Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 21, 2026

1. Introduction and Scope

Hands Up Conference, operated by Hands Up Communications (collectively, “Hands Up,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information when you visit handsupconference.com and any pages that link to this Policy (the “Site”), contact us, register for or attend a conference or special event, request accommodations, apply for a scholarship, volunteer, sponsor, present, purchase event-related products or services, or otherwise interact with us.

This Policy applies to information that Hands Up controls. Third-party websites and services—including TicketSpice, Purchase Protection LLC, hotels, payment processors, social-media platforms, video providers, map services, and external registration or scheduling platforms—may collect information under their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review those policies before submitting information.

2. Personal Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

Contact information, such as your first and last name, email address, telephone or videophone number, mailing address, organization, job title, and preferred method of communication.

Registration and attendance information, such as ticket type, conference dates, add-ons, group or student status, attendee category, emergency contact, badge information, attendance history, and check-in status.

Transaction information, such as products or services purchased, amounts, discounts, coupon or credit codes, billing details, transaction identifiers, and refund or purchase-protection status. Full payment-card data is generally collected and processed by our payment and ticketing providers rather than stored by us.

Accommodation and accessibility information, such as communication or language needs, DeafBlind or tactile-interpreting requests, interpreting preferences, mobility or spatial needs, seating requests, dietary information when requested, and other information necessary to evaluate and coordinate reasonable accommodations. Some of this information may reveal disability or health-related information and is treated as sensitive.

Scholarship information, including your contact details, ASL journey or background, financial-barrier information you choose to provide, personal statement, and other application materials.

Child and family information, when a parent or legal guardian registers a child for Lil’ Hands Up or another family program, including the child’s name, age, relevant program eligibility information, emergency contacts, authorized pickup persons, and information reasonably necessary for safety and participation.

Presenter, vendor, sponsor, volunteer, and employment information, such as biography, photograph, credentials, organization, tax or payment information, availability, application responses, references, contracts, and accessibility needs.

Communications and content, such as questions, messages, survey responses, workshop evaluations, testimonials, feedback, photographs or videos you submit, and records of correspondence with us.

Marketing preferences and consent records, including email subscription choices and, if offered, consent to receive text messages.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect device and usage information, including:

Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, device type, operating system, language, approximate location, referring and exit pages, timestamps, pages viewed, links clicked, session duration, and similar technical information.

Cookie identifiers, consent preferences, analytics identifiers, advertising identifiers where enabled, and information about interactions with embedded content.

Security and diagnostic information, such as error logs, traffic patterns, attempted misuse, and data used to protect the Site and maintain availability.

The Site currently displays a cookie-consent tool and may use services such as Google Tag Manager, analytics technologies, accessibility tools, embedded video, content-delivery services, maps, and social-media links. The exact cookies and providers may change. Where required, non-essential cookies should not be activated until you provide consent.

2.3 Information From Other Sources

We may receive information from ticketing and payment providers, purchase-protection administrators, group coordinators, schools or employers purchasing registrations, presenters, sponsors, hotels, event partners, social-media platforms, referral sources, and publicly available sources. If another person submits information about you, that person represents that they are authorized to do so.

3. How We Use Personal Information

Provide, administer, and improve the Site, conferences, workshops, family programs, special events, scholarships, sponsorships, volunteer programs, and related services.

Process registrations and purchases; issue confirmations, badges, tickets, coupon codes, transfers, and event communications; and coordinate with ticketing, payment, and protection providers.

Review and coordinate accommodation requests and communicate with interpreters, venues, presenters, or accessibility providers as reasonably necessary.

Administer Lil’ Hands Up and other family programs, confirm eligibility, support participant safety, and communicate with parents or legal guardians.

Evaluate scholarship, presenter, vendor, sponsor, ambassador, volunteer, contractor, or employment applications.

Respond to inquiries, provide customer support, maintain records, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements and policies.

Send administrative messages, including schedule changes, deadlines, safety information, event reminders, and other transactional communications.

Send newsletters or promotional communications where permitted by law and honor unsubscribe or opt-out requests.

Measure Site and campaign performance, understand how visitors use our services, personalize content, and improve accessibility and user experience.

Protect attendees, staff, presenters, the public, our systems, and our legal rights; detect fraud, abuse, security incidents, or policy violations; and comply with law.

Create aggregated or de-identified information that does not reasonably identify an individual and use it for lawful purposes.

4. Legal Bases Where Applicable

Where a law requires a legal basis for processing, we rely on one or more of the following: performing a contract with you; taking steps at your request before entering a contract; our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving the conference and Site; compliance with legal obligations; protection of vital interests; and your consent. You may withdraw consent at any time, but withdrawal does not affect processing already completed or processing based on another lawful basis.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small files or identifiers stored on or accessed from your device. We may use:

Strictly necessary cookies for security, core Site functions, registration flow, load balancing, and remembering your privacy choices.

Preference cookies for language, accessibility, display, and other requested settings.

Analytics cookies to understand traffic, performance, and visitor interactions.

Marketing cookies, pixels, or tags to measure campaigns or support interest-based advertising, if enabled.

You can use the Site’s consent manager to accept, reject, or change non-essential cookie categories. You may also adjust your browser settings. Blocking cookies may affect some features. Browser-based Global Privacy Control or similar signals will be honored where legally required and technically recognized. Our response to traditional “Do Not Track” signals may vary because there is no universally accepted standard.

6. How We Disclose Personal Information

We may disclose personal information to the following categories of recipients, only as reasonably necessary for the purposes described above:

Service providers and processors, including website hosting, content delivery, ticketing, payment processing, email, forms, analytics, security, accessibility, interpreting coordination, printing, badge production, and customer-support providers.

Event partners, venues, hotels, presenters, interpreters, contractors, vendors, sponsors, schools, employers, or group coordinators when needed to provide requested services or administer participation. We do not provide sponsors with attendee contact information for their independent marketing unless we disclose that practice and obtain any consent required by law.

Purchase Protection LLC or other protection administrators when you purchase or submit a claim under their optional program.

Professional advisers, insurers, accountants, auditors, and legal counsel.

Government authorities, courts, law enforcement, or other parties when required by law or reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety, property, or the integrity of an investigation.

A successor or transaction counterparty in connection with a merger, reorganization, financing, sale of assets, or similar business transaction, subject to appropriate protections.

Other parties at your direction or with your consent.

We do not sell personal information for money. Some analytics or advertising activities could be considered a “sale,” “sharing,” or targeted advertising under certain U.S. state privacy laws. Where those laws apply, you may use our cookie controls or contact us to exercise the applicable opt-out right.

7. Sensitive Information and Accommodation Requests

Please provide only the accommodation, disability, health, dietary, or safety information reasonably needed for us to evaluate and coordinate your request. We use this information to provide access, comply with legal obligations, protect participants, and document our response. We may share the minimum necessary information with interpreters, accessibility providers, the venue, event staff, or emergency personnel. We do not use sensitive accommodation information for targeted advertising.

Accommodation requests for the 2027 conference should be received before June 1, 2027. Requests received later will be considered, but services cannot be assured.

8. Children’s Privacy

The general Site is directed to adults and is not intended for children under 13 to submit personal information independently. Lil’ Hands Up and other family programming may serve children, but a parent or legal guardian must complete registration and provide any required child information. We do not knowingly collect online personal information directly from a child under 13 without legally required parental notice and consent.

If we learn that a child under 13 submitted personal information without proper authorization, we will take reasonable steps to delete it. A parent or guardian may contact us to review, correct, or request deletion of a child’s information, subject to legal and safety-related retention requirements.

9. Photographs, Video, and Event Media

We may photograph or record conference activities and use event images or footage as described in the registration terms, notices, release forms, or posted signage. If we use identifiable media as personal information, this Policy applies. Separate consent should be obtained when required, particularly for minors, private sessions, testimonials, or uses that go beyond ordinary event documentation and promotion. Accommodation-related and private communications should not be recorded without authorization.

10. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including to administer events; maintain financial, tax, attendance, CEU, contract, safety, and insurance records; resolve disputes; enforce agreements; and comply with law. Retention periods vary by record type. For example, transaction and contract records may be retained for the applicable statutory period; accommodation information is retained only as long as reasonably needed for access, incident response, documentation, or legal compliance; and marketing information is retained until you opt out or the information is no longer useful, subject to a suppression record that prevents further messages. We may delete or de-identify information when it is no longer required.

11. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information. No internet transmission, website, or storage system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for protecting any ticket, coupon code, account credentials, or confirmation link issued to you. If you believe information associated with Hands Up has been compromised, contact us promptly.

12. Your Choices and Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live and subject to legal exceptions, you may have rights to request access to, correction of, deletion of, or a portable copy of personal information; obtain information about our processing; withdraw consent; restrict or object to processing; opt out of targeted advertising, sale, or sharing; and appeal a denied request. You may also:

Use the unsubscribe link in a promotional email. You may still receive transactional or event-related messages.

Reply STOP to promotional text messages if we offer them. Message and data rates may apply.

Change cookie preferences through the Site’s consent manager.

To submit a request, email conference@handsupcommunications.com with the subject line “Privacy Request” or write to the address below. We may verify your identity and authority before responding. An authorized agent may submit a request where permitted, but we may require proof of authorization and direct identity verification. We will not unlawfully discriminate against you for exercising a privacy right.

13. International Visitors

Hands Up is based in the United States. If you access the Site or provide information from another country, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States and other locations where our providers operate. Those locations may have different data-protection laws. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards for cross-border transfers.

14. Third-Party Links and Embedded Services

The Site may link to or embed services operated by third parties, including TicketSpice, Purchase Protection LLC, The Florida Hotel and Conference Center, Google Maps, Vimeo, social-media platforms, forms, or scheduling tools. We do not control their privacy or security practices. A link does not mean we endorse every practice of the linked service. Information you provide directly to a third party is governed by that party’s terms and privacy policy.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in our services, technology, vendors, or legal obligations. We will post the updated version on the Site and change the “Last updated” date. If changes are material, we may provide additional notice where required. Your continued use of the Site after an update is subject to the revised Policy, to the extent permitted by law.