event release forms: everything yours should include

As a small business owner, do you run events, co-host events, sponsor events or plan to run events to help propel your business forward faster?

The advantages of holding events are obvious. Not only will you be meeting new people and adding new prospects to your client list, but it is also a good opportunity for you to gain valuable insights and understand the market better. Events can be face-to-face or online or a combination of both.

Events come in many shapes and sizes – meetings, conferences, online classes, training sessions, networking sessions, product launches, fundraising events and many more. No matter what type of event it is, one thing that you should always consider having is an Event Release Form.

Essentially, an Event Release Form is a contract or agreement for participation in an event. Like all other contracts, its purpose is to protect your business interests and limit your liabilities, but also to protect the interests of your participants. Just like running a business, you do not want to expose yourself or your valuable clients to any unnecessary risks when running an event.

Hand-shake contracts are great in theory. If you have ever been in a situation where you believed everyone was on the same page and later found out that there was a miscommunication, then you probably understand the importance of having a written contract.

Setting the rules for participation just before the start of an event can remind everyone of their expectations and obligations.

WHAT is the purpose of an event release form?

The event release form is to:

• introduce the purpose of the event, eg. education only
• remind participants of what is excluded, eg. not providing legal advice
• require participants to take responsibility for their own behaviour, mental and physical health during the event
• make parents or guardians aware of their responsibility for any child they bring
• alert participants to the fact that other products or services might be promoted for sale
• refer to privacy obligations
• cover your rules for recording of the event by you and your participants
• limit your liability

when do you provide an event release form?

For a face-to-face event, you want participants to read and sign your form before they enter the event venue. 

For an online event, you want participants to check a box agreeing to your release before they can access the event online.

how long should you keep an event release form?

You should keep a copy of your event release forms for as long as your business operations suggest you may have a risk to the business arising from that event.  Generally speaking, financial claims are barred 6 years after becoming aware of a right to claim and personal injury claims are barred 3 years after becoming aware of a right to claim.  Many businesses keep documents for 7 years for accounting reporting purposes.

can you use an event release form for multiple events?

You should require participants to complete a new form each time they attend an event, even if the one participant attends a variety of events you have on offer. A multi-day event, where it is clearly still the one event, will not need a daily release form, or a release form for each session, just a release for the event itself.

do you need separate event release forms for children?

It is easier to create a release form that have room to name one or more children who have come with their parent or guardian, and which binds the parent or guardian in respect of each child. You don’t need to have separate forms.

what if a participant does not want to be filmed?

If a participant doesn’t want to be included in photos or videos, then consider allocating a part of the room that is not going to be filmed or photographed and ask that they sit in that area, explaining that seating elsewhere will be caught on film. For online participants, you can ask that they keep video turned off to avoid being captured or use technology to exclude them.

Postproduction editing tends to be complicated and expensive. Practical measures before filming make permissions easier to manage.

what if we want to restrict participants from recording the event?

Your terms and conditions before registering for the event should specify that recording will be prohibited, then the Event Release Form should also state that recording is prohibited and participants may be removed if caught, and an announcement should also be made at the beginning of the event. As an alternative, some event organisers are now arranging specific digital interactive activities during the event to encourage participants to share it live on social media or ask questions during the event. 

is the event release form the same as event terms and conditions?

Your Event Release Form is NOT the same as the terms and conditions your participant signed up to before they purchased or registered for your event. Event terms and conditions are more comprehensive and need to be provided before the point of purchase, and agreed to by the participant, to be binding.

Event terms and conditions will cover in detail the things like:

1. What are you offering, and what are you not providing? 

Introduce what the event is about and what services you will be providing. This is to help set clear expectations for participants and prevent any disputes from arising as a result of ‘unmet’ expectations.

If you are running a physical event, will you be providing venue or catering? If catering, is it limited to tea and coffee or a full buffet lunch? If you are running an online event, will you be providing preparatory or post event audio or visual materials such as videos or PowerPoint slides?

For example, if you are an online fitness trainer, depending on how you offer your courses, you may want to state that you will be engaging your participants in activities but will not be giving any dietary advice. You may also want to state that it is the participant’s responsibility to have a safe space and the appropriate equipment to hand to carry out any techniques to be demonstrated during the course.

2. payment terms

If you are charging a fee for people to attend your event, then your terms and conditions should include payment terms. Include any payment options you are offering, such as the ability to pay by instalments and what payments methods are available.

For example, you may want to provide the option to participants to pay in full by direct deposit to your nominated bank account before attending the event, rather than by credit card.

3. cancellation or refund policy 

Things do not always go as planned. In the middle of 2019 very few people would have predicted that face-to-face conferencing would be put on hold for most of 2020 due to COVID restrictions. Venues do occasionally burn down. Guest presenters do sometimes drop out due to personal reasons. You may end up having to postpone or even worse, cancel your event.

If you don’t want to give refunds, your terms and conditions need to be clear about what you will do if you have to postpone an event. As long as the postponement was outside your control and you remain ready, willing and able to give credit toward a future event, or ensuring a space is available in the next, or one of the next 3 scheduled events, your may not be legally obliged to give a refund.

But what if your participants are the ones that want to cancel or withdraw from your event?

You should set out clearly in what circumstances you participants’ cancellation would be a ‘valid’ cancellation, which would entitle them to a refund. Factors for you to consider include the reason for their cancellation (eg. change of mind, medical reasons) and how long before the event they notify you of their intention to cancel. You should also specify in what circumstances a refund will be made in full, when it will be made in part and whether an administration fee will be deducted.

Having a clear cancellation policy can deter participants from simply changing their mind about attending.

4. disclaimer

When you make a statement to the effect that you are not responsible for something, then you are making a disclaimer. Its purpose, of course, is also to protect you from potential disputes or legal issues.

If you do not want your participants to be under the impression that all information you provide will be accurate and therefore safe to rely on, then you need to say that. If expect your participants to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing at your event, then that needs to be spelt out.

5. limitation of liability and indemnity

The last thing you want is to have someone bring a legal action against you for a loss they claim to have suffered by attending your event. A limitation of liability and indemnity clause is to protect you from being held responsible for losses or damages that were not caused as a result of your negligence.

6. intellectual property

The materials that you make available to your participants are likely to be your intellectual property and valuable assets of your business. It is important to correctly identify your intellectual property and draft effective clauses to protect it from being misused or exploited by your participants against your wishes.

7. personal information

You are collecting personal information from your participants when they register for your event or provide you with their contact details in any other way. To ensure that you are complying with your privacy obligations, you need to have a privacy policy and link that to your terms and conditions.

If you wish to take photos or videos of your participants during your event and later use that footage to market your business, you will also need your participants’ consent and release, because images can also be personal information.