IOA Conference Policies

Registration Policies:

  • Online Registration: Online registration will be closing on 28 March 2023. Walk-in registration will be available onsite.
  • Student Rates: Student registrations must be full-time students at the time of registration.
  • ​Payment: IOA accepts VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and checks made payable to the International Ombudsman Association, in US Dollars only.
  • Pre-Registration Policy: To be considered pre-registered, your registration, changes or replacement must be received by 28 March 2023. After this date, you must register onsite. 
  • Cancellation Policy: All cancellations must be submitted via email IOA at [email protected]. Cancellations submitted on or before Monday, 6 March 2023 will receive a refund, less a $75 processing fee. No refunds will be given for cancellations received after Monday, 6 March 2023. Registrants who cancel after Monday, 6 March 2023 will be responsible for payment regardless of attendance. Substitute attendees will be permitted, and requests for substitutions must be submitted via email. After an invoice is past due, a late fee of $20 will be assessed. (If at any time our event format changes from an in-person event, registration fees and cancellation policy will be assessed.)

If you have questions or if you have already registered and you are no longer able to attend the conference due to travel restrictions please email the IOA office.
In-Person Event Policies: At this time, the IOA 2023 Conference is planning to be an in-person event. We want you to know that your safety, and the safety of all attendees, remains our top priority. While the 2023 Conference will not be canceled, it may become necessary at some point for the format to change (online/virtual). We appreciate your understanding and willingness to be flexible while we work within the limitations set by our obligations and the current pandemic. Thank you again for your support and thank you for your patience during this complex process. 
Please take a moment to review IOA's detailed In-Person Event Policies.

Dress: Dress for the entire conference is business casual. We recommend you dress in layers, bringing a sweater or light jacket as rooms may be cold. Spring in the Pacific Northwest can be cool and rainy as well as warm and temperate, prepare for multiple types of weather. 

Subject to Change or Cancellation:
All Professional Development and Pre-Conference Sessions are subject to change and/or cancellation. We ask that you do not make your hotel reservations or travel plans until you have received a confirmation from the office that you are registered for the course. If you do not receive a confirmation via email, contact the administrative office at [email protected] to check the status of your registration. If pre-registration attendance is below half of the maximum attendance, instructors may cancel the course.

Non-North American Attendees:
If you are planning to attend the conference and require a visa for entrance into the United States, please be advised that the processing time to secure a visa has substantially increased due to security issues. Consulates in some countries are now taking several months to process visa applications. Take this into consideration and allow enough time for visa processing. See the notice from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs.

Speaker Presentations:
Since you can’t possibly attend all the wonderful programs we have planned for the IOA  Annual Conference, your registration includes, at no extra cost, access to the speaker presentations that are submitted to the IOA office. All available speaker presentations will be posted online prior to the conference for registered/paid attendees to access. These will include keynote, plenary, and concurrent sessions only, and not pre-conference courses.

Ethics and Standards of Practice:
The organizational ombuds is mindful of the Standards of Practice and the element of the IOA Code of Ethics which states: An Ombuds should not use the names of individuals or mention their employers without express permission. The ombuds, as a designated neutral, has the responsibility of maintaining strict confidentiality concerning matters that are brought to their attention unless given permission to do otherwise. The ombuds holds all communications with those seeking assistance in strict confidence except in the presence of an imminent threat of serious harm. We hold these principles to be essential in all professional discussions including those at the conference.

Consent to Receive Communications from IOA:
Registering/attending this event constitutes consent for the IOA to communicate with you via fax, email, mail, text messaging, instant messaging, and social media to make you aware of products and services.

Consent to Use of Photographic Images:
Registration and attendance at, or participation in, IOA’s Annual Conference and other activities constitutes an agreement by the registrant to IOA’s use and distribution (both now and in the future) of the registrant or attendee’s image or voice in photographs, videotapes, electronic reproductions, and audiotapes of such events and activities. Registrants will have the opportunity, while taking the registration form, to request that there photo not be published.
 
Disclaimer:
While these programs are designed to provide accurate information regarding the subject matter covered, the views, opinions, and recommendations expressed are those of the authors and speakers, not the IOA. By producing publications and sponsorship of this event, the association does not guarantee the accuracy of the information disseminated and is not engaged in rendering professional advice; if such advice is desired, you should seek the services of a competent professional.

Antitrust Compliance:
It is the undeviating policy of IOA to comply strictly with the letter and spirit of all federal, state, and applicable international trade regulations and antitrust laws.

Any activities of IOA or IOA-related actions of its officers, Executive Committee members, or members that violate these regulations and laws are detrimental to the interests of IOA and are unequivocally contrary to IOA policy.

Intellectual Property Rights:
All content on the IOA website, such as presentations, algorithms, program code, text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, audio clips, digital downloads, data compilations, and software, is the property of the speaker or its suppliers and is not to be used for personal gain, publication, and cannot be used without referencing the speaker and the source of the information. As property of the speaker or its suppliers, it also cannot be used by others to obtain a patent or claim royalties.