Cancellation & Refund Policy

1. Cancellation Requests

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by email to the official conference email address or Conference Secretariat. The cancellation date will be considered the date on which the written request is received by the organizer.

Requests made verbally, by telephone, social media, messaging applications, or through third parties will not be considered valid cancellation requests.

2. Cancellation More Than 90 Days Before the Conference

Cancellation requests received more than 90 days before the official conference start date may be eligible for a refund of the registration fee, less:

• A non-refundable administrative/processing fee of $100 or the applicable amount specified by the organizer.
• Any payment gateway, bank, currency-conversion, or transaction charges already incurred by the organizer.
• Any other non-recoverable expenses specifically incurred for the participant's registration.

3. Cancellation Within 90 Days of the Conference

Cancellations received within 90 days of the conference start date are non-refundable.

At the organizer's discretion, the participant may request one of the following alternatives:

• Transfer of registration to a future edition of the same conference.
• Transfer of registration to another eligible conference organized by the organizer.
• Replacement of the registered participant by another person from the same organization.

Any transfer or replacement is subject to the organizer's written approval and applicable conditions.

4. Cancellation Within 30 Days

Registrations cancelled within 30 days of the conference start date are strictly non-refundable and non-transferable, except where the organizer expressly approves an alternative arrangement.

This restriction applies because conference arrangements, including venue, catering, printed materials, technical services, speakers, accommodation arrangements, and other operational commitments, may already have been finalized.

5. No-Show Policy

If a registered participant does not attend the conference without providing an approved cancellation or transfer request before the applicable deadline:

• No refund will be provided.
• No credit will be issued.
• No transfer will automatically be granted.
• Any accommodation, meal, workshop, or additional service purchased through the conference will also be considered non-refundable unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Failure to attend the conference does not constitute cancellation.

6. E-Poster, Virtual and Online Registrations

All E-Poster, Virtual, Online, and similar remote participation registrations are strictly non-refundable once payment has been received.

If technically feasible and approved by the organizer, the participant may be offered an alternative participation option or transfer to a future edition.

7. Registration Transfer

The organizer may permit a paid registration to be transferred to another eligible participant or future conference edition, subject to availability and written approval.

Transfer requests must be submitted before the deadline announced by the organizer. No transfer request will be accepted after the applicable transfer deadline.

Registration transfers do not automatically include accommodation, travel arrangements, workshops, additional services, or other separately purchased items.

8. Name Change / Replacement Delegate

A participant may request to replace their registration with another participant, subject to prior written approval.

The organizer reserves the right to charge an administrative or name-change fee and may reject a replacement where the registration category, eligibility, abstract, presentation, or other conference requirements are not satisfied.

9. Accommodation and Additional Services

Registration fees and accommodation/additional services are treated separately.

Cancellation of a conference registration does not automatically result in cancellation or refund of:

• Hotel accommodation
• Airport transfers
• Workshops
• Gala dinners
• Tours or excursions
• Additional meals
• Publication charges
• Abstract processing fees
• Visa invitation/administrative services
• Other optional services

Refunds for such services, where applicable, will be subject to their respective terms and the organizer's actual costs.

10. Travel and Personal Expenses

The organizer is not responsible for:

• Airfare
• Train or bus tickets
• Hotel bookings made independently
• Visa expenses
• Travel insurance
• Local transportation
• Currency exchange losses
• Other personal expenses

Participants are strongly advised to obtain appropriate travel insurance before making non-refundable travel arrangements.

11. Conference Cancellation by the Organizer

If the organizer cancels the conference for reasons within its control, the organizer may provide registered participants with one of the following remedies, at its discretion:

• Credit toward a future edition;
• Transfer of registration to another eligible conference; or
• Refund of the eligible registration amount, subject to applicable deductions and non-recoverable costs.

The organizer's liability shall be limited to the amount actually paid to the organizer for the eligible registration.

The organizer shall not be responsible for any indirect, consequential, incidental, travel, accommodation, visa, or other expenses incurred by participants.

12. Postponement or Rescheduling

If the conference is postponed or rescheduled, registrations will normally remain valid for the rescheduled date.

Participants who are unable to attend the rescheduled event may, at the organizer's discretion, be offered a transfer to a future edition or another eligible event.

Postponement or rescheduling does not automatically constitute a cancellation by the organizer and does not automatically create a right to a cash refund.

13. Force Majeure

The organizer shall not be liable for cancellation, postponement, interruption, modification, or disruption of the conference resulting from circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

Such circumstances may include, but are not limited to:

• Natural disasters
• Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, or severe weather
• Fire
• Epidemics or pandemics
• Government regulations or restrictions
• Travel restrictions
• War or threat of war
• Terrorism or civil unrest
• Strikes or industrial action
• Venue closure
• Power or telecommunications failures
• Cyber-attacks
• Security concerns
• Transportation disruptions
• Public-health emergencies
• Acts of God
• Other force-majeure circumstances

In such circumstances, the organizer may postpone, reschedule, relocate, modify, or convert the conference to a virtual or hybrid format.

Registration payments may be transferred to the rescheduled event or another eligible future event, and cash refunds will not necessarily be available.

14. Program Changes

The organizer reserves the right to modify the conference:

• Dates
• Venue
• Program
• Speakers
• Session schedule
• Topics
• Presentation format
• Conference format
• Workshops
• Social events

Such changes shall not automatically entitle participants to a refund.

15. Speaker and Program Changes

The participation of individual speakers, chairs, moderators, or presenters is subject to change.

The withdrawal, replacement, or unavailability of a particular speaker or presenter does not constitute grounds for a registration refund.

16. Payment Processing and Currency Charges

Any refund approved by the organizer may be reduced by:

• Payment gateway charges
• Bank charges
• International transaction fees
• Currency conversion differences
• Administrative charges
• Other non-recoverable transaction costs

The organizer will not be responsible for losses arising from exchange-rate fluctuations between the original payment and refund date.

17. Refund Processing

Approved refunds will be processed within the period specified by the organizer after approval.

The processing time may vary depending on the participant's bank, payment provider, payment method, and international transaction processing requirements.

A refund will only be considered completed once the organizer has initiated the refund through the applicable payment channel.

18. Duplicate or Excess Payments

If a participant makes a duplicate payment, the organizer may refund the verified duplicate amount after deducting any applicable transaction or processing charges.

19. Promotional, Discounted and Special Registrations

Registrations made using:

• Early-bird discounts
• Promotional codes
• Group discounts
• Special offers
• Complimentary registrations
• Partner or institutional rates

may be subject to separate cancellation and refund conditions.

Discounted or complimentary registrations may not be eligible for cash refunds.

20. Registration Fee Changes

Registration fees are based on the registration category and payment date.

Once a registration has been confirmed, the applicable registration category and associated terms will remain subject to the conditions under which the registration was purchased.

21. Refund Method

Approved refunds will normally be issued to the original payment method used for registration.

Refunds may not be transferred to a different person or payment account unless specifically approved by the organizer.

22. Final Decision

The organizer reserves the right to interpret and administer this Cancellation and Refund Policy in accordance with the circumstances of each individual case.

Any exception to this policy must be approved in writing by an authorized representative of the organizer.

23. Acceptance of Policy

By completing registration and making payment, participants confirm that they have read, understood, and accepted the conference's Cancellation, Refund, Transfer, Rescheduling, and Force Majeure Policy.

This policy forms part of the conference's registration Terms and Conditions.

The organizer reserves the right to amend this policy when necessary. The version published on the official conference website at the time of registration shall apply to the participant's registration.