Table of content

This privacy policy applies to Bridging Minds SAL (“Bridging Minds”), all the websites and/or platforms operated by it including: www.bbforum.co and www.konfhub.com (the “Websites”) and all events and conferences that it may organize from time to time.

1. Controller and processor

We will process your personal data and/or otherwise act as a controller with respect to your personal data that is collected and processed by third parties on our behalf (see sections 5 and 6 below).

Bridging Minds SAL.

Contact person: Yves Bou Assal

Commercial Register (CR): 1033552 | VAT: 4036909-601 | Tax: 4036909

Block A, Beirut Gardens, Martyrs’ Square

P.O. Box 11-8672, Downtown Beirut, Lebanon

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +961 (0)1 980 808

2. From whom we may collect personal data?

Under this privacy policy, we may collect and process data of, amongst others, our current or potential customers, attendees, speakers, moderators, employees, contractors, suppliers and partners (“you” or the “Data Subjects”).

3. For what purposes we use your personal data?

Personal data is collected and used within limits defined by the applicable data protection legislation, including for the following purposes:

  1. Hire employees and enter into contracts with various counterparties, including speakers and moderators, partners, suppliers and contractors;
  2. Manage registrations, ticketing, access control, and participation;
  3. Process payments and issue invoices/receipts;
  4. Send service communications (confirmations, updates) and, where permitted, newsletters and event news;
  5. Personalize and improve Websites, apps, and Event experience;
  6. Manage speakers/partners/sponsors and related contracts;
  7. Security, fraud prevention, and compliance with law;
  8. Analytics, feedback, and research to improve services; and
  9. Limited profiling to tailor communications and content relevance (you may opt out at any time).

4. What is our data processing based on?

Processing of your personal data is based on the following grounds of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (one or more purposes may apply simultaneously):

  1. Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party, or in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract (e.g. we need to collect data from a supplier or an event partner with whom we enter into a business relationship in connection with our events and conferences).
  2. Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which Bridging Minds is subject (e.g. the duty to keep the records based on applicable legislations, the duty to register our employees with the national social security fund, the obligation to settle stamp duties on signed agreements, etc.).
  3. Processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by Bridging Minds, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the Data Subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the Data Subject is a child. The legitimate interests of Bridging Minds may include, amongst others, the following matters:
  • Service improvement;
  • B2B marketing to professionals;
  • Security/fraud prevention;
  • The right to promote the sales of Bridging Minds’ services by way of direct marketing, including profiling for the purposes of marketing and sales;
  • Business development;
  • Etc.

You have given your consent to the processing of your personal data.

5. Information content

The information we may collect, or which third parties may collect on our behalf, from Data Subjects includes the following, either in part or in full:

  • Identity & contact: name, gender, date of birth, email, phone, mobile number, address, country and city of residence.
  • Professional: job title, organization, sector, LinkedIn profile.
  • Account & preferences: communication choices, interests.
  • Transactions: ticket/order details, invoice and billing (card data processed by partners; we do not store or otherwise have access to credit or debit card information from our customers).
  • Event interactions: session selections, booth meetings booked, badge scan consents, event app usage.
  • Content you provide: speaker/media submissions, bios, headshots, materials.
  • Event media: photos/audio/video captured onsite.
  • Technical: IP address, device/browser type, OS, device IDs, access times/referrers, cookies/SDKs.
  • Special category (optional): dietary needs or accessibility requirements, processed with explicit consent to safely host the Event.
    Criminal records.
  • Feedback given by customers, speakers, moderators.

By attending the Beirut Business Forum or related activities, you acknowledge that photography, audio, and video recording may occur. You consent to the use of such media by Bridging Minds and its authorized partners for documentation, editorial, and promotional purposes, including publication on our Websites, official social media channels (such as Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X), our official Flickr photo gallery, our YouTube channel, and in press releases, marketing materials, and digital or printed communications, without further notice or compensation, subject to contractual arrangements we may otherwise have with you.

If you have a specific privacy concern or prefer not to appear in photos or videos, please inform our onsite team, and we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your request (for example, providing a no-photo badge or designated areas).

We do not collect or have access to credit or debit card information from our customers. Payments for tickets and sponsorships are processed securely through third-party platforms, including Areeba SAL and KonfHub Private Limited.

6. Processors and Key Service Providers

  • Payments: Areeba SAL (Lebanon)
  • Ticketing/registration: KonfHub Private Limited (India)
  • Email marketing: Mailchimp (Intuit group, US/EU infrastructure)
  • Hosting: Rackspace, servers in London (UK)

All providers are bound to use data only for our instructions and to secure it appropriately.

7. Special information for parents

We understand the importance of protecting children’s privacy. Our services are not directed to children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If you are a parent or legal guardian and believe we may have collected personal data about a child, please contact us as described in this privacy policy.

8. Where do we collect the personal data from?

We collect data directly from you (web forms, ticketing, email, phone, meetings, app, contracts, job applications, etc.), and from B2B organizers (e.g., a company registering a team). We may also enrich records with publicly available professional data (e.g., LinkedIn) consistent with applicable law.

9. With whom we might share your personal data

Bridging Minds does not sell, lease, or otherwise disclose your personal data to third parties unless otherwise stated below. Where we share personal data with third parties, we ensure that such sharing is based on a valid legal basis as outlined in Section 4. You can opt out during registration or later by contacting [email protected].

  1. Bridging Minds may share the name, organization, and title of attendees with event partners/sponsors.
  2. Bridging Minds may share personal data with payment platforms to which a customer will be directed to purchase their tickets.
  3. Bridging Minds may share personal data with authorized third parties that perform services for Bridging Minds for the purposes described in this privacy policy, within the limits of the applicable legislation. This may include, for example, providing services such as customer service and software services, managing and analyzing personal data, conducting market research, and managing marketing and execution of diverse campaigns.
  4. Bridging Minds may share personal data with governmental authorities when necessary to perform its legal obligations (such as registering its employees with the national social security fund).
  5. Bridging Minds may share your personal data based on a valid order from a court or other official body with sufficient authority.
  6. Bridging Minds may share your personal data as part of any merger, acquisition, establishment of new group companies, sale of company assets, or transition of service to another provider. This also applies in the unlikely event of an insolvency, bankruptcy, or receivership in which your personal data would be transferred to another entity as a result of such a proceeding.

If you use the Event app or allow your badge to be scanned at partner stands/sessions/activities, you consent to share your contact details (e.g., name, email, company) and expressed interests with the specific partner/sponsor you interacted with. You can decline scans and control in-app sharing in your app settings. App usage analytics may be used to personalize your experience and communications; you may opt out of marketing at any time.

10. How long do we process your personal data?

  • Ticketing/transactions & invoices: 6 years after the end of the year of your last transaction.
  • Speakers/partners/suppliers/contractors: 6 years after last event/contract.
  • Marketing contacts: until you opt out or 3 years after last interaction.
  • Website logs: typically 12 months (longer if needed for security/legal).
    Special category data (dietary/accessibility): deleted within 30 days post-event.
  • Event media: retained for archival and promotional purposes (you may object; we will assess feasible remedies).
  • Employees: Bridging Minds will process the personal data of its employees, for so long as an employment relationship exists with the latter and for a period of 6 years after the end of such employment relationship.

We may retain data longer where required by law or for legal claims

11. Right to object to processing

You have the right to object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as a lawful basis for processing your personal data and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object to us processing your personal data for any direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.
You can exercise this right by sending an email to [email protected].

12. Accessing, reviewing, updating, and correcting your personal data

You or your legal successors are entitled to know whether we hold personal data about you and whether or not personal data concerning you is being processed. Where applicable, you are also entitled to request a copy of the personal data we maintain concerning you.
The Data Subject or their legal successors have the right to check, review, and update or correct his/her information maintained in the filing system at any time. They must inform us if any personal data changes in order to keep their record in the filing system up-to-date. For additional questions, or to review, update, or correct personal data, please email [email protected].

13. The right of erasure (“right to be forgotten”) and right to restriction of processing

If a Data Subject violates our Terms and Conditions, conducts illegal activity via our services, or if the information entered is out of date, Bridging Minds reserves the right to delete the personal data associated with this Data Subject.

You have the right to obtain the erasure of your personal data from Bridging Minds’ filing systems without undue delay on any of the following grounds:

  1. your personal data is no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise processed;
    you object to the processing and/or withdraw your consent to the terms of this privacy policy, and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing;
  2. your personal data has been unlawfully processed.

However, you do not have the right of erasure if the processing is necessary:

  1. for exercising the right of freedom of expression and information;
  2. for compliance with a legal obligation which requires processing by any applicable laws to which Bridging Minds is subject; or
  3. for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims.

You also have the right to obtain restriction of processing of your personal data where:

  • you contest the accuracy of the data, for a period allowing us to verify it;
  • the processing is unlawful, but you oppose erasure and request restriction instead;
  • we no longer need the data, but you require it for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims;
  • you have objected to processing pending our verification of whether our legitimate grounds override yours.

During a period of restriction, your personal data will not be processed (except for storage) without your consent, unless required for legal claims, the protection of others’ rights, or important public interest.

You can exercise the rights under this Section by sending an email to [email protected].

14. Right to data portability

You have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

You can exercise this right by sending an email to [email protected].

15. Principles of protection

Bridging Minds may transfer your personal data outside Lebanon (e.g. UK, EU, India, US) for hosting, ticketing, email delivery, and analytics, and which do not have laws providing specific protection for personal data or that have different legal rules on data protection.

In such cases, Bridging Minds will reasonably ensure that a legal basis for such a transfer exists and that adequate protection for your personal data is provided, as required by applicable law, for example, by using standard agreements approved by relevant authorities (where necessary) and by requiring the use of other appropriate technical and organizational information security measures.

Bridging Minds is concerned with protecting your privacy and data, but we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to Bridging Minds or guarantee that your information stored by Bridging Minds may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our industry-standard physical, technical, or managerial safeguards. We apply appropriate technical and organizational measures (including HTTPS/TLS, access controls, and least-privilege principles) However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

16. Amendment of this privacy policy

We may modify this privacy policy. Material changes will be posted on our Websites. Continued use after publication means that you accept the changes and become bound by the updated privacy policy.

17. Your consent to this privacy policy

BY ACCESSING OR USING OUR WEBSITES, PURCHASING TICKETS TO ATTEND OUR EVENTS AND CONFERENCES, AND/OR ENTERING INTO ANY CONTRACT, EMLOYMENT OR BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH BRIDGING MINDS, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREED TO THE TERMS OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY.

18. Withdraw consent

WE RELY ON YOUR CONSENT TO PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO WITHDRAW THAT CONSENT AT ANY TIME. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT THE LAWFULNESS OF PROCESSING CARRIED OUT BEFORE THE WITHDRAWAL. TO WITHDRAW CONSENT, PLEASE USE THE UNSUBSCRIBE LINK PROVIDED IN OUR COMMUNICATIONS WHERE APPLICABLE OR CONTACT US AT [email protected].

19. Lodge a complaint

If you believe that your personal data has been processed in violation of applicable data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant authority.

We encourage you to contact us first at [email protected] so that we may address your concerns directly and promptly.

20. Cookies and tracking technologies

We use cookies/SDKs to run the site/app, remember preferences, analyze traffic, and support marketing. Manage consent via our cookie banner or your browser. See our Cookie Policy: bbforum.co/cookie-policy.

Do Not Track: Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” setting. At this time, our Websites do not respond to DNT signals. We will continue to review this technology and may update this statement if our practices change.

21. Third-Party Links

Our Websites may link to third-party sites; their privacy practices are separate. Please review their policies.

22. Do you have any additional questions about our privacy protection?

We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding our privacy protection policy! Feel free to give us a call at +961 (0)1 980 808 or send us an email at [email protected].