How we handle your information

1. Information we collect

Depending on how you interact with BOC, we may collect information including:

• Your name
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Company or business name
• Job title or role
• Information you provide about your business
• Membership information
• Event registration and attendance information
• Communications and enquiries you send to us
• Marketing and communication preferences
• Payment and transaction information
• Information you provide through forms, surveys or feedback
• Technical information about your use of our website, such as your IP address, browser type, device information and website activity
• Information collected through cookies, pixels and similar technologies
• Any other information you choose to provide to us

Where payments are processed by a third-party payment provider, your full payment card details may be processed directly by that provider rather than stored by BOC.

2. How we collect your information

We may collect personal information when you:

• Visit or interact with our website
• Complete a website form
• Register for a BOC event
• Enquire about or purchase BOC membership
• Subscribe to our emails or other communications
• Contact or communicate with us
• Attend a BOC event or activity
• Participate in a survey or provide feedback
• Interact with our advertising or social media
• Otherwise provide information directly to us

We also use third-party platforms to help us operate BOC, including Ontraport for forms, customer relationship management and email marketing, and Meta technologies, including the Meta Pixel, for advertising measurement and optimisation.

3. How we use your information

We may use your personal information to:

• Manage membership enquiries and registrations
• Administer and provide your BOC membership
• Register you for BOC events
• Communicate with you about events you have registered for
• Respond to enquiries and requests
• Provide BOC services, resources and member communications
• Manage our relationship with members and prospective members
• Send relevant BOC news, event invitations, resources, membership information and marketing communications where permitted
• Personalise and improve our communications
• Improve our website, events, membership experience and services
• Understand how visitors use and interact with our website
• Measure the effectiveness of our marketing and advertising
• Improve and optimise our advertising campaigns
• Create or reach relevant advertising audiences where permitted
• Process payments and maintain appropriate transaction records
• Maintain the security and operation of our website and systems
• Prevent misuse, fraud or other unauthorised activity
• Meet our legal, regulatory, accounting and administrative obligations
• Protect the rights, safety and interests of BOC, our members and others

Where required by applicable law, we will obtain your consent before collecting or using your personal information for a particular purpose.

4. Email and marketing communications

We may send you information about BOC, including:

• Upcoming events
• Membership opportunities
• BOC news and announcements
• Business resources and content
• Member opportunities
• Relevant products, services or initiatives

Where required, we will obtain your consent before sending marketing communications.

We use Ontraport to help manage our contact database, forms and email marketing communications.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in our emails or by contacting us.

Unsubscribing from marketing communications will not prevent us from sending essential communications relating to your membership, an event registration, a transaction or another service you have requested.

5. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website may use cookies, pixels and similar technologies to:

• Enable the website to function correctly
• Remember preferences
• Understand how visitors use our website
• Measure website performance
• Understand which content is useful to visitors
• Measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns
• Support and improve our digital advertising

Some cookies are necessary for the website to operate. Others may be used for analytics, functionality or advertising.

Where required by applicable law, we will ask for your consent before activating non-essential cookies or tracking technologies.

You can manage your preferences through the cookie controls available on our website and, where applicable, through your browser settings.

Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality or experience of parts of our website.

6. Meta Pixel and digital advertising

We may use advertising technologies provided by Meta Platforms, including the Meta Pixel, on the BOC website.

The Meta Pixel helps us understand how people interact with our website after seeing or interacting with BOC advertising on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

Depending on your consent choices and applicable law, these technologies may collect information about your:

• Device and browser
• Website visits
• Pages viewed
• Interactions with our website
• Actions taken after interacting with an advertisement

We may use this information to:

• Measure website visits and conversions
• Understand the effectiveness of BOC advertising
• Improve and optimise advertising campaigns
• Understand how audiences interact with BOC online
• Create or reach relevant advertising audiences where permitted

Meta may process information it receives through these technologies in accordance with its own privacy terms and policies.

Where consent is required, non-essential advertising and tracking technologies will not be activated until the appropriate consent has been provided.

7. How we share your information

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share personal information with trusted third parties where reasonably necessary to operate BOC and provide our services.

These may include providers supporting:

• Website hosting and management
• Customer relationship management
• Website forms
• Email and communications
• Event registration and management
• Payment processing
• Analytics
• Digital advertising
• IT and cybersecurity
• Professional, legal, accounting and administrative services

In particular, we use:

Ontraport

We use Ontraport to support website forms, contact management, customer relationship management and email marketing.

Meta

We may use Meta advertising technologies, including the Meta Pixel, to measure advertising performance, understand website activity and optimise or deliver relevant advertising.

Third-party providers may process personal information on our behalf or, depending on the service and circumstances, process information under their own privacy obligations.

We may also disclose personal information where required by applicable law, regulation, legal process or a competent authority, or where reasonably necessary to protect our rights or the rights, property or safety of others.

8. International data transfers

BOC is based in the United Arab Emirates, but some of the technology platforms and service providers we use may process or store personal information in other countries.

This means your personal information may be transferred to, processed in or stored outside the United Arab Emirates.

Where applicable, we will take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure international transfers of personal information are handled in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

9. How long we keep your information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

This may include retaining information for the purposes of:

• Providing memberships and services
• Managing our relationship with you
• Maintaining business and transaction records
• Resolving enquiries or disputes
• Meeting legal, regulatory, accounting or reporting requirements

Different types of information may therefore be retained for different periods.

When personal information is no longer reasonably required, we will take appropriate steps to delete, anonymise or securely dispose of it, subject to any applicable legal requirements.

10. How we protect your information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information from:

• Unauthorised access
• Loss
• Misuse
• Alteration
• Unauthorised disclosure
• Destruction

Access to personal information is limited where reasonably appropriate to people and service providers who require it for legitimate business purposes.

However, no website, internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

11. Your privacy rights

Depending on applicable law and the circumstances, you may have rights relating to your personal information.

These may include the right to:

• Request information about how your personal information is being processed
• Request access to personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of personal information in certain circumstances
• Request restriction or cessation of certain processing
• Object to certain uses of your personal information
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent
• Request the transfer of your personal information where applicable
• Raise a concern regarding how your personal information has been handled

These rights may be subject to applicable legal requirements, limitations or exceptions.

To make a privacy-related request, please contact us using the details provided at the end of this Privacy Policy.

12. Your marketing and cookie choices

You can change certain privacy and communication choices at any time.

You can:

• Unsubscribe from BOC marketing emails using the unsubscribe link contained in our emails
• Contact us to update your communication preferences
• Manage non-essential cookies and tracking technologies through our website's cookie controls
• Adjust certain cookie settings through your browser
• Manage relevant advertising preferences through the platforms you use

Changing your marketing preferences will not prevent us from sending essential communications relating to your membership, event registration, transaction or another service you have requested.

13. Photography and video at BOC events

BOC events may be photographed, filmed or recorded.

Photography and video may be used for legitimate BOC business, editorial, promotional and marketing purposes, including on:

• The BOC website
• BOC social media channels
• Digital advertising
• Event materials
• Marketing and promotional materials
• BOC publications and communications

Where appropriate, attendees will be informed when photography or filming is taking place.

If you have concerns about appearing in event photography or video, please speak to a member of the BOC team at the event.

Where specific consent is required for a particular use, we will seek that consent separately.

14. Third-party websites and services

Our website may contain links to websites, platforms or services operated by third parties.

When you follow a link to another website or platform, that organisation's own privacy practices and terms may apply.

BOC is not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites and services.

We encourage you to review the relevant privacy policies before providing personal information to third parties.

15. Children's privacy

BOC's membership, events and services are intended for adults and business professionals.

We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children through our website.

If we become aware that personal information relating to a child has been collected in circumstances where it should not have been, we will take appropriate steps to address the matter.

16. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to:

• Our services and activities
• The technology and platforms we use
• Our business practices
• Applicable legal or regulatory requirements

When we make changes, the latest version will be published on this website and the “Last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy will be revised.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

17. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, how BOC handles your personal information or would like to exercise a privacy right, please contact:

Business Owners Collective (BOC)
Operated by: IntegrityX - FZCO
Email: boc@integrityx.com
Address: IFZA Business Park - Building A2 - Nadd Hessa - Dubai Silicon Oasis - Dubai - United Arab Emirates