The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS) community is made up of a network of people with a common agenda, cause, and interest, who collaborate by sharing ideas, information, and resources. It is of utmost importance to the ASLMS that every Participant of our Annual Conferences, educational events, or other special events - whether virtual or in-person - has a positive and rewarding experience. Participants of an educational activity or other event hosted by the ASLMS are contributing to this overall experience and everyone is accountable to each other.
The ASLMS has established these Guidelines to ensure that all Participants understand what behavior is expected, and what behavior will not be tolerated at an ASLMS event. The ASLMS expects all Participants to abide by these Guidelines during all activities including related social events at off-site locations, in related online communities, and related social media interactions.
Official Language
The official language of ASLMS is English. This applies to in–person and virtual education events, publishing, printing, and other business activities. No simultaneous translation is available.
Copyright and Content Protection
All educational session proceedings, including but not limited to the presentation of scientific papers and faculty lectures, are intended solely for the benefit of registered attendees. It is the expectation that registration login credentials will not be shared with, and content will not be displayed in a private or public setting to, non-registered individuals. No statement or presentation made is to be regarded as dedicated to the public domain. Any statement or presentation is to be regarded as limited publication only and all property rights in the material presented, including common law copyright, are expressly reserved to the speaker or to ASLMS. Any sound reproduction, transcript, or other use of material presented without the permission of the speaker or ASLMS is prohibited to the full extent of applicable property rights in such materials, including common law copyright.
Participants must NOT distribute literature during educational activities or special events, including exhibitor or Society events unless expressly permitted by the ASLMS. In addition, Participants must NOT photograph, videotape, copy or take screen shots, or share content with non-registered individuals. Content includes but is not limited to lecture slides, Q&A logs, chat room discussions, or other exchange of information in the live or virtual space.
ASLMS reserves the right to take photos/videos at its hosted events and to publish them in ASLMS marketing materials. Participant attendance and registration authorize ASLMS to publish photos/videos in our publications, marketing materials and on our website. If a Participant photo/video appears on the website or in a publication, and that individual prefers that we discontinue using the material, they may contact our office at information@aslms.org.
Educational Session Materials and Handouts
Presentations, postings, and messages must not contain promotional materials, special offers, job offers, product announcements, or solicitation for services. ASLMS reserves the right to remove such messages and potentially ban sources of those solicitations.
In an effort to be environmentally conscious and to embrace technological advancement, ASLMS will not provide print/hard copy handouts for any educational sessions. Handouts, if provided by speakers, will be available to registered attendees through the event website, mobile access or other provisionary method determined by ASLMS. Attendees may choose to access materials on their own prior to, or for a limited time following, the event.
Disclaimer
The views expressed and materials presented throughout ASLMS education events and activities both in-person and online represent the personal views of the individual participants and do not represent the opinion of ASLMS. This organization assumes no responsibility for the content of the presentations made by an individual participant or group of participants.
Planner and Speaker Disclosures
The ASLMS is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. As such, we have made the choice to meet ACCME’s criteria and practices for continuing medical education. The ASLMS has implemented a process that requires everyone who is in a position to control the content of an accredited CME activity disclose to us all financial relationships with any commercial interest that they and their spouse/partner may have received within the last 12 months, not just those relevant to the activity being developed. Planners of and speakers within CME activities must not be employees or owners of an ACCME defined commercial interest (any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients).
Prior to their presentation, speakers must verbally indicate relevant disclosures and indicate if the content of their presentation relates to any proprietary interest, or whether it describes any off-label uses of drugs, instruments or devices, and whether or not drugs, instruments or devices discussed are FDA approved.
If any additional financial relationships develop between the time the disclosure form is completed and the CME activity, the ASLMS requires the individual to notify the CME Provider Unit in writing to disclose the additional financial relationship(s). Individuals who refuse to disclose will be disqualified from being a part of the planning and/or implementation of the CME activity. For more information, please see the ASLMS Mechanism to Identify Financial Relationships and Resolve Conflict of Interest.
Discrimination
ASLMS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation in any aspect of its operations, including, but not limited to, the provision of services, membership on the Society’s governing board or committees, membership in the Society, attendance at or participation in the Society’s programs, grant selection, meetings, and events.
Harassment
The ASLMS is dedicated to providing a harassment-free and inclusive event experience for everyone regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disabilities, neurodiversity, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, nationality, race, age, religion, or other protected category. This includes an environment free from harassment of any type, including but not limited to sexual harassment, physical harassment, and bullying behavior. Sexual harassment is a violation of federal and state laws, and consists of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other types of verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, regardless of the gender of the harasser or the victim. Other prohibited acts of harassment include but are not limited to intimidating, hostile, obscene, offensive, abusive, or threatening behavior, whether physical or non-physical; epithets, slurs, or negative stereotyping; denigrating jokes; gestures; and written or graphic material, however transmitted, which denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group. Participants who are asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.
Personal Information Made Available Through Lead Retrieval System at In-Person Events
The name badges given to attendees have information that is tied to the ASLMS registration database. When an attendee allows an exhibitor to scan their badge at an event or grants permission to share personal contact information with a vendor in a virtual setting, the personal information shared when registering will be made available to the vendor and may be used by the vendor to contact that attendee after the event. The personal information that becomes available upon scanning includes name, title, e-mail address, employer name, work address and telephone number. If an attendee does not want personal information shared, they should not allow their badge to be scanned by exhibitors and/or should decline permission through the virtual platform, which will require confirmation with a pop-up icon. ASLMS respects the privacy of its members and other visitors to its website. Participants may view the complete privacy policy on the ASLMS website.
Personal Information Made Available Via Mailing Lists
For the Annual Conference, exhibitors will receive the pre- and post-conference attendee mailing list for one-time use at no charge. The lists include only the physical mailing address and emails for United States attendees and international attendees that opt in during the registration process to share their mailing address. The ASLMS respects the privacy of its members and other visitors to its website. Participants may view the complete privacy policy on the ASLMS website and may contact us at any time to have personal information removed from the attendee mailing lists.
Press
Press may attend virtual and/or in-person educational activities and special events, however, they must adhere to the guidelines below:
- At a live event, members of the press must register and wear badges identifying them as media representatives.
- Media representatives are required to schedule interviews with speakers through the Society’s Marketing and Communications Manager. Please contact Andrea Alstad via email at andrea@aslms.org or by phone 715-845-9283, with media inquiries. Andrea will be available to offer additional information or to arrange interviews.
- Members of the press are not permitted to ask questions during an educational session.
- Members of the press must adhere to the Copyright and Content Protection guidelines as stated above.
For information on how to register for virtual and/or in-person educational activities and special events, please review the Press Credentials and Guidelines information on the website.
For In-Person Events
Disaster Procedures
In the event of an emergency situation during the Annual Conference, information will be posted on the Society’s website, or via notification through the ASLMS mobile app.
Smoking
It is a policy of ASLMS and the facility that all areas of the Convention Center and Exhibit Hall (including setup and dismantle of exhibits) are a smoke-free environment. We thank all Participants for not smoking.
Responsible Drinking
When alcohol is served during Annual Conference receptions, ASLMS encourages responsible drinking. Non-alcoholic options are provided on a complimentary basis and drink tickets may be required for alcoholic beverages. Alcohol is not served to anyone under age 21. Participants may be asked to present their ID.
Childcare Services
Children under the age of 18 are not permitted in the Exhibit Hall or educational sessions. Attending parents are responsible for arranging their own childcare if needed. Please contact the hotel concierge for recommended childcare services.
Non-Compliance
Persons who fail to comply with these Guidelines may be subject to measures taken at the discretion of the ASLMS, including, but not limited to, revocation of the privilege of attending or participating in the event.