AHVAP 2026 Annual Conference & Industry Partner Expo

Whova Mobile Event App: Acceptable Use Policy and Disclaimer

1. Purpose and Scope

The Association of Healthcare Value Analysis Professionals (AHVAP) provides the Whova mobile event application ("the App") as the official digital platform for the AHVAP 2026 Annual Conference & Industry Partner Expo ("the Conference"). The App supports the attendee experience by providing the conference agenda, session information, speaker profiles, networking features, community discussion boards, virtual exhibitor booths, announcements, and related event resources.

This Acceptable Use Policy and Disclaimer ("Policy") governs all use of the App by every registered user, including attendees, speakers, faculty, poster presenters, Industry Partners, exhibitors, sponsors, AHVAP staff, board members, volunteers, and guests (collectively, "Users"). By downloading, accessing, or using the App in connection with the Conference, each User acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agreed to comply with this Policy, in addition to Whova's own Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, the AHVAP Code of Conduct, and all applicable Conference registration and exhibitor agreements.

AHVAP reserves the right to update this Policy at any time. Continued use of the App after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

2. Professional Conduct Standards

The App is an extension of the professional environment of the Conference. All Users agree to:

1. Communicate in a professional, respectful, and courteous manner in all App features, including community boards, session Q&A, polls, direct messages, and networking functions.
2. Refrain from harassment, discrimination, intimidation, bullying, or any conduct that is offensive, defamatory, obscene, threatening, or otherwise inappropriate, whether directed at an individual or a group.
3. Use their true identity. Users may not impersonate another person or organization, create accounts under false names, or misrepresent their professional role, employer, or credentials.
4. Post only content they have the right to share. Users may not post content that infringes any copyright, trademark, trade secret, privacy right, or other proprietary right of any third party.
5. Respect the intended purpose of each App feature. Session Q&A is for questions related to the educational content of that session. Community boards are for the topics designated by AHVAP.

3. Antitrust Compliance Statement

AHVAP is a professional association whose members and Conference participants include competing healthcare organizations, suppliers, distributors, group purchasing organizations, and service providers. AHVAP is firmly committed to full compliance with federal and state antitrust laws, including the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act. The App, like every other Conference venue, may never be used as a forum for anticompetitive conduct.

Users are strictly prohibited from using any feature of the App (including community boards, direct messages, session Q&A, polls, meeting scheduling, or virtual booths) to discuss, exchange, solicit, or agree upon:

1. Prices, pricing strategies, price changes, discounts, rebates, credit terms, or other terms or conditions of sale between competitors.
2. Costs, profit margins, or reimbursement rates in a manner that could facilitate price coordination among competitors.
3. Allocation or division of markets, territories, customers, product lines, or suppliers.
4. Agreements to boycott, refuse to deal with, or collectively exclude any supplier, purchaser, competitor, or other third party.
5. Bids, bidding strategies, intentions to bid or not bid, or the terms of competitive contract negotiations.
6. Competitively sensitive, non-public business information of any organization.

Nothing in this Policy prohibits lawful, unilateral commercial discussions between an individual supplier and an individual purchaser (for example, within a scheduled VIP Meeting or at an exhibitor booth), provided those discussions do not involve coordination among competitors.

If a conversation in any App forum turns to a prohibited topic, Users must decline to participate, state their objection, exit the discussion, and report the matter to AHVAP at [email protected]. AHVAP staff and moderators are authorized to remove content and suspend access immediately when antitrust concerns arise.

4. Commercial Promotion, Solicitation, and Exhibitor Activity

The Conference includes accredited continuing education programming. To protect the integrity and independence of that programming and to comply with continuing education accreditation standards requiring clear separation between education and commercial promotion, AHVAP enforces the following rules without exception:

4.1 Designated Commercial Channels

All promotion of products, services, companies, or brands by Industry Partners, exhibitors, sponsors, or any other commercial interest is permitted only in the following designated locations and times:

1. The Industry Partner's or exhibitor's own virtual booth within the App.
2. The physical Industry Partner Expo hall during published exhibit hours.
3. Sponsored functions and placements expressly contracted with AHVAP (for example, sponsored receptions, meals, or App sponsorship placements) as set forth in the applicable sponsorship or exhibitor agreement.
4. Scheduled VIP Meetings arranged through AHVAP's official VIP Meetings program.

4.2 Prohibited Commercial Conduct

Outside the designated channels above, Users may not:

1. Post promotional content, product announcements, sales offers, service pitches, marketing materials, or commercial links on community boards, session Q&A, polls, announcements, photo streams, or any other shared App feature. All such announcements must be contained to the WHOVA Exhibitor virtual booth and the designated exhibitor locations at the physical conference during scheduled exhibit hours.
2. Send unsolicited promotional or sales messages to attendees through the App's direct messaging or networking features. Networking outreach must be genuinely relational and professional; mass messaging, message blasts, and copy-paste solicitations are prohibited.
3. Use session Q&A or educational discussion threads to promote, endorse, or disparage any product, service, or company.
4. Promote products or services within, immediately before, or immediately after accredited educational sessions in any manner that could compromise the independence of the education or the Conference's compliance with continuing education requirements.
5. Represent sponsorship of the Conference or any Conference element as AHVAP's endorsement of any product or service.
6. Conduct suitcasing or outboarding: soliciting business in the App or at the Conference by any individual or organization that has not contracted with AHVAP as an exhibitor or sponsor, or hosting competing events or meetings that draw attendees away from official Conference programming.

4.3 Continuing Education Independence

Accredited educational content presented at the Conference is planned and delivered independently of commercial influence. Sponsorship or exhibit participation confers no role in the planning, content, faculty selection, or evaluation of accredited sessions. Faculty disclosure and conflict-of-interest mitigation are managed by AHVAP in accordance with applicable accreditation criteria. Any attempt by a commercial interest to influence educational content through the App or otherwise must be reported to AHVAP immediately. To report a violation of this policy, contact AHVAP HQ: [email protected]. 

5. Privacy and Data Protection

1. Attendee information visible in the App (names, titles, organizations, profile details, and messages) is provided solely to facilitate professional networking at the Conference.
2. Users may not harvest, scrape, export, compile, sell, or otherwise systematically collect attendee data from the App for any purpose, including the creation of marketing lists, lead databases, or recruitment lists, except as expressly authorized in a written agreement with AHVAP (for example, lead retrieval features included in a contracted exhibitor or recruiter package).
3. Users may not add attendees to external mailing lists or marketing databases based on App information without the individual's express consent.
4. Users are responsible for the accuracy of the profile information they provide and may control their own visibility settings within the App.
5. The App is operated by Whova, Inc., an independent third party. Data submitted to the App is processed under Whova's Privacy Policy. AHVAP does not control and is not responsible for Whova's data practices, systems, or security.

6. Intellectual Property and Recording

1. Conference content, including session materials, slides, posters, recordings, and abstracts, is the intellectual property of the respective presenters, authors, or AHVAP, as applicable. Materials made available in the App are for the personal, professional, and educational use of registered Users only and may not be reproduced, distributed, or published without written permission of the rights holder.
2. Audio recording, video recording, or livestreaming of educational sessions is prohibited without the advance written consent of AHVAP and the presenter.
3. Photography for personal, noncommercial use is permitted unless restricted for a specific session or by an individual's request. Photographs of scientific posters require the presenting author's permission.
4. The AHVAP name, logo, and Conference branding may not be used in any User's materials, posts, or communications in a manner suggesting AHVAP endorsement without written authorization.

7. Prohibited Uses (General)

In addition to the restrictions above, Users may not use the App to:

1. Violate any applicable law or regulation.
2. Transmit malware, spam, chain messages, or phishing content.
3. Interfere with or disrupt the App, its servers, or other Users' access.
4. Circumvent security features or access accounts, data, or features without authorization.
5. Post political campaign material, fundraising solicitations unrelated to official AHVAP activities, or content unrelated to the professional purposes of the Conference.
6. Make false, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims about any product, service, organization, or individual.

8. Moderation, Enforcement, and Sanctions

AHVAP and its designated moderators reserve the right, in their sole discretion and without prior notice, to:

1. Monitor, edit, or remove any content posted in the App that violates this Policy.
2. Issue warnings to Users.
3. Suspend or permanently revoke App access.
4. Remove a User from the Conference without refund, in accordance with the Conference registration terms.
5. Suspend or terminate exhibitor or sponsorship privileges, and decline future exhibit or sponsorship applications, for Industry Partners who violate this Policy, in accordance with the applicable exhibitor or sponsorship agreement.
6. Refer conduct to legal authorities where appropriate.

Enforcement decisions by AHVAP are final. Failure to enforce any provision of this Policy in a particular instance does not waive AHVAP's right to enforce it in any other instance.

Violations may be reported at any time to [email protected] or to AHVAP staff at the registration desk.

9. Disclaimer

Third-Party Platform. The App is provided by Whova, Inc. AHVAP makes no representations or warranties regarding the App's availability, functionality, security, or fitness for any particular purpose. The App is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. AHVAP is not responsible for technical failures, service interruptions, lost or corrupted data, or errors in App content.

User-Generated Content. Opinions, statements, and materials posted in the App by attendees, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, or other Users are those of the individual User and do not represent the views, positions, or endorsement of AHVAP, its Board of Directors, or its staff. AHVAP does not pre-screen User content and assumes no liability for it.

No Endorsement. The presence of any company, product, or service in the App, in the Expo hall, or in sponsored placements does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or warranty by AHVAP. Attendees are solely responsible for evaluating any product, service, or information presented at the Conference.

No Professional Advice. Content available through the App and the Conference is provided for general educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute clinical, legal, financial, or purchasing advice. Users should exercise independent professional judgment and consult qualified advisors before acting on any information obtained at the Conference.

Limitation of Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, AHVAP, its officers, directors, employees, volunteers, and agents shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages arising out of or related to use of, or inability to use, the App.

10. Questions and Contact

Questions regarding this Policy, requests for authorization of activities not addressed here, and reports of suspected violations should be directed to:

Association of Healthcare Value Analysis Professionals (AHVAP) Email: [email protected]

By using the Whova App for the AHVAP 2026 Annual Conference & Industry Partner Expo, you acknowledge and agree to this Acceptable Use Policy and Disclaimer.

Adopted: January 2024, Version 1.0