Attendance Policies

Attendee Cancellation

All cancellation requests must be submitted through the Cancellation/Refund Request Form on or before January 11, 2027, to be eligible to receive a refund of the registration fee. All cancellations are subject to a $50 per person administrative processing fee. No-shows will not be refunded. Cancellations received prior to January 11 will be refunded in full, less a $50 administrative processing fee. Requests for refunds after the deadline will be reviewed by the AHRD Board of Directors on an individual basis two to three weeks after the conference. Special requests must be received before January 11, 2027 through the Cancellation/Refund Request Online Form. Please include an explanation of any extenuating circumstances and upload supporting documents. Refund requests will be reviewed two to three weeks after the conference. Refund requests received after January 11, 2027 will NOT be reviewed.

Registrations can be transferred to another person within your organization with the same membership status by contacting office@ahrd.org

Any questions? Please contact the AHRD office at office@ahrd.org.

Privacy

AHRD is committed to data privacy and protecting your personal information. Information on how AHRD collects, processes, and uses your data is included in the AHRD Privacy Policy which is hereby incorporated into this Registration Agreement.

If you are a member and register for one of our Events, we will access the information in your member account to provide you with information and services associated with the Event. If you are not a member and you register for one of our Events, we will collect your name and contact information, which we will store in our database and use to provide you with information and services associated with the Event. If you are a presenter at one of our Events, we will collect information about you, including your name, employer and contact information, and photograph, and we may also collect information provided by Event attendees who evaluated your performance as a presenter. As an attendee, speaker, or sponsor/exhibitor, we will keep a record of your participation to provide you with post-Event information, including details on upcoming events you may be interested in.

AHRD uses the personal data you provide in the registration for administering your participation in this Event. This may include information about the Event’s content, logistics, payment, updates, and additional information related to the Event.

AHRD may disclose your personal data to third party service providers engaged by AHRD to assist in the processing of your registration and conducting the Event. Your contact information may be shared via an Event mobile app or attendee list as part of your participation in the Event. Your hotel reservation information may be shared between AHRD and the hotel. Information you provide when registering for or participating in an Event managed or co-sponsored by parties other than or in addition to AHRD may be shared with those parties, and the treatment of such information is subject to the privacy polices of those parties. AHRD will not disclose your personal data to any other third party without your consent except where required to do so by law.

You may contact us at any time about any concern or question you have about our use of your information.

Payment Terms and PCI Compliance

The registration payments are processed by third party provider(s) processing payments on behalf of AHRD. If you elect to pay for your registration by credit card, you are responsible for providing a valid credit card number at the time you register to pay. You represent and warrant that you are an authorized user of the credit card number provided, and you agree to pay all charges resulting from your order, including any unauthorized charges incurred prior to your notice to us of such charges. You agree that we may pass your credit card information and personally identifiable information to our designated third-party provider(s) for its use in processing the credit card payment for the registration. We will comply and will ensure that our designated third-party provider(s) comply, with any credit card processing rules and privacy regulations.

Please do not email forms with credit card information.  To protect your data and to comply with PCI standards, the AHRD office will not accept emailed credit card information.

Photo/Audio/Video Release

By registering for or attending this Event, you acknowledge and consent to be recorded or photographed and authorize AHRD to use your likeness, personal characteristics, and any other proprietary and publicity rights for any such purposes without the requirement of further notice, royalty, payment, or other compensation to or consent from you.  This includes photographs, video, recordings, screenshots, written text or verbal comments/questions on the virtual platform, social media or emails (“Recording(s)”). By registering for or attending this Event you also acknowledged that all Recordings are the property of AHRD.

We reserve the right to use any Recording taken at our Events, without the expressed written permission of those included within the Recording.  We may use the Recording in publications or other media material produced, used or contracted, including, but not limited to:  brochures, invitations, books, newspapers, magazines, television, websites, social media, emails, etc.  Consenting to Recording includes the use, editing, copying, publishing, and/or exhibition of the Recordings which may include your voice, name, and/or likeness, in any and all forms of media.  To ensure the privacy of individuals, images will not be identified using full names or personal identifying information without written approval from the photographed subject.

Code of Conduct

AHRD Event Code of Conduct

By registering for or attending the Event, you agree to comply with the following Code of Conduct at all times during the Event and any Event-related gatherings.

The AHRD leadership and staff are committed to providing a safe, productive, welcoming, and vibrant learning environment to all participants, including staff and vendors, at all of our Events.  We welcome people from as many diverse backgrounds as possible. We expect our Events to be a respectful, harassment-free environment for people of all races, gender and trans identity, sexual orientation, ability, nationality, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and beliefs. We have no tolerance for discrimination, harassment, or bullying in any form at an Event for any reason, including on account of a person’s age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religion, gender, sexual or affectional orientation, gender identity, appearance, matriculation, political affiliation, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.  Participants are expected to adhere to these principles and respect the rights of others.

We’re grateful that our community is positive, friendly and supportive of one another — it’s what makes our events such a draw each year.

In that spirit, the staff, supporters, volunteers, attendees and speakers at AHRD Events are expected to:

• Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
• Keep conversations professional, respectful and consider other parties’ points of view. In short, don’t make it personal. Passionate conversations are part of solving problems. Disagreements happen all the time and are necessary to consider difficult questions.
• Remember that the boundaries of good taste, humor, personal space and physical interaction differ from person to person; if you sense someone feels uncomfortable — whether they explicitly state it or not — be respectful of those boundaries.
• Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory or harassing behavior. Harassment and inappropriate behavior may include, but are not limited to:
  • Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise discriminatory jokes or language, physical intimidation, stalking or following sustained disruption of talks or events.
  • Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material; if for any reason you may need this material for an educational session, please contact AHRD staff first and we can discuss how to give an appropriate warning to participants
  • Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate touching, groping and unwelcome sexual advances.
  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

Website Terms

Access to and use of the Site and any other AHRD websites linked to or referenced during the Event or any materials distributed by AHRD during the Event shall be subject to the terms of the applicable Terms of Use and Privacy Policy made available on the AHRD website.

Liability Waiver, Release and Indemnity

In consideration of being allowed to register for, and participate in the Event, you hereby warrant and represent that you are age 18 or above and freely waive, release from liability, assume all risks, and covenant not to sue AHRD and its officers, directors, employees, members and agents (the “Released Parties”) from any and all liability for any injury, loss, or damage arising out of or in connection with your participation in the Event, including loss of life, illness, including, but not limited to, COVID-19, disability, property damage, or property theft or actions of any kind that you may hereafter suffer or sustain before, during, or after the Event, unless said expense, loss, damage, personal injury, including loss of life, illness, disability, property damage or property theft or actions of any kind is caused by the sole, gross negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify and hold the Released Parties harmless from and against any liability for any injury, loss, damage, cost or expense arising out of or in connection with my negligence or misconduct at or in connection with the Event.

Recommendations given and views expressed by third-party speakers, sponsors and/or exhibitors are their own and AHRD in no way endorses or guarantees such recommendations or views. AHRD shall have no liability for any advice given, or views expressed, by any third-party speaker, sponsor and/or exhibitor at the Event or in any material provided to attendees that is prepared by third-parties.

YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOUR ATTENDANCE AT THE EVENT IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK, AND THE EVENT AND ALL INFORMATION AND MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. FURTHER, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW AND REGARDLESS OF THE NATURE OF THE ACTION OR THEORY OF LIABILITY, IN NO EVENT WILL AHRD OR ITS CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST OPPORTUNITY, LOST SAVINGS, LOSS OF GOODWILL, LOST BUSINESS, LOSS OF ANTICIPATED BENEFITS, OR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR AS A RESULT OF THIS REGISTRATION AGREEMENT, THE EVENT, OR ANY INFORMATION OR MATERIALS PRESENTED OR MADE AVAILABLE DURING THE EVENT, EVEN IF AHRD HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

General

AHRD reserves the right to change, amend, add or remove any of the above terms in its sole discretion and without prior notice. If one or more of the conditions outlined in this Registration Agreement should become invalid, the remaining conditions will continue to be valid and apply. This Registration Agreement applies to all Event participants, including but not limited to, attendees, speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors.

Unless you are subject to a separate agreement with AHRD, this Agreement constitute the entire agreement and understanding among the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior and contemporaneous agreements, understandings, inducements and conditions expressed or implied, oral or written, of any nature whatsoever with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors, and assigns. This Agreement may not be assigned without AHRD’s express, prior written consent which may be withheld at AHRD’s sole discretion.

This Agreement and the resolution of any dispute related to the terms of this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Virginia without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law provisions.

[Following Guest Provisions Are Optional]

*Guest Attendance Policy

All Event activities (including educational sessions, meal functions, exhibit hall, etc.) are exclusively reserved for Event attendees. Non-registered guests (including children, family members, colleagues, etc.) are not allowed in the Event areas. Badges provided at registration are required for entrance into all functions and will be strictly enforced.