7. Cancellation by Participant; Nomination of a Representative
7.1 A contractual right of withdrawal or termination for the Participant has not been agreed upon. For the sake of clarity: The right of withdrawal for consumers according to No. 6 remains unaffected by this.
7.2 If the Participant cannot attend the event – for whatever reason – the participation fee is still due and payments already made will not be refunded. This also applies if the Participant cancels their participation before the start of the event.
7.3 Notwithstanding No. 7.2, the Organizer may provide for a full or partial refund of the participation fee. Further details can be found in the respective event description.
7.4 If a refund of participation fees is provided for and not expressly regulated, a refund will be granted as follows:
a. for a cancellation up to 4 months before the start of the event, a refund of 100 percent,
b. for a cancellation up to 2 months before the start of the event, a refund of 75 percent,
c. for a cancellation up to 1 month before the start of the event, a refund of 50 percent, and
d. for a cancellation within 1 month before the start of the event, no refund
will be granted.
7.5 Notifications of non-participation must be sent to the Organizer in text form (e.g., letter, fax, email). The date of the postmark is decisive for the time of notification; for faxes or emails, the date of sending is decisive.
7.6 Refunds will be made within 2 months after the end of the event – unless otherwise agreed – using the payment method chosen during registration. If bank transaction fees are incurred due to a refund, these are to be borne by the Participant.
7.7 If the Participant cannot attend the event, they are entitled to nominate a representative to participate in the event in their place. The representative must be named to the Organizer. For this purpose, the information required for registration must be sent to the Organizer in text form.
7.8 The notification of non-participation or the nomination of a representative has no influence on any service relationships with third parties (see, for example, 4.3). This applies in particular to accommodation reservations (hotel rooms, etc.) made by the Participant.
8. Cancellation by Organizer; Withdrawal by Organizer
8.1 The Organizer reserves the right to cancel or terminate the event for good cause in accordance with the following provisions. A good cause exists if, taking into account all circumstances of the individual case and weighing the interests of both parties, the execution of the event is not reasonable for the Organizer. In particular, a good cause is given in the event of a justified risk of terrorist attacks, severe natural events, force majeure (for example, acts of war, strikes, epidemics, operational disruptions), prevention, illness, or death of persons who are essential for the content and execution of the event program.
8.2 If the event is canceled in accordance with No. 8.1, the obligation to pay a participation fee shall lapse. The Participant may request a refund for payments already made. In the event of termination of the event, only a pro-rata refund will be made. The Participant is not entitled to further claims due to the cancellation or termination, provided the Organizer is not responsible for the reason for the cancellation or termination.
8.3 If the number of registrations for the event is so low that the execution of the event is not economically reasonable for the Organizer, taking into account the event format and the planned framework conditions (for example, venue), the Organizer is entitled to declare its withdrawal from the event and cancel it. No. 8.2 applies accordingly.
9. Domiciliary Rights
The respective house rules, including any safety guidelines, at the event venue shall apply. The Participant must follow instructions given in the exercise of domiciliary rights.
10. Cloakroom
10.1 If offered, the Participant shall use the designated cloakroom areas for depositing items.
10.2 No liability is assumed for clothing and bag contents left at unattended cloakroom racks outside the designated cloakroom areas.
11. Internet Access
11.1 The Organizer is not obliged to provide an internet connection (via Wi-Fi, LAN) as part of an event.
11.2 If this is exceptionally offered at the event venue, the conditions for internet access valid on-site shall apply.
12. Advertising and Sales Activities
12.1 Any type of advertising as well as the offering and sale of goods or services by the Participant at the event venue and the associated grounds is only permitted with the prior written consent of the Organizer.
12.2 The Participant is responsible for their own references to the event (for example, on the internet). In this respect, they do not act on behalf of the Organizer.
13. Exhibitors
13.1 Participation as an exhibitor at the event is only permitted with the prior written consent of the Organizer. Details are set out in a separate agreement to be made between the Organizer and the exhibitor.
13.2 Exhibitors are required to show appropriate consideration for the legitimate interests of the Organizer and the other participants. This applies before, during, and after the event.
14. Image and/or Sound Recordings
14.1 The Organizer will produce and use photographs or video recordings during the event for purposes including documentation, accompanying and subsequent reporting, provision for a fee, subsequent promotion of the event, and announcement of future events. The Organizer is entitled to provide the recordings to third parties (for example, the press) for the stated purposes and to publish them on media platforms (for example, social networks, its own website).
14.2 The Organizer will ensure that the personal rights of a Participant are not violated when using and exploiting image and/or sound recordings. Where necessary, the consent of the Participants will be obtained.
14.3 The Participant is only permitted to produce and use image and/or sound recordings for private purposes. Any commercial use of the image and/or sound material by the Participant is only permitted with the prior written consent of the Organizer.
15. Participation in Awards; Application; Handling of Parts
15.1 Depending on the respective event, Participants have the opportunity to apply for awards (for example, honors, prizes for specific plastic parts) (hereinafter also referred to as “Applicants”), such as the “SPE AutomotiveAward”. Detailed information on submitting the application – for example, application deadline, submission fee (including payment terms and due date), award category, form to be filled out, information required from the Applicant, sending of any (plastic) parts – can be found on the corresponding official website of the event. The complete, timely submission of the documents and the associated (plastic) parts, as well as the timely payment of the respective submission fee by the Applicant, are prerequisites for applying for an award. Duplicate submission of the application is not permitted.
15.2 The sending of (plastic) parts as part of applications is at the Applicant’s risk.
15.3 The Applicant expressly warrants that their application – in particular with regard to any (plastic) parts – does not violate the rights of third parties. The Applicant must inform the Organizer immediately if third parties assert rights regarding the application or the (plastic) parts, whether through an inquiry of entitlement, warning, legal steps, or similar.
15.4 The awards are presented by SPE as part of the respective event, for example, as part of the Award Night. The decision on the granting of an award is made by a jury as part of a vote. The jury’s decision is based on a transparent, comprehensible, independent evaluation process based on written criteria.
15.5 SPE reserves the right to refuse certain applications for the award, exclude them from the award, or not present them to the jury at any time. This includes, for example, applications or (plastic) parts that violate public policy, obviously do not meet the criteria for an award, or constitute plagiarism.
15.6 In the event of exclusion, non-admission, or non-submission of the application to the jury, the Applicant has no claim to a refund of the submission fee. Furthermore, the Applicant has no claim to a refund of the submission fee if the Applicant withdraws their application, does not receive an award, or is granted an award.
15.7 SPE may produce photographs, videos, or animations of all (plastic) parts submitted by the Applicant and provide these photographs, videos, or animations to the press and publish them on media platforms (for example, social networks, its own website). Furthermore, the (plastic) parts submitted by the Applicant may remain with SPE after the award ceremony and be shown in exhibitions, preferably in universities and colleges to support teaching activities. The Applicant has no claim to exhibition. The (plastic) parts and documents sent by the Applicant will not be returned to the Applicant.
15.8 If the Applicant is granted an award, the Applicant may mention the corresponding award as part of their product presentation for the corresponding (plastic) part and advertise with the award for the (plastic) part.
16. Liability
16.1 The Organizer is liable for simple negligence only in the event of a breach of essential contractual obligations (cardinal obligations). Cardinal obligations are essential contractual obligations that the contract intends to impose on the Organizer according to its meaning and purpose, the breach of which endangers the purpose of the contract, which are considered necessary for the proper and careful execution of the contract, and on the fulfillment of which the Participant may regularly rely. This liability is limited to the damage typically foreseeable at the time the contract was concluded.
16.2 The personal liability of legal representatives, vicarious agents, and employees of the Organizer for damages caused by simple negligence is also limited to the scope according to No. 16.1.
16.3 The aforementioned limitations of liability (No. 16.1 and No. 16.2) do not apply to damages caused intentionally or by gross negligence, to culpably caused bodily injury, as well as to liability under the Product Liability Act and in the event of other mandatory liability facts. Furthermore, they do not apply if and to the extent that the Organizer has assumed a guarantee.
16.4 The Participant is obliged to take reasonable measures to prevent and mitigate damage.
17. Data Protection
Information on how the Organizer processes personal data in connection with the event can be found in the privacy policy at https://www.spe-ce.de/datenschutz/.
18. Consumer Dispute Resolution
The Organizer is neither willing nor obliged to participate in a dispute resolution procedure before a consumer arbitration board.
19. Applicable Law and Jurisdiction
19.1 If the Participant is a merchant, a legal entity under public law, or a special fund under public law, Hannover shall be the exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from contractual agreements between the Participant and the Organizer.
19.2 German law shall apply to all disputes arising from or on the basis of this contractual agreement, to the exclusion of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). Despite the application of German law, Participants who are consumers also enjoy the protection of the mandatory provisions of the law of the state in which the consumer has their habitual residence. The application of mandatory provisions that restrict the choice of law, and in particular the applicability of mandatory legal provisions of the state in which the consumer has their habitual residence, such as consumer protection laws, remains unaffected.
As of: January 2025
