Privacy Notice

Last updated: 19/09/2023

Version: 1.3

Best Companies Events

This privacy notice is being provided to explain how we handle your personal information at a Best Companies Live and the Awards Celebration Evening (“Event”).

Best Companies Live is a recurring event held throughout the year. It features speakers from our community, live audience participation, and a grand celebration in November. Events are recorded from multiple locations including but not limited to Dock10, Media City, Manchester as well as Battersea Evolution, London.

Our Events are designed to celebrate and recognise the UK’s Best Companies to work for. Whilst, providing a platform for meaningful discussion and debate on employee engagement.

About Best Companies

We are Best Companies, dedicated to improving workplaces. We evaluate companies using our b-Heard survey to identify the UK's Best Companies to work for. Our accreditations and lists showcase companies that prioritize employee engagement. Learn more about us here.

Use of Personal Data

We care about ensuring we are transparent and fair in how we use personal data. This privacy notice explains when and why we collect personal information, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others and how we keep it secure.

Unless otherwise stated, Best Companies is the Data Controller of any personal data it receives. Our purpose for collecting personal data is to facilitate the Event and provide you with the Event experience before, during and post Event.

We may change this policy from time to time so please check this page occasionally to ensure that you’re happy with any changes. This privacy notice is currently only available in English. In the event non-English translations of this privacy notice are provided, it is done so for convenience only. In the event of conflict between translations, the English version shall always take precedence.

Any questions you may have about this notice or your individual rights, you may contact the Data Protection Officer by email, [email protected] or write to

Best Companies, Rackery Lane, Llay, Wrexham, Wales, LL12 0PB
.

1. Who are Best Companies?

We are Best Companies; the workplace engagement people. Our primary purpose is to help make the world a better workplace. Employees that are truly engaged, are happier, more productive, and more invested in an organisation’s success.

The Best Companies Accreditation and Lists uses our academically developed methodology. Our unique system looks for patterns, connections, and correlations between employee responses, through our b-Heard survey, thus ensuring those that make a list or achieve a Best Companies Accreditation are truly worthy of being branded a ‘Best Company’. Accreditation tells your clients, partners, investors, and employees that your organisation understands the importance of workplace engagement and genuinely values its people.

Please visit our website at https://www.b.co.uk/about to find out more.

2. The Event

The Event held periodically throughout the year can provide a platform for carefully selected speakers from the Best Companies Community; a live audience with an

opportunity to view live footage or watch again on demand. Our celebration event is held in November.


Please read on to understand how your personal data may be processed.

2.1 Invitation

Virtual Attendee

Where an Event is hosted online, anyone can choose to freely attend even if you are not receiving services from Best Companies.

Where we have specifically invited you to attend virtually, via email, or your employer has shared the registration link, asking you to register. Great News, the likelihood is your organisation has made one of our ‘Best Companies to Work for Lists’ or has been accredited by Best Companies .

Live Audience

Individuals may be invited to attend as a member of a panel debate or to watch live as a member of the Live Audience.

Celebration Event

Accredited organisations are invited to purchase tickets to attend the Awards Evening in November, which is held in Battersea Evolution, London.

Tickets are limited and sold on a first come, first served basis. Please review, clause 2.8 Recording on location disclosure.

Please be aware there is a specific Terms of Purchase agreement for tickets, which is accepted as part of purchase and additionally available on request.

2.2 Registration

To register for a virtual Event, you are only required to submit your email address. Once submitted, you will receive a unique passcode, to enter the site. Following site entry, you may choose to share details of your attendance with others across social sites

You will need to use the same details to sign into each Event, so please keep them safe.

Virtual Lanyard

Where we recognise your email address domain, we will add your company or university logo to your virtual lanyard. Employees of accredited organisations will have the relevant accreditation logo applied to your lanyard to showcase your organisations success. These elements are only applied where we are able to match you against your organisation and there is an active company profile on the Best Companies website.

Live Audience

Where you are invited to attend as part of the live audience your personal information will be used to administer your attendance.

Information provided by yourself and/or organisation will be used for registration and administration of the Event, such as event lanyard, to include your name, company and job role.

Where we are not provided an image of your likeness we will use an image from your LinkedIn profile, which supports identification at registration.

We may also be provided by your company any specific dietary requirements or individual requests.

2.3 Platform, my profile virtual attendee

On the ‘My Profile’ page you are in control of your personal data.

Choose to complete some or all the suggested fields to complete your virtual attendance pass. On your instruction, your profile will be visible in the networking area, which you can remove anytime. Select the relevant checkboxes on whether you want to make your profile and contact details visible to others. To post comments on the wall and chat you are required to include your name. Alternate email is for account recovery and is optional.

2.4 Recruitment

Your profile will need to be visible to show that you are hiring or open to work. You can add detail to the job description such as from your LinkedIn account or insert a link to your careers page to advertise your vacancies.

Recruiters, you may opt to apply your careers email address as an alternative to your main contact emails.

2.5 Best Companies Engagement Community

As a member of our engagement community, you will receive occasional communications from us about future events, community resources, information about our services and how you can get involved in making the ‘World a better workplace’. You will only receive content where you have actively consented by selecting to join. You can withdraw your consent in the platform at any time or by selecting unsubscribe from one of our marketing emails.

2.6 Additional Information

Audience participation, to include any submission of questions or responses during the Event. Voluntary submission within the platform are intended to provide a point of discussion and extend participation to the audience. Any votes received during the Event, will be reported by the host(s) anonymously.

Your questions, where you have made your profile public, where used, may include your name and company as acknowledgement for being a contributor.

Group chats can be created at any time by any individual. Administration, chat including invitation to or removal of individuals from a group chat is managed by the group owner. You may remove yourself from a group chat at any time. Best Companies also has the right to remove or delete a group chats at any time. Content of chat history may be retained by Best Companies up to 1 month after deletion.

Full details of the virtual conference agenda are available on the Event landing page. There is no need to choose your agenda in advance – simply pick the seminars you want to attend on the day. We are also recording each session, to be available after the event.

You can change your mind in attending the conference at any time by emailing [email protected] please use the subject title ‘Best Companies Live’.

Updates and communications of the event will be communicated across social media platforms using the hashtag #BestCompaniesLive

2.7 Guest Speakers

Invited guest speaker(s), will be requested to sign a disclosure prior to attending an Event. Best Companies may use your likeness, name, company and position including transmission and distribution of still and moving images with audio (“Your Personal Data”) to publish and republish, in both online and printed formats. Best Companies may subsequently use Your Personal Data on its websites, social media channels and digital communication materials to also include television and radio. All content may be used for marketing purposes of Best Companies services, clients, as well as in advertising of future events both online and in printed publication(s).

2.8 Recording on location disclosure

Please be advised when attending or participating with any Event that filming, including live streaming and photography will be taking place. The transmission and distribution of still and moving images with audio may subsequently be used in Best Companies websites, social media channels and digital communication materials to also include television and radio. All content may be used for marketing purposes of Best Companies services, clients as well as for advertising of future Events.

These images will be released into the public domain and used to promote the Event and Best Companies Services, by Best Companies and its clients, for purposes of promoting and recognising achievement(s).

We may also collect name, organisation name, and an email address. To provide you with the images taken of you and your colleagues at an Event e.g. a photo booth. Any contact data collected on the Photo Nomination Voucher(s) will be retained by the photographer, for a period of 3 months, to assist us with any enquiries and by Best Companies (the Data Controller) for a period of 12 months.

3.0 Contact from Best Companies
  • The Event We may contact you from time to time, in the run up to the Live event. These are transactional emails, sent as part of our service provision.
  • Feedback We may select to contact you after the event for your event feedback, participation is optional, this is to help us improve future online events.
  • Marketing You may be selected to receive marketing communications, where it is in our Legitimate Interest to do so or where you have Consented for us to do so. You may opt out or withdraw that consent at any time.
  • Future Events We will contact you to make you aware of each upcoming quarterly reveal.
3.1 Sharing information with 3rd parties

We will not sell your data to 3rd party organisations or 3rd party advertisers. Your personal information will only be shared with 3rd parties under the below scenarios.

Organisations used for the services: These are organisations that are required to assist us with delivery of the services. For more information, please see ‘7.2 Providing the services’ below.

Organisations you have expressed an interest in: In the networking area there will be the opportunity for you to express an interest in connecting with organisations. Those organisations may be provided with your contact information and the details you have provided on your profile page. This is so they may connect further with you, such as where you are open to work, and they are recruiting. Please be aware expressing an interest does not guarantee an organisation will contact you.

You choose to share your contact details: Your lanyard offers the opportunity for individuals to connect with you via LinkedIn or directly via email. You are in control; you choose what to make visible.

We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law in order to (for example) respond to a request from law enforcement, a court or a government agency (including in response to public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements), or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) comply with a legal obligation, (b) protect or defend our rights, interests or property or that of third parties, (c) prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Services, (d) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Users of the Services or the public, or (e) protect against legal liability.

4.0 False Information

Please report fake profiles or impersonation issues, emailing [email protected] please use the subject title ‘Best Companies Live’ to ensure the quickest resolution. We rely on the integrity of our delegates as per our terms and conditions in providing true and accurate information in their accounts and we do not vet all user-generated content for accuracy. For the avoidance of doubt submitting a notice to us will not necessarily result in the removal of the account or information.

5.0 Your Data, Your Rights

Under UK and EU laws you have certain rights, for this event Best Companies extends these rights to you regardless of the country you reside in. You have a right to be informed of the personal data processed by Best Companies, a right to request for rectification/correction, erasure and to restrict data processing. You also have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will not be conducting any automated decision making or profiling. We can only identify you via your email address and we can only adhere to your request and provide information where we are holding personal data about you. This can be through you having made contact with us directly and/or having registered for Best Companies Live.

Please be aware that if you request to be removed from an event as you are no longer able/or wish to attend, or to no longer receive communications regarding the event from us, we will delete your personal data and you will need to register again for any future events.

Where personal data is processed for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Notice it is done so on the lawful basis of contractual, consent or legitimate interests as per the meaning within UK Data Protection Law.

In addition, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your jurisdiction.

To enact your rights, please contact the Data Protection Officer via email [email protected].

To individuals situated in the EU, please contact us directly in the first instance, alternatively Best Companies has instructed Ametros Group as our EU Representative in accordance with Article 27 of the GDPR for EU supervisory authorities and EU citizens. Email: [email protected]

6. Cookies and similar technologies

Like most organisations, we use cookies. They help us provide our users with a better website experience by enabling us to monitor which pages they find useful and how our site is interacted with. We will ask for your consent to track cookies when you first arrive at our website. You can decline cookies; in which case we will only apply cookies that are necessary for site security and functionality.

Cookies are small text files that are automatically placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a web site, which are stored by your Internet browser. A cookie in no way gives us access to a user’s computer or any information about them, other than the data they choose to share with us. Most web browsers allow some control over most cookies through the browser settings, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them (visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org).

7. How we store your personal data

The Best Companies Live platform is being used to facilitate the conference and video will be provided using live streams from YouTube and Microsoft Azure. Best Companies is dedicated to protecting all personal data we receive in line with industry standards and best practise. All data is only accessible by authorised personnel and Best Companies employees who are all contractually subject to confidentiality. We take all reasonable steps to protect information we receive from loss, misuse or unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, and/or destruction. We have put in place appropriate physical, technical, and administrative measures to safeguard and secure your information, and make use of privacy-enhancing technologies such as encryption.

Best Companies is an ISO 27001 and 9001 accredited company.

7.1 How long we retain your personal data

We may retain your personal data as long as you are registered to use our services in line with our retention policy. You may close your account at any time by contacting us. However, we may retain personal data for an additional period as is permitted or required under applicable laws. Even if we delete your personal data it may persist on backup or archival media for an additional period of time such as for legal or legitimate and lawful business purposes.

Where an individual has requested us to invite someone else, where that individual does not register, we will delete the information you provided after the event.

7.2 Providing the services

To provide Best Companies Live we use a select number of trusted external service providers. We only transfer information that is required for the services offered and we contractually bind them to keep any information we share with them as confidential and to process personal data only according to our instructions. These service providers are also known as data processors, who we use for the provision of our services.

They are:

  • Microsoft Limited (Location: UK and EU)
  • Barracuda Networks (Location: UK)
  • MailGun technologies (Location: Germany)
  • DataSend UK (Location: UK)
  • Salesforce (Location: EU)
  • FreshWorks (Location: EU)
  • Zkipster (Location: Switzerland)
  • The Event venue (Location: UK)
  • 3rd Party Contractors, e.g. photographer, videographer (Location: UK)
7.3 Third-party sites

We also display links and content to other websites that are not owned or controlled by Best Companies such as Vimeo Privacy Notice and YouTube Privacy Notice. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other websites or third parties. We encourage you to be aware of when you leave our websites and to read the privacy notices of each website that collects personal information.

7.4 Google

Where you have consented to Cookies, we have implemented Google Analytics for tracking events, location and page hits that assist us in the improvement and optimisation of the analysis of data supplied via the Best Companies Live platform for content enrichment, our marketing activities and lead generation purposes, including Google location API. Please view the Google privacy notice to view any necessary notices or consents for the collection and sharing of the data with Google.

7.5 International Transfer

Best Companies is located in the United Kingdom (UK). Should you reside outside of the UK you should be aware your data will be transferred to what is considered a 3rd country, which may have different Data Protection laws to the country where you reside.

Our services for Best Companies Live rely on transfers of data to organisations outside of the UK. We will ensure appropriate provisions are in place where we have a requirement to transfer data outside of the UK to include:

  • any countries covered by a UK ‘adequacy decision’
  • use of Standard Contractual Clauses (‘SCCs')
8. Thank you and contact

Thank you for taking the time to read through our privacy notice. We very much hope we have covered everything off. This is really important to us, and we always appreciate feedback. In the event we have got it wrong, or you would like more information please contact us at [email protected].