217 Tastings - Terms of Use

Agreement to Terms

Welcome to 217 Tastings Events. These Terms of Use ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you and 217 Tastings Events ("Company," "we," "our," or "us") governing your access to and use of our website, platform, and services.

By accessing or using our services, creating an account, or clicking to accept these Terms, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use our services.

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Terms on our website and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of our services following any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Description of Services

217 Tastings Events provides a professional brand ambassador staffing platform for food and beverage tasting events, product sampling activations, and promotional marketing experiences. Our services include:

Connecting brand partners with qualified brand ambassadors
Event scheduling, coordination, and management
Event reporting and performance analytics
Payroll processing for brand ambassadors
Communication tools including email and SMS notifications

Our platform serves three types of users: Administrators, Brand Partners, and Brand Ambassadors. Each user type has specific roles, responsibilities, and access levels within the platform.

Eligibility

To use our services, you must:

Be at least 21 years of age (required for all brand ambassadors due to the nature of alcoholic beverage promotions)
Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement
Not be prohibited from using our services under applicable laws
Provide accurate, current, and complete registration information

If you are using our services on behalf of a business entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

Account Registration and Security

To access certain features of our platform, you must create an account. When creating an account, you agree to:

Provide accurate, truthful, and complete information
Maintain and promptly update your account information
Keep your password confidential and secure
Immediately notify us of any unauthorized access to your account
Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that contain inaccurate information, violate these Terms, or remain inactive for extended periods.

Brand Ambassador Terms

If you register as a Brand Ambassador, you agree to the following additional terms:

Professional Conduct

Represent brands professionally and positively at all assigned events
Arrive on time and prepared for all scheduled events
Dress appropriately according to event requirements and brand guidelines
Maintain a professional demeanor and engage positively with consumers
Follow all applicable laws regarding the promotion and sampling of alcoholic beverages
Never serve alcohol to individuals under the legal drinking age
Refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages while on duty

Event Commitments

Honor all event assignments you accept or sign up for
Provide at least 48 hours notice for any necessary cancellations
Complete all required event reports accurately and promptly within 24 hours of event completion
Submit all required photos and documentation as specified

Compensation

Compensation rates are established upon account creation or event assignment
Payment is processed according to our standard payroll schedule
You are responsible for reporting your earnings for tax purposes
Brand ambassadors are engaged as independent contractors, not employees

Confidentiality

You agree to keep confidential all non-public information about brands, events, marketing strategies, and business operations that you learn through your work with 217 Tastings Events. This obligation continues after your relationship with us ends.

Brand Partner Terms

If you register as a Brand Partner, you agree to the following additional terms:

Provide accurate event details, requirements, and specifications
Ensure all products and promotional materials comply with applicable laws and regulations
Pay all invoices according to agreed-upon terms
Provide necessary brand materials, product samples, and event supplies as specified
Not directly solicit or hire brand ambassadors introduced through our platform for a period of 12 months following their last assignment

SMS Communications Consent

By providing your phone number and opting in to SMS notifications, you expressly consent to receive text messages from 217 Tastings Events.

SMS messages are sent only to users who have opted in and are limited to transactional, event-related communications (assignments, confirmations, reminders, payroll notices). We do not use SMS to generate or sell consumer leads to third parties.

Consent and Purpose

Your consent allows us to send you SMS messages for the following purposes:

Event assignment notifications and confirmations
Schedule reminders and event updates
Event cancellation or modification notices
Approval and status notifications for event sign-ups
Event report submission reminders
Payroll and payment notifications
Important service announcements

Message Frequency and Charges

Message frequency varies based on your activity and event schedule. You may receive multiple messages per week. Standard message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile carrier plan. We do not charge for sending SMS messages.

Opting Out

You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by:

Replying STOP to any text message from us
Updating your notification preferences in your account settings
Contacting us at [email protected]

Reply HELP for assistance. After opting out, you will receive a confirmation message. Opting out of SMS may affect your ability to receive time-sensitive event information.

Phone Number Sharing

Your phone number will be shared with our SMS service provider (Twilio) solely for the purpose of delivering text messages. We do not sell your phone number or share it for marketing purposes with unaffiliated third parties.

Acceptable Use Policy

When using our services, you agree NOT to:

Violate any applicable laws, regulations, or third-party rights
Provide false, misleading, or fraudulent information
Impersonate another person or entity
Interfere with or disrupt the platform or servers
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the platform
Use automated systems (bots, scrapers) to access the platform without permission
Upload malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
Harass, threaten, or intimidate other users
Use the platform for any unlawful or unauthorized purpose
Circumvent any security features of the platform

We match registered, opted-in brand ambassadors to event opportunities to facilitate event staffing; we do not sell or broker consumer leads to third parties.

Intellectual Property

Our Property

The platform, including its design, text, graphics, logos, icons, software, and content, is owned by 217 Tastings Events and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works without our express written permission.

User Content

By submitting content to our platform (including event photos, reports, and feedback), you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, modify, and display such content for business purposes, including sharing with brand partners and promotional use.

Photo Release

Brand ambassadors grant 217 Tastings Events and our brand partners permission to use photos taken during events for marketing, promotional, and reporting purposes. This includes photos in which you may appear.

Disclaimers

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

We do not warrant that the services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure. We do not guarantee any specific results from use of our services.

217 Tastings Events does not guarantee the availability of brand ambassador opportunities or the quality of services provided by brand ambassadors.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, 217 TASTINGS EVENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OUR SERVICES.

Our total liability for any claims arising from these Terms or your use of the services shall not exceed the amounts paid by you to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or $100, whichever is greater.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless 217 Tastings Events, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: (a) your use of our services; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party rights; or (d) your content or conduct at events.

Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account and access to our services at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Reasons for termination may include:

Violation of these Terms
Fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity
Failure to meet professional conduct standards (for brand ambassadors)
Non-payment (for brand partners)
Extended account inactivity

Upon termination, your right to use the services will immediately cease. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including intellectual property, disclaimers, indemnification, and limitations of liability.

Dispute Resolution

Informal Resolution

Before initiating any formal dispute resolution process, you agree to contact us at [email protected] and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

Jurisdiction

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of our services shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Champaign County, Illinois. You consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

General Provisions

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and 217 Tastings Events regarding your use of our services.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations under these Terms without restriction.

Terms of Use