Terms of Service

Last updated: March 24, 2026 Effective date: March 24, 2026

By using FestEvental you agree to these Terms of Service. Please read them carefully - they affect your legal rights. If you don't agree, don't use the platform.

1. Who We Are

FestEvental is an event ticketing platform that connects event organizers, vendors, venues, speakers, and attendees. We provide the technology - organizers create and run their own events, and are solely responsible for delivering them.

2. Your Account

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. If you are between 13 and 17, a parent or guardian must review these Terms on your behalf.

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for all activity that occurs under your account. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately via our Contact page.

You agree to provide accurate, current information when registering and to keep it up to date. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that provide false information, violate these Terms, or engage in conduct harmful to the platform or its users.

FestEvental reserves the right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason, at any time. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin, but we reserve the right to decline access where we have reasonable cause to believe it would be harmful to the platform, its users, or the broader community.

3. Ticket Purchases

When you purchase a ticket through FestEvental, you are entering into a transaction with the event organizer - not with FestEvental. We process the payment on the organizer's behalf via Stripe but we are not the seller of record.

All ticket sales are final. Refunds are at the sole discretion of the event organizer. FestEvental does not issue refunds except in the limited circumstances described in Section 4.

By completing a purchase you confirm that you have read the event description, ticket terms, and any conditions set by the organizer (age restrictions, dress codes, health requirements, etc.).

Draft Events

If an organizer returns a published event to draft status after tickets have been sold, this does not affect your right to request a refund under the organizer's stated policy.

4. Cancellations and Refunds

Event cancellation - If an event is cancelled entirely by the organizer, the organizer is responsible for issuing refunds to all ticket holders. FestEvental will make reasonable efforts to facilitate communication between affected attendees and the organizer, but we are not liable for an organizer's failure to issue refunds.

Significant changes - If an event is materially altered (date, location, or format changed significantly), refund eligibility is determined by the organizer's stated policy.

FestEvental's role - We are not responsible for the actions or inactions of organizers, vendors, venues, or any third party on the platform. If an organizer is unresponsive or unable to issue a refund for a cancelled event, we will do our best to assist you - but resolution may ultimately require you to pursue the matter directly against the organizer. We will cooperate fully with any legitimate legal process.

If you believe you have been charged in error by FestEvental specifically (a duplicate charge, a platform error, etc.), contact us via our Contact page and we will investigate promptly.

5. Organizer Responsibilities

By creating an event on FestEvental, organizers agree to:

Accurately describe their event, including date, location, format, and any restrictions
Deliver the event as described, or provide timely notice and refunds if circumstances change
Comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws - including permits, licenses, venue capacity rules, and tax obligations
Handle attendee data responsibly and in accordance with their own privacy practices
Sell all tickets exclusively through FestEvental for any event listed on the platform, unless the event has been approved as a door-sale listing or a free listing. Organizers are encouraged to promote their events through any channels they choose, but all ticket sales must be processed through FestEvental.
For virtual events, provide and maintain a working access URL for ticket holders
Not use FestEvental to promote illegal activity, deceptive content, recruitment schemes, or events that violate our Community Standards

FestEvental reserves the right to remove any event listing that violates these Terms or that we determine, at our sole discretion, to be harmful, deceptive, or inappropriate.

Automated Emails

Organizers may configure automated reminder and follow-up emails sent to ticket holders by the Platform on the organizer's behalf. Reminder and follow-up emails are enabled by default for new events.

Reminder emails are sent to all ticket holders on paid orders
Follow-up emails are sent only to attendees who checked in

Organizers are responsible for the content of these emails. Email content must be relevant to the event and must not contain spam, misleading information, or promotion unrelated to the event.

6. Speakers, Vendors, and Venues

Speakers, vendors, and venues listed on FestEvental may be created by organizers, users, or the Platform itself. They are independent third parties - FestEvental is not responsible for the quality, safety, legality, or availability of their services or facilities.

Speaker and vendor profiles may be created by organizers on behalf of individuals or businesses who are not Platform users. The named individual or business may claim their profile through the Platform's automated claim process. Unclaimed speakers or vendors who wish to have their profile modified or removed should contact the event organizer or FestEvental support.

Venue listings are publicly visible once approved by the Platform. Users who submit or manage a venue are responsible for the accuracy of the information provided. Editing key details on an approved venue may trigger re-review.

Venue operators may claim a venue listing. Claims are reviewed by the Platform. In the event of a disputed claim, FestEvental will make a determination at its sole discretion.

Any disputes between organizers, speakers, vendors, or venues are between those parties directly. FestEvental may intervene where platform policy has been violated.

7. Speaker Submissions

By submitting a session proposal through FestEvental, you grant the event organizer a non-exclusive license to use your submission content (title, abstract, speaker bio, and associated materials) for the purpose of evaluating, scheduling, and promoting the event. You retain ownership of your content.

FestEvental stores submission data on behalf of the organizer and does not claim any ownership over submitted content.

8. Platform Fees

FestEvental charges a per-ticket platform fee on every ticket issued - paid or free. No exceptions.

Paid tickets - The advertised ticket price is what the attendee pays - it never changes at checkout. The platform fee, Stripe processing fees, and any applicable taxes are the organizer's responsibility and are deducted from the ticket price. Organizers should factor all fees and tax obligations into their pricing accordingly.

Free tickets - There is no charge to the attendee, but the platform fee still applies to the organizer. Free ticket fees are invoiced to the organizer separately and are due within 30 days of the invoice date.

Door-sale events - If your event will not sell tickets online and attendees will pay at the door, you may publish your event by paying a one-time listing fee. The listing fee is charged at the time you select the door-sale option and is processed through Stripe to FestEvental directly. Once paid, your event may be published without creating online tickets or connecting a Stripe account.

The listing fee is non-refundable, including if the event is later cancelled, unpublished, or never takes place. The fee covers the cost of listing, promotion, and platform infrastructure for your event.

Door-sale events are displayed publicly with a "Tickets available at the door" notice in place of online ticket purchasing. Organizers are solely responsible for collecting payment from attendees at the event. Virtual events cannot use the door-sale option. If an event is switched from virtual to door sales or vice versa, the organizer will be prompted to resolve the conflict before the change takes effect.

Refunds - If a paid ticket is refunded, the ticket price is returned to the attendee via Stripe. However, the platform fee for that ticket is non-refundable to the organizer and will be added to their invoice. This reflects the real processing costs incurred at the time of the original transaction.

The platform fee is otherwise non-refundable, including in the event of event cancellation. It covers payment processing infrastructure, platform operations, and support services.

Organizers receive payouts for paid ticket revenue via Stripe Connect, net of the platform fee and any applicable Stripe processing fees.

9. Platform Communications

By using the Platform you consent to receive transactional and operational emails related to your account, purchases, events, and security. These emails are necessary for the operation of the Platform and cannot be opted out of.

Event-specific automated emails (reminders and follow-ups) are sent on behalf of the event organizer. For questions about those emails, contact the organizer directly.

10. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

Use automated bots, scrapers, or scripts to access the platform, purchase tickets, or circumvent purchase limits
Resell tickets purchased through FestEvental at a markup without the express written consent of the organizer
Create fake accounts, impersonate another person, or misrepresent your identity or affiliation
Use the platform to distribute spam, malware, or unsolicited commercial communications
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the platform or another user's account
Engage in any activity that disrupts, damages, or interferes with the platform's operation
Use the platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law
Sell tickets for an event listed on FestEvental through any external platform, personal website, payment app, or other channel. All ticket sales for events listed on FestEvental must be processed through the platform, unless the event has been approved as a door-sale listing or a free listing.
Conduct or advertise door sales for an event listed on FestEvental without having paid the required listing fee. FestEvental reserves the right to reclassify any event as a door-sale listing and unpublish it if we determine, at our sole discretion, that the event is conducting or intending to conduct door sales without a paid listing fee. The event will remain unpublished until the fee is paid.
Host or promote events whose primary purpose is to recruit participants into a business opportunity, investment program, or multi-tier compensation structure rather than to deliver a genuine event experience - including multi-level marketing recruitment events, pyramid or Ponzi schemes, high-pressure sales seminars, and similar schemes regardless of how they are marketed

Violations may result in immediate account suspension or termination, and we reserve the right to report illegal activity to appropriate authorities.

11. Intellectual Property

FestEvental and its licensors own all rights to the platform's design, code, trademarks, logos, and content created by FestEvental. Nothing in these Terms grants you any ownership interest in the platform.

Content you create on the platform - event listings, vendor profiles, speaker submissions - remains yours. By posting content you grant FestEvental a limited, non-exclusive license to display and distribute it as necessary to operate the platform (for example, showing your event on the public events page).

12. Limitation of Liability

FestEvental provides the platform on an "as is" basis. We do not guarantee that the platform will be error-free, uninterrupted, or free from security vulnerabilities.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, FestEvental is not liable for:

The actions, omissions, or failures of any organizer, vendor, venue, or other third party on the platform
Lost profits, lost data, or indirect, incidental, or consequential damages of any kind
Events outside our reasonable control (force majeure - natural disasters, power outages, internet disruptions, etc.)

Our total liability to you for any claim arising out of your use of FestEvental shall not exceed the amount you paid to FestEvental (i.e. platform fees only) in the 12 months preceding the claim.

13. Informal Dispute Resolution

We'd rather fix a problem than fight about it. Before initiating any legal action against FestEvental, you agree to contact us first via our Contact page and give us 30 days to attempt to resolve the issue informally. We'll make a genuine effort to make things right.

This requirement doesn't apply if you need emergency injunctive relief, or to claims that can be heard in small claims court.

14. Governing Law and Venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Vermont, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any legal action arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of FestEvental that is not resolved informally shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Vermont, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

15. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top. For material changes, we'll notify registered users by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Continued use of FestEvental after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

16. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms? Reach us via our Contact page.