IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR EXHIBITORS
Unfortunately, exhibitors and attendees to major exhibitions and conferences are sometimes targeted by fraudsters to obtain money. We work very closely with Association of Exhibition Organisers to identify these scams and we always communicate these to our customers. Below are details of the known scams. Please be aware of these if you are contacted by any other organisation in relation to any of our events:
Email Lists:
Recently, exhibiting companies are also being contacted by fictitious companies who claim to be able to supply mailing lists of show attendees. These individuals (many of whom are sending emails from untraceable Hotmail and from fictitious company addresses) are committing fraud.
The Clarion Events Group is the owner of all data in relation to our events and NEVER sells any of its data. If you receive such unsolicited offers, please do not respond as these offers have not been authorised by Clarion.
We will take the strongest action against any such illegal activity including reporting these fraudsters to the police and, where appropriate, issuing Court proceedings.
Show Guides:
The official Show guides of Affiliate Summit have previously been produced in partnership with EventGuidesLTD.
In recent years, third parties such as Expo Guides, Fairguide, Construct Data Verlag and others have been targeting exhibitors at major exhibitions for paid entries into show guides. These companies are NOT in any way affiliated with Affiliate Summit and they are NOT working on our behalf.
These companies use a misleading form, often with the show logo, which resembles an organiser’s free catalogue entry form. Exhibitors who sign and return the form for an entry in an online directory are contracted into a three-year, "non-retractable" agreement. Non-payment is then followed by aggressive debt collecting by recovery agents, including threats of legal action.
We strongly advise all exhibitors to be vigilant against organisations such as these. Please be aware and read the small print details before signing any documents. Please contact us if you require any clarification.
If you have been caught out, the current advice from the AEO (Association of Exhibition Organisers) is as follows:
1) DO NOT PAY ANYTHING
2) IGNORE THEM COMPLETELY - do not communicate with them in any way, even if they threaten legal action. Writing letters simply confirms that you exist and are available at the address/email address/number they have for you, and encouraging them to pursue payment
3) Report it to your local trading standards
4) Keep a log of all correspondence and contact from them
Optional: Complain to the receiving bank that their client Expo Guide (or other as applicable) is obtaining money by deception.
Hotel Room Bookings:
You may be contacted by some external companies which purport to offer discounted hotel rates for attendees. Please note that these are not supported by Clarion Events and are a scam. Please be advised that genuine rates are detailed only in communications received directly from Clarion Events and we therefore encourage you to contact us should you be approached by any external organisations.