Terms & Conditions

Effective Date: November 1, 2026

1. About FestConnect

FestConnect is a curated business-to-business matching platform operated by Ottawa Festival Network (“OFN”).

The platform is designed to help festival producers and businesses identify potential partnership opportunities.

Users complete profiles and questionnaires, FestConnect generates potential matches, and OFN reviews those matches before deciding whether to facilitate an introduction.

FestConnect is not a public directory and does not provide direct business-to-festival messaging.

OFN makes introductions outside the platform, such as by email or phone.

By creating an account or using FestConnect, you agree to these Terms & Conditions.

2. Eligibility

FestConnect is intended for businesses, festivals, organizations, and individuals acting in a professional or organizational capacity.

You confirm that:

• You have authority to act on behalf of the organization you represent.
• The information you provide is accurate and current.
• You will not knowingly provide misleading information.
• You will use FestConnect only for legitimate professional, organizational, or partnership purposes.

3. Accounts

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your account credentials.

You must not share credentials or permit unauthorized use of your account.

OFN may require email verification or additional security measures.

4. Matching

FestConnect uses information supplied by businesses and festivals to identify potential partnership alignment.

The platform may generate internal match scores and score breakdowns.

Authorized OFN staff may:

• Review scores
• Review profiles
• Adjust scores
• Record reasons for adjustments
• Record decline reasons
• Add internal notes
• Change match status

These internal records are not available to participants.

An automated match does not create any right to an introduction.

OFN decides whether a potential match is appropriate to advance.

5. Introductions

OFN makes introductions outside FestConnect.

There is no direct producer-to-business messaging inside the platform.

OFN may decline to make an introduction where it believes the proposed match is not sufficiently aligned, appropriate, or beneficial.

6. Independent Partnerships

FestConnect facilitates introductions only.

OFN does not broker, negotiate, guarantee, or become a party to any partnership between a business and festival unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing.

After an introduction, participants are responsible for negotiating their own arrangements, including:

• Financial contributions
• In-kind products or services
• Deliverables
• Activation plans
• Marketing commitments
• Timelines
• Insurance
• Intellectual property rights
• Payment terms
• Cancellation terms
• Regulatory requirements
• Any other contractual obligations

7. No Payments Through FestConnect

FestConnect does not process payments between businesses and festivals.

Any financial arrangement resulting from an introduction is negotiated and handled directly between the participants.

8. No Guarantee of Results

OFN does not guarantee:

• That a user will receive a match
• That a match will result in an introduction
• That an introduction will result in a partnership
• That a partnership will produce sales, leads, traffic, exposure, revenue, audience growth, or other results
• That another participant will meet expectations
• That participant-submitted information is complete or accurate

A match or introduction is not an endorsement or guarantee by OFN.

9. Due Diligence

Each participant is responsible for conducting its own due diligence before entering into a partnership.

This may include reviewing:

• Organizational legitimacy
• Financial terms
• Audience claims
• Deliverables
• Insurance
• Permits
• Legal compliance
• Reputation
• Safety requirements
• Intellectual property rights
• Other relevant commercial considerations

OFN does not independently verify every representation submitted by participants.

10. Accuracy of Information

Users are responsible for ensuring that information submitted to FestConnect is accurate.

Users must not knowingly misrepresent:

• Audience data
• Business activities
• Festival attendance
• Partnership budgets
• Products or services
• Deliverables
• Partnership opportunities
• Organizational identity
• Availability
• Values or priorities
• Existing relationships

11. Acceptable Use

Users may not:

• Engage in unlawful, fraudulent, or abusive conduct
• Misrepresent themselves or their organization
• Harass another participant
• Scrape, harvest, copy, or reproduce user information
• Attempt to access private or OFN-only information
• Attempt to access match scores or internal notes
• Circumvent access controls
• Reverse engineer or interfere with the platform
• Upload malicious code
• Use another participant’s information for unrelated solicitation
• Use FestConnect in a way that could harm another participant, OFN, or the platform

12. Confidential and Internal Information

Match scores, score breakdowns, decline reasons, administrative score overrides, staff notes, and private questionnaire information are internal to OFN.

Users may not attempt to obtain or disclose this information without authorization.

13. Intellectual Property

FestConnect branding, software, platform design, matching methodology, graphics, text, and other OFN-created materials are owned by OFN or its licensors.

Users retain ownership of information and content they submit.

By submitting information, users grant OFN permission to use that information as reasonably necessary to:

• Operate FestConnect
• Conduct matching
• Review potential matches
• Facilitate introductions
• Manage platform activity

14. Third-Party Services

FestConnect relies on third-party technology providers.

FestConnect is built and maintained for OFN by Kaerensoftware, a technology service provider.

The production application and database are hosted through Railway in Virginia, United States.

Transactional email is delivered through Resend.

Use of FestConnect is also subject to the FestConnect Privacy Policy, which provides additional information about these third-party services.

15. Platform Availability

FestConnect is provided on an “as available” basis.

OFN does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation.

The platform may occasionally be unavailable because of:

• Maintenance
• Technical issues
• Security updates
• Third-party outages
• Infrastructure changes
• Events outside OFN’s reasonable control

16. Fees

FestConnect does not currently process payments between businesses and festivals.

OFN may introduce fees for certain FestConnect services in the future. Any applicable fee will be disclosed before a user agrees to use a paid service.

17. Suspension and Termination

OFN may suspend or terminate access where:

• These Terms are breached
• Information appears false or misleading
• The platform is being misused
• Conduct creates risk to another participant
• Continued access creates security risk
• Access must be restricted by law
• OFN determines that continued participation is not appropriate

OFN may also maintain a banned-email list to prevent individuals or addresses that have been prohibited from using the platform from creating new accounts.

18. Account Deletion

Deleting an account currently removes the user login but does not automatically remove the associated organization profile, questionnaire responses, or historical match records.

Requests for full deletion are handled as described in the FestConnect Privacy Policy.

19. Disclaimer

To the extent permitted by applicable law, FestConnect is provided without warranties regarding:

• Compatibility between participants
• Accuracy of participant information
• Availability of partnerships
• Commercial outcomes
• Revenue
• Sponsorship success
• Business results

Nothing in these Terms limits rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

20. Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by applicable law, OFN will not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or economic losses arising from or relating to:

• Use of FestConnect
• A match or introduction
• A failed partnership
• Disputes between participants
• Participant-submitted information
• Lost revenue, profit, sales, leads, or opportunities
• Platform outages
• Third-party services
• Unauthorized conduct by another participant

21. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by applicable law, users agree to be responsible for claims or losses arising from:

• Their breach of these Terms
• Their own representations
• Their use of FestConnect
• Their violation of applicable law
• Their conduct toward another participant
• Agreements they enter into following a FestConnect introduction

22. Privacy

Use of FestConnect is also governed by the FestConnect Privacy Policy.

23. Changes to These Terms

OFN may update these Terms as FestConnect, its technology, services, or legal obligations change.

The current version will be posted with the effective date.

Where changes are significant, additional notice may be provided.

24. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada that apply there.

25. Contact

FestConnect / Ottawa Festival Network

Email: info@ottawafestivals.ca

Mailing address: 56 Sparks Street, Unit 304, Ottawa, ON K1P 5A9

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