if they have been confirmed in writing by m:con.

2. Conclusion of the Contract

A direct contract is concluded between the organiser and the customer.

By sending off his/her registration, the Customer is placing a binding order (offer to enter into a contract) and is declaring that he/she will abide by said offer for 5 (five) working days.

The information received will be checked within this period of time allowed for the offer to be accepted. In the event that the offer is rejected, notification to that effect will be sent out. In the event that the offer is accepted, confirmation of an order/invoice will be sent out. In the event that the information is incomplete, or necessary information is missing, e.g. proof of the application of a reduced tariff, a request will be made for further information to be sent in. In the latter case, the period of time allowed for acceptance shall be extended by a further 5 (five) working days.

3. Payment

Payment by the following methods of payment is accepted: SEPA direct debit; payment by credit card (American Express, Mastercard and ViSA).

The total price of the order, including fees incurred and statutory VAT, shall be due for payment immediately upon the contract being concluded if the following methods of payment are used: credit card and SEPA direct debit.

Notwithstanding this, if payment is to be made by bank remittance, the whole price is to be paid into the account stated on the invoice, by the date stated on the invoice, quoting the invoice number as a reference. The Customer shall have to ensure that the total amount of his/her order will be credited to the bank account in full, i.e. bank charges and/or transfer fees are to be borne by the Customer. The information required to remit a payment by bank transfer (invoice number, bank account details) is on the invoice. The invoice will be sent out by e-mail.

When using the SEPA direct debit system of payment, or payment by credit card, payment will be made via the payment service provider, Computop Wirtschaftsinformatik GmbH, Schwarzenbergstr.4, D-96050 Bamberg.

The prices shown shall not include the VAT incurred, if applicable.

4. Cancellations

Irrespective of the regulations on the right of cancellation set out in section B, I (only in the case of ticket purchases by remote communication methods), there is a contractual right which allows the cancellation of an order. Cancellations must be made in text form and are to be addressed to

m:con – mannheim:congress GmbH
Rosengartenplatz 2,
68161 Mannheim,
dgk.registrierung@mcon-mannheim.de
Telefon +49(0)621 / 41 06 – 6803

If a cancellation is received more than four weeks prior to the beginning of the event, a handling fee amounting to the sum of EUR 30.00 plus any VAT, if applicable shall be payable for each person registered. Cancellations received less than four weeks prior to the event will not be accepted.

In the event that the Customer is a consumer within the meaning of Section 13 BGB, and he/she exercises his/her right of revocation within the revocation period to which he/she is entitled in accordance with Section B, I above, a handling fee will not be charged.

The full admission ticket price will also have to be paid if a registered customer fails to attend the event.

5. Amendments/Refusals

The event will only be staged if a set minimum number of participants register. The event organiser shall reserve the right to replace speakers, relocate events in terms of location or time, to cancel events, or to make amendments to the programme. If an event is cancelled, any fees already received will be returned in full.

The number of participants shall be limited for events consisting of, or including, courses or workshops for which a fee must be paid. The range of courses on offer is generally subject to change without notice. This means that they are to be understood as an offer for as long as spaces on courses are still available. Registration for all courses must be made in writing, or via the internet, and they are binding. Spaces on courses will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. The customer will be notified in the event of overbooking.

Bitte beachten Sie, dass sich aufgrund des Infektionsgeschehens infolge der Sars-Cov-2-Pandemie für Präsenz- und Hybridveranstaltungen bei Vorträgen eine festgelegte Personenzahl pro Vortragsraum ergibt. Die Personenzahl ergibt sich zum einen aus dem Hygienekonzept für den Kongress, sie kann sich aber auch aufgrund behördlicher Auflagen kurzfristig ändern. Wenn die vorgeschriebene Personenzahl für den Vortragsraum erreicht ist, dürfen keine weiteren Personen für den Vortragsraum zugelassen werden. Daraus folgt für den Teilnehmer kein Anspruch auf Zutritt zu bestimmten Vorträgen. Hieraus leiten sich keine Ansprüche auf Kosten- oder Schadensersatz ab.

If the Congress cannot be held in person on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Organiser reserves the right to hold the Congress in digital form only at short notice and to adjust the participation fees accordingly.

If the Congress cannot be held on account of force majeure, the Organiser can also cancel the Congress entirely. Force majeure includes orders from authorities, strikes, internal unrest, war or threat thereof, threat of terrorist attacks or attacks which have already taken place, pandemics and epidemics (COVID-19 in particular), natural disasters, significant disruption or other emergencies which render it impossible or futile to hold the Congress. Cancellation requires the force majeure event to have taken place within 30 days before the beginning of the Congress, or for it to be expected that the consequences of the force majeure event will still have repercussions at the time the Congress is to be held. Further costs or compensation for losses, in particular for (advance) payments already made to third parties (e.g. hotel bookings) will not be assumed.

Wenn die Durchführung des Kongresses infolge höherer Gewalt (Definition siehe oben) nur mit einer geringeren Personenzahl als ursprünglich geplant, möglich ist, wird der Veranstalter Ticketstornierungen vornehmen. Auch in diesem Fall werden weitergehende Kosten oder Schadensersatz, insbesondere für bereits geleistete (An-)Zahlungen an Dritte (z. B. Hotelbuchungen, Flug- oder Bahntickets, o. ä.) nicht übernommen.

6. Other Handling Fees

The admission tickets are personalised. A handling fee of 10.00 euros plus VAT will be charged for each person, if names are changed.

If raised invoices are corrected, a handling fee of 20.00 euros plus VAT, if applicable, will be charged. Special requests regarding the format used for the presentation of invoices will have to be submitted at registration.

Insofar as applicable, attendance certificates/CME (Continuing Medical Education) certificates will be issued on-site. A handling fee of 10.00 euros plus VAT will be charged for each certificate issued and subsequently dispatched. Only after this handling fee has been received, will the certificate be printed and sent out.

7. Liability

The event organiser and m:con shall – regardless of whichever legal reason – only be liable for damages attributable to intentional or grossly negligent breaches of duty. The event organiser and m:con shall also be liable for damages resulting from death, personal injury or physical harm in cases of breaches of duty resulting from ordinary negligence.

If cardinal contractual duties are breached, the liability of the event organiser shall be limited to the foreseeable damages typical for the contract, unless he/she is guilty of intent, or gross negligence, or is liable for death, personal injury or physical harm.

The above exclusions and limitations of liability shall also apply to breaches of duty committed by the executive bodies, assistants or vicarious agents of the event organiser and m:con.

The above paragraphs shall also apply in the event that the assistants and vicarious agents of m:con, or of the respective event organiser, are liable.

8. Data Protection Information

m:con is an entity with a specialisation in, inter alia, the planning, organisation and carrying out of events of any kind, such as congresses (medical-scientific congresses), (scientific) conferences, annual general meetings (e.g. shareholders), fairs, exhibitions, seminars, education and training events, and other (commercial) events. The events take place at the Congress Center Rosengarten Mannheim, or other venues, and are realised by m:con on its own as an event organiser, or as an agent on behalf of another event organiser.

m:con uses customer management software, with which it processes data obtained during the registration process for an event. The processed data may also contain personal information and may be used by m:con for (i) care of the customer relationship, (ii) documentation purposes, (iii) complaint and quality management and (iv) for direct advertising purposes in order to send customers any information and event offers which are carried out by m:con on its own as an event organiser, or as an agent on behalf of another event organiser.

The legal basis for processing these data is Article 6 para 1 point a,b,f of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR). The processing of data takes place for the specific purposes described above.

Extensive precautionary measures are taken when data is collected with the aim of protecting your personal data. Your personal data will be handled in strict confidence and kept in a secure environment to protect it from unauthorised access. Only authorised members of staff will have access to it.

Further information can be found in the data protection statement, which can be found in footer of the website during the online registration process, or in the case of on-site bookings at the counter.

9. Photographs

By purchasing an admission ticket, the Customer is confirming that he/she agrees to photographs, films and/or sound recordings being taken of him/her as part of the audience, and that he/she agrees to their publication for advertising purposes in the following media.

The unauthorised use of cameras or other recording devices is forbidden. The deletion or destruction of the recordings made with the relevant media may be demanded.

10. Third-Party Regulations, e.g. House Rules

The purchase of an admission ticket entitles the holder to visit the respective event. Attention is expressly drawn to the separate third-party regulations, in particular their house rules or the cloakroom rules of the venue operator.

The house rules of m:con for events staged in the Congress Center Rosengarten can be read under the following link: https://events.mcon-mannheim.de/custom/media/DGK_HT_2021/WorldCCBonn_Hausordnung.pdf (only available in German)

11. Place of Fulfilment and Place of Jurisdiction

The place of jurisdiction for all legal disputes arising from the contract shall be Mannheim, if the Parties to the contract are registered traders, legal entities incorporated under public law or public-law special funds, or if at least one of the Parties to the contract does not have a general place of jurisdiction within the Federal Republic of Germany, or relocates his/her place of residence or normal whereabouts from the Federal Republic of Germany elsewhere after the contract is concluded, or if his/her place of residence or personal whereabouts are unknown at the point in time at which legal action is taken. m:con is also entitled to sue the Customer at the latter’s general place of jurisdiction, as it chooses. The place of fulfilment for all obligations arising from this contract is Mannheim.

12. Applicable Law

Only the law of the Federal Republic of Germany shall apply. The UN law on sales [CISG] shall not apply.

13. Final Provisions

Should one or more provisions of this contract be, or become, partly or completely invalid, the remainder of the contract will still remain valid. Invalid provisions are to be replaced by those which come closest to the objective sought after by the Parties.

In accordance with the 2013/11/EU directive, we wish to draw your attention to the fact that the EU commission has set up an internet platform for the settlement of disputes between entrepreneurs and consumers online (OS-Platform), which you can access at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

Section B: Purchase of Tickets by Remote Communication Methods

Section B shall additionally apply to the purchase of congress and event tickets for events, or parts thereof, by remote communication methods.

1. Instruction of the Right of Revocation

In the event that the Customer is an entrepreneur, as defined by Section 14 of the German Civil Code [BGB], and wishes to withdraw from the contract, the regulations governing cancellation in Part V shall apply.

In the event that the Customer is a consumer, as defined by Section 13 BGB, the following Instruction of the Right of Revocation shall apply:

Right of Revocation

You have the right to revoke this contract within fourteen days without having to state your reasons for doing so. The revocation period is fourteen days from the day on which the contract is concluded.

In order to exercise your right of revocation, you will need to inform us at the address below:

m:con – mannheim:congress GmbH
Rosengartenplatz 2,
68161 Mannheim,
dgk.registrierung@mcon-mannheim.de
Telefon +49(0)621 / 41 06 – 6803

by means of a clear statement of your decision to revoke this contract. You may use our pre-printed specimen revocation form to do so, although you do not have to use this form to revoke the contract:

https://events.mcon-mannheim.de/custom/media/DGK_JT_2022/Musterwiderrufsformular.pdf

To comply with the period of time allowed for revocation, it is sufficient for you to send off the notification that you are exercising your right of revocation before the revocation period expires.

Consequences of Revocation

If you revoke this contract, we shall repay to you all the payments we have re-ceived from you, including delivery costs (with the exception of additional costs incurred as a result of you having requested a different method of delivery than the cheapest standard delivery offered by us), straight away and within fourteen days at the latest from the day on which the notification that you have revoked this contract is received by us. We shall use the same method of payment as used by you to make the original payment, unless another method of pay-ment has been expressly agreed with you. Under no circumstances will you be charged fees as a result of this repayment to you.

We may refuse to repay you until we have the goods back in our possession again, or until you have proven that you have sent the goods back to us, which-ever is the earlier point in time. You will have to send or hand the goods back to us straight away and within no more than fourteen days at the latest from the day on which you inform us that you have revoked the contract. You will have complied with the period if you despatch the goods before the fourteen-day peri-od expires. You will have to bear the direct costs of returning the goods to us. You will only have to pay for any loss in value of the goods, if this loss in value is attributable to the goods having been handled by you in a manner not nec-essary for inspecting the condition, features and functions of the goods.

Preclusion of the Right of Revocation

Under Section 312g Paragraph (2) P 1 BGB, you will not be entitled to a right of revocation, or the right of revocation will expire prematurely in the following contracts:

Contracts for rendering accommodation services other than for the purposes of residence, transportation of goods, vehicle rental, delivery of food and drink, as well as for providing other services in connection with leisure activities, if the contract for said provision lays down a specific date or period of time, Section 312g Para (2) P.1 No 9 BGB; for example, an order for admission tickets for events to be staged on a specific date.

End of instruction of the right of revocation.

2. Methods of Payment

The means of payment listed in section A are those which are generally available, with the following special feature.

Separate payment is not required when purchasing admission tickets by scanning-in membership data, providing there are no outstanding membership fees.

Section C: On-Site Ticket Purchase at the Ticket Office

The means of payment listed in section A are generally available, but with the special feature that payment by EC card is also possible.

Section D: Virtual Events

For virtual events, i.e. events not dependent on location and without physical presence, or hybrid events with a location-based physical presence component, as well as a virtual component, the following supplementary regulations from section A apply:

1. Notes on Data Protection

Virtual and hybrid events are events which take place in whole, or in part, independent of location with, or without, physical presence. For participation in these types of events, the participant is connected using a technological device (laptop, PC, tablet, etc.) and a personal access authorisation.
External service providers support the connection with the event. The personal data processed, when the participants are granted access, is subject to Article 6(1)b of the European Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR). Data is solely processed in relation to the specific purposes described. More detailed information can be found on the respective websites of the service providers.

Streaming platform/live stream/live stream support: meta-fusion GmbH: ttps://www.meta-fusion.com/privacy-policy/
Chat-Tool: Slido: https://www.sli.do/terms#privacy-policy
Recording of live sessions/communication tool: Zoom (Zoom Video Communications, Inc.): https://zoom.us/docs/de-de/privacy-and-legal.html

2. Third-Party Provisions

For online participation in the event, the following technical provisions (minimum technical requirements) must be observed:

Device: desktop PC/laptop/tablet or smartphone
The latest browser version – ideally Google Chrome

Internet Explorer is now obsolete and therefore not a suitable browser for participation in the digital conference

A stable internet connection

3. Attendance-Tracking

For the awarding of CME points, the online attendance of the participants is documented by tracking based on the specifications of the State Medical Association Nordrhein.
The number of points to be earned, as well as the requirements for earning the points, will be published on the conference website [https://ht2021.dgk.org/] well in advance of the conference.
Attendance is recorded through the viewing of videos/livestreams – attendance is NOT tracked on other pages (home page, exhibitor pages, e-poster pages, etc.).

Abschnitt E: Erwerb von Eintrittskarten durch Aussteller

General Terms and Conditions of Business for m:con - mannheim:congress GmbH (hereinafter known as m:con) for the purchase of congress and event tickets for which m:con is acting on its own behalf and on its own account, so called non-scientific part of the Event; so called non-scientific part of the Event.

Dieser Abschnitt gilt ausschließlich für den Erwerb von Eintrittskarten durch Aussteller. In diesem Falle finden die Allgemeinen Geschäftsbedingungen für den Kauf von Kongress- und Veranstaltungstickets für Veranstaltung(steile), deren Veranstalter die m:con ist, Anwendung.

1. Scope of Validity

The following terms and conditions of business of m:con - mannheim:congress GmbH shall apply for contracts governing the purchase of congress and event tickets (admission tickets), which are entered into between the Purchaser of congress and/or event tickets (Customer) and the event organiser solely by means of telecommunications use.

In this case, m:con acts as the event organiser and this means that it is the party with which the Customer enters into a contract.

The Customer’s counter-confirmation drawing attention to his/her own terms and conditions of business or purchasing terms are hereby rejected. Deviations from m:con’s general terms and conditions of business shall only become valid if they have been confirmed in writing by m:con.

It is also possible to register for selected events in writing (i.e. by fax message, e-mail, or letter); the general terms and conditions of business shall also be binding in such cases. Other event-related conditions of attendance can be found on the congress home page.

2. Conclusion of the Contract

By sending in his registration, the Customer shall be placing a binding order (offer to enter into a contract) and is declaring that he/she will abide by said offer for 5 (five) working days. The information received will be checked within this acceptance period. Corresponding notification will be sent in the event that the offer is rejected. An order confirmation / invoice will be sent out if the offer is accepted. If the information submitted in the order is incomplete, or if necessary information is missing, e.g. proof of qualification for a reduced rate, a request for proof will be sent out. In the latter case, the acceptance period shall be extended by a further 5 (five) days.

A direct contract is concluded between m:con and the customer.

3. Methods of payment

Payment by the following methods of payment is accepted: SEPA direct debit; payment by credit card (American Express, Mastercard and ViSA).

The prices shown shall not include the VAT incurred, if applicable.

4. Instruction of the Right of Revocation

In the event that the Customer is an entrepreneur, as defined by Section 14 of the German Civil Code [BGB], and wishes to sever from the contract, the regulations governing cancellation in Part V shall apply.

In the event that the Customer is a consumer, as defined by Section 13 BGB, the following Instruction of the Right of Revocation shall apply:

Right of Revocation

You have the right to revoke this contract within fourteen days without having to state you reasons for doing so. The revocation period is fourteen days from the day on which the contract is concluded.

In order to exercise your right of revocation, you will need to inform us at the address below:

m:con – mannheim:congress GmbH
Rosengartenplatz 2,
68161 Mannheim,
dgk.registrierung@mcon-mannheim.de
Telefon +49(0)621 / 41 06 – 6803

https://events.mcon-mannheim.de/custom/media/DGK_JT_2022/Musterwiderrufsformular.pdf

To comply with the period of time allowed for revocation, it will be sufficient for you to send off a notification that you are exercising your right of revocation before the revocation period expires.

Consequences of Revocation

If you revoke this contract, we shall repay to you all the payments we have received from you, including delivery costs (with the exception of additional costs incurred as a result of you having requested a different method of delivery than the cheapest standard delivery offered by us), straight away and within fourteen days at the latest from the day on which the notification that you have revoked this contract is received by us. We shall use the same method of payment as used by you to make the original payment, unless another method of payment has been expressly agreed with you. Under no circumstances will you be charged fees as a result of this repayment to you.

We may refuse to repay you until we have the goods back in our possession again, or until you have proven that you have sent the goods back to us, whichever is the earlier point in time. You will have to send or hand the goods back to us straight away and within no more than fourteen days at the latest from the day on which you inform us that you have revoked the contract. You will have complied with the period if you despatch the goods before the fourteen day period expires. You will have to bear the direct costs of returning the goods to us. You will only have to pay for any loss in value of the goods, if this loss in value is attributable to the goods having been handled by you in a manner not necessary for inspecting the condition, features and functions of the goods.

Preclusion of the Right of Revocation

Under Section 312g Paragraph (2) P 1 BGB, you will not be entitled to a right of revocation, or the right of revocation will expire prematurely in the following contracts:

End of instruction of the right of revocation.

5. Cancellations

m:con – mannheim:congress GmbH
Rosengartenplatz 2,
68161 Mannheim,
dgk.registrierung@mcon-mannheim.de
Telefon +49(0)621 / 41 06 – 6803

If a cancellation is received more than four weeks prior to the beginning of the event, a handling fee amounting to the sum of 30.00 euros plus any VAT, if applicable, shall be payable for each person registered. Cancellations received less than four weeks prior to the event will not be accepted.

If the price of the admission tickets is less than 30.00 euros plus any VAT there is to pay, this shall consequently be retained and will still have to be paid in the event of a cancellation.

The full admission ticket price will also have to be paid if a registered customer fails to attend the event.

6. Amendments/Refusals

7. Other Handling Fees

The admission tickets are personalised. A handling fee of 10.00 euros plus VAT will be charged for each person, if names are changed.

Insofar as applicable, attendance certificates/CME certificates will be issued on-site. A handling fee of 10.00 euros plus VAT will be charged for each certificate issued and subsequently dispatched. Only after this handling fee has been received, will the certificate be printed and sent out.

8. Liability

The above exclusions and limitations of liability shall also apply to breaches of duty committed by the executive bodies, assistants or vicarious agents of the event organiser and m:con.

The above paragraphs shall also apply in the event that the assistants and vicarious agents of m:con, or of the respective event organiser, are liable.

9. Data Protection Information

m:con is uses customer management software, with which it processes data obtained during the registration process for an event. The processed data may also contain personal information and may be used by m:con for (i) care of the customer relationship, (ii) documentation purposes, (iii) complaint and quality management and (iv) for direct advertising purposes in order to send customers any information and event offers which are carried out by m:con on its own as an event organiser, or as an agent on behalf of another event organiser.

10. Photographs

The unauthorised use of cameras or other recording devices is forbidden. The deletion or destruction of the recordings made with the relevant media may be demanded.

11. Third-Party Regulations, e.g. House Rules

The house rules can be read under the following link: https://events.mcon-mannheim.de/custom/media/DGK_HT_2021/WorldCCBonn_Hausordnung.pdf

12. virtual events

Notes on Data Protection

Streaming-Plattform/Live-Stream/Betreuung des Live-Streams: meta-fusion GmbH; https://www.meta-fusion.com/privacy-policy/
Chat-Tool: Slido
https://www.sli.do/terms#privacy-policy
Aufzeichnung der Live-Sitzungen/Kommunikations-Tool: Zoom (Zoom Video Communications, Inc.)
https://zoom.us/docs/de-de/privacy-and-legal.html

Third-Party Provisions

For online participation in the event, the following technical provisions (minimum technical requirements) must be observed:

Device: desktop PC/laptop/tablet or smartphone
The latest browser version – ideally Google Chrome

Internet Explorer is now obsolete and therefore not a suitable browser for participation in the digital conference

A stable internet connection

Attendance-Tracking

13. Place of Fulfilment and Place of Jurisdiction

14. Applicable Law

Only the law of the Federal Republic of Germany shall apply. The UN law on sales [CISG] shall not apply.

15. Final Provisions

We are neither willing, nor obliged, to participate in a dispute settlement procedure before a consumer arbitration board.