Privacy policy

Who we are

The International Wine & Spirit Compeitition (also known as IWSC) is a professional wine & spirit competition of 50 years standing based in the UK.  Under the umbrella of the IWSC there are two operating units:

  • International Wine & Spirit Competition Limited (The), company number 00720550 (“The IWSC”)
  • Club Oenologique Limited, company number 10639796 (“Club Oenologique”).

Both companies have their registered office at 208 Canalot Studios, 222 Kensal Road, London, W10 5BN.

We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. Our privacy policy, laid out below, explains what personal data we collect and how we will use it.

Who does this privacy policy apply to?

This privacy policy applies to the personal data we collect from customers (as defined below) and from the other categories of individuals mentioned below.  For the purposes of this privacy policy “customer” means:

  • Entrants into the Competition (i.e.The International Wine & Spirit Competition)
  • Entrants and participants in: Dinners, Tastings, Trade Fairs and Exhibitons under the name of The IWSC or Club Oenologique
  • Partners, sponsors and supporters of The IWSC and Club Oenologique
  • Press and journalists
  • Club Oenologique magazine and club members, subscribers and advertisers
  • Other individuals with whom we maintain business relationships or communications.

When do we collect personal data and what personal data do we collect?

You do not have to give us any personal information in order to use our websites. However, if you wish to register on this website, subscribe to a service, book a stand or visitor ticket to our events, request information or provide content for inclusion in our publications we may collect personal information as detailed below.

We may collect personal data about you as follows:

  • If you register for an account with The IWSC or Club Oenologique, our visit any of our trade fair stands, events, tastings or dinners we will collect your contact details and the other information you provide to communicate with you in the future.
  • If you fill in forms on our websites, we will collect your professional information (as defined below) and the other information you provide in the form.
  • If you contact us by any other means (e.g. email or telephone), we may keep a record of that contact and the information you provide us at that time.
  • If you ask to be added to our marketing database, we will collect your professional information (as defined below) and your preferences as to the types of marketing information you would like to receive from us.

“Professional information” includes, but is not limited to, name, address, job title, company name, phone number, email address, as well as questions answered on survey or registration forms, and your preferences as to the types of marketing you would like to receive from us.

Other information collected via our websites and Cookies

We may collect other information via our websites through the use of cookies which help make sure the websites are meeting the needs of users and help us make improvements. IWSC and Club Oenologique use several cookies throughout our websites. For clarity, detailed on our websites are the “Cookie Policy” detailing each cookie we set, what reasons we have for setting them and how long they last for. 

Links to other websites

Our websites may, from time to time, contain links to other websites which may be of interest to you.  If you follow a link, please note that the other websites will have its own privacy policy and you should check this before you submit any personal data to that website.

How do we use your personal data?

  • If you exhibit at, or visit, any of our exhibitions, we will use the information you provide to carry out our contractual obligations to you.
  • If you visit our websites, we will use information about your visit to help us make our websites experience as user-friendly for as many visitors as possible on the basis that we have a legitimate interest to do so.
  • If you create an online account or enter the competition we will use the information you provide for the purpose of processing your entry and for ancillary administrative purposes on the basis that we have a legitimate interest in doing so. We may also send you information about IWSC events, Club Oenologique events and information about deadlines and other IWSC activities if you have consented to receiving this.
  • If you create an account or sign up for a Club Oenologique membership we will use the information you provide for the purpose of processing your membership, providing you with the services of membership entry and for ancillary administrative purposes on the basis that we have a legitimate interest in doing so. We may also send you information about the Club Oenologique, Club Oenologique  events and information about the IWSC if you have consented to receiving this.
  • If you fill in forms on our websites, or contact us by any other means, we will use the information you provide to respond to your enquiry or contact on the basis that we have a legitimate interest to do so.
  • If you ask to be added to our marketing database, we will use the information you provide to send you information about our organisation and services in accordance with your stated preferences. We will do so on the basis that you have consented to us processing your personal data in this way. You can stop receiving marketing information from us at any time as these communications provide easy ways to unsubscribe or update your preferences.

We will not use your personal data for any purpose not explained in this privacy policy.

Where do we store your personal data and how it is kept secure?

Some of the information you provide to us will be transmitted electronically, e.g. information provided via our websites or by email. We would remind you that information transmitted via the internet is not completely secure and although we will do our best to protect any information transmitted in this way, we cannot guarantee its complete security.

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data being accidently lost, accessed or used in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers located in the United Kingdom. No information you provide to us is transferred to, or stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area except with your prior consent.

In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

Who do we share your personal data with?

We may disclose your personal data to third parties as follows:

  • If we are under a duty to disclose or share it in order to comply with any legal obligation (for example our auditors, our insurers and HMRC).
  • With the other companies in our group for administrative and reporting purposes on the basis that we have a legitimate interest to do so.
  • With the suppliers we engage to produce exhibition materials and Optical Connections magazines on the basis that we have a legitimate interest to do so.
  • If you exhibit at our any of our exhibitions, we may pass your details to our stand builders and similar suppliers/contractors (or we may provide their details to you) on the basis that we have a legitimate interest to do so.
  • If you exhibit at, or attend, any of our exhibitions we may pass your details to our sponsors on the basis that we have a legitimate interest to do so as the goods/services they offer may be of interest to you.

How long do we keep your personal data?

We will only keep your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

The table below sets out further details:

Circumstances in which personal data was provided

How long do we keep it?

When you enter the competition

8 years

When we enter into contracts with suppliers

7 years

When you contact us via our websites

2 years

When you contact us by any other means (e.g. email or telephone) which does not lead to a contractual relationship

2 years

When you sign up for a Club Oenologique membership

6 years

When you attend any of our events or dinners

8 year

When you are added to add to our marketing database

Until you ask to be removed or we refresh our database to suppress dormant entries (typically on an annual basis)

Your rights in relation to the personal data we hold

You have the right to:

Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a "data subject access request"). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.

Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you corrected, though we may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us.

Request erasure of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your personal data to comply with local law. Note, however, that we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.

Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) 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 where we are processing your personal data for 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.

Request restriction of processing of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of your personal data in the following scenarios: (a) if you want us to establish the data's accuracy; (b) where our use of the data is unlawful but you do not want us to erase it; (c) where you need us to hold the data even if we no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; or (d) you have objected to our use of your data but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.

Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party. We will provide to you, or a third party you have chosen, your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.

Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent.

Contacting us

If you would like to communicate with us about any of the rights mentioned above, or if you have any other queries about the matters mentioned in this privacy policy, please contact us using one of the following options:

  • Website: www.iwsc.net
  • Email: info@iwsc.net
  • Post: The International Wine & Spirit Competition Ltd, 208 Canalot Studios, 222 Kensal Road,London, W10 5BN, UK
  • Telephone: 0203 176 6460

Complaints

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner about the way in which we collect and use your personal data: www.ico.org.uk/concerns  or telephone 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this privacy policy

This policy is effective from 25 May 2018. We may change this privacy policy from time to time by updating this webpage.