Privacy & Cookies Policy

This Privacy & Cookie Policy explains how Partnership Network Events Ltd collects, uses and protects your personal data in connection with our events and websites. Please read it carefully before registering for any PNE event or using any of our websites.

 

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to all individuals who interact with Partnership Network Events Ltd and our event brands, including:

• Delegates who register for or attend any PNE event
• Sponsors and solution providers who participate in our events
• Visitors to any website owned or operated by PNE
• Individuals who contact us by email, phone or through our websites

PNE operates a portfolio of hosted buyer events across multiple sectors, all under the Partnership Network Events brand. This policy covers all of the following event brands:
 

All brands operate under the same hosted buyer event model and are subject to the same data practices set out in this policy. Partnership Network Events Ltd is the data controller for all brands.

The personal data we collect depends on how you interact with us. We collect:

From delegates registering for events

• Identity data — name, job title, seniority
• Contact data — work email address, phone number, organisation name
• Professional data — sector, current priorities, challenges, investment areas, budget information and future plans relevant to your role
• Special category data — dietary requirements or accessibility needs (provided voluntarily and used solely to facilitate your attendance)

From sponsors and solution providers

• Identity and contact data — name, job title, organisation, email and phone
• Commercial data — details of products, services and target markets relevant to the event

From website visitors

• Technical data — IP address, browser type, device information
• Usage data — pages visited, time on site, referral source
• Cookie data — as described in Section 9 of this policy

We do not collect payment card data directly. Any payments are processed by our payment providers who are bound by their own security standards and obligations.

We do not market to or knowingly collect data from anyone under the age of 18.

We collect personal data through the following means:

• Registration forms completed on our event websites
• Direct communication with our team by email, phone or in person
• Onsite at events, including check-in, session sign-ups and any networking tools used during the event
• Our websites, through cookies and analytics tools as described in Section 9
• Legitimate third-party sources, such as professional directories or sector databases, used to identify potential delegates or sponsors for our events

UK GDPR requires us to identify a lawful basis for each way we use your personal data. The table below sets out how we use your data and the basis on which we do so.
 

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We only share personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so and where appropriate safeguards are in place. We may share your data with the following categories of recipient:

Event solution providers and sponsors

As described in Section 4, delegate registration profiles are shared with attending solution providers to facilitate the meeting programme and wider event experience. Solution providers act as independent data controllers for any contact they make with you following the event.

Group companies

PNE is part of the CloserStill Group. We may share data with other group entities where necessary for operational, administrative or compliance purposes. All group entities are bound by appropriate data sharing agreements.

Event technology and operational suppliers

We use third-party providers to help us deliver our events and manage our websites. These may include event management platforms, email marketing tools, CRM systems, website hosting providers and analytics platforms. All suppliers are bound by data processing agreements and may only use your data as instructed by us.

Professional advisers

We may share data with lawyers, accountants, auditors and other professional advisers where necessary for the lawful management of our business.

Regulatory and legal authorities

We will disclose personal data to courts, law enforcement or regulatory bodies where required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal request.

We will never sell your personal data to third parties or share it for purposes unconnected to our events and services.

Some  third-party suppliers may operate outside the UK or European Economic Area. Where your personal data is transferred internationally, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• Standard contractual clauses approved by the UK ICO or European Commission
• Adequacy decisions confirming equivalent data protection standards in the recipient country
• Binding corporate rules or other approved transfer mechanisms where applicable

We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and in accordance with applicable law. In practice this means:

• Delegate registration data is retained for a period of up to three years following the event, to support follow-up communications about future relevant events and to maintain an accurate record of attendance
• Sponsor and solution provider data is retained for the duration of our commercial relationship and for a reasonable period thereafter
• Website usage and analytics data is retained in accordance with our cookie settings, typically for no longer than 13 months
• Special category data such as dietary or accessibility requirements is deleted following the relevant event

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting dataprotection@pne-uk.com. We will action your request unless we are required by law to retain the data.

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
 

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at dataprotection@pne-uk.com. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on your request. We will respond within one month.

If you are not satisfied with how we handle your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk. We would always welcome the opportunity to resolve any concern directly before a complaint is made.

Our websites use cookies and similar technologies to help them function, to understand how they are used, and to support our marketing activities. This section explains what cookies we use and how you can manage them.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device and remember information about your visit. Some cookies are essential for the website to work; others are used to improve your experience or to collect analytics data.

The cookies we use

Managing cookies

When you first visit a PNE website, you will be asked to confirm your cookie preferences. You can update your preferences at any time through the cookie settings on the relevant website, or by adjusting your browser settings to block or delete cookies. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our websites.

For more information about cookies and how to manage them, visit allaboutcookies.org.

We take the security of your personal data seriously and have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, disclosure or misuse. These measures are kept under regular review.

All staff with access to personal data are trained on their obligations and bound by confidentiality requirements. Where we use third-party processors, we ensure they meet equivalent security standards.

While we take every reasonable precaution, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. If you have concerns about the security of your data, please contact us at dataprotection@pne-uk.com.

Our websites may contain links to third-party websites. This policy does not apply to those websites and we are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any third-party website you visit before submitting personal data.

We will update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data practices or applicable law. Where changes are material, we will notify registered delegates by email. The date at the top of this page will always reflect when the policy was last updated.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed of how we handle your data.

For any questions about this policy or to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us: