Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you purchase a ticket or join our list, we collect:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• Your IP address
• Device information — browser, operating system, and device fingerprint

2. Why We Collect It

We collect your information for a limited set of purposes:

• Ticket fulfillment — issuing and delivering your ticket and QR code
• Event communications — sending confirmations, reminders, and notices of any changes
• Dispute evidence — IP address and device information help us resolve payment disputes and prevent fraud

3. Who We Share It With

We share your information only with the service providers we rely on to operate, and only what each one needs. We do not sell your personal information.

• Stripe — card payment processing
• Square — card payment processing
• Eventbrite — ticket sales, registration, and attendee records for events listed there
• Brevo — transactional and marketing email delivery
• Twilio — SMS message delivery
• Airtable — secure storage of order and event records
• Meta (Facebook and Instagram) — advertising measurement: whether a purchase happened, its value, and the event it was for, so we can tell which of our ads are worth running

4. PIPEDA Compliance

We handle your personal information in accordance with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). We collect only what we need, use it only for the purposes described here, and protect it with appropriate safeguards.

5. CASL & Marketing Consent

Under Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), buying a ticket creates an existing business relationship, and we rely on that to email you about events in your city for up to two years afterwards. Where you have also opted in explicitly, we rely on that consent instead and it does not expire until you withdraw it.

Transactional messages about your purchase are sent regardless, as they are necessary to deliver your ticket. Every marketing email includes a one-click unsubscribe link, and you can withdraw consent at any time — including before you have ever received one.

6. SMS / Text Messaging

If you opt in at checkout via the separate, optional SMS checkbox, you agree to receive transactional and event-related text messages from Sum of Five, including ticket confirmations, event reminders, and notifications of event changes such as postponements. This is optional — you can buy a ticket without it.

Message frequency varies based on the events you register for. Message and data rates may apply.

You can opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP to any message. For help, reply HELP or email support@thesumof5.com.

Mobile phone numbers and SMS consent are never shared with third parties or affiliates for their marketing purposes. We share your phone number only with Twilio, our SMS delivery provider, solely to send the messages described above. No mobile information is sold.

7. Event Chat

When you attend an event, you can join a private group chat for that event by scanning your ticket QR code. If you join, we collect the display name you choose, the messages you send, any networking details you add to your in-chat profile (such as company, role, and what you’re looking to connect on), and an optional profile photo. Your email, phone number, and LinkedIn are hidden from other attendees by default — they are shown to others only if you choose to share them.

The live chat is temporary. After the event, all chat data — messages, participants, and the chat room itself — is permanently deleted from our systems. Before deletion, a transcript of the chat is emailed to the event organizer and retained by them as a record of the event. That transcript includes the messages posted, the attendees who joined, and the contact details attendees provided. Please keep this in mind when posting in an event chat, and avoid sharing anything you would not want retained in that record.

8. Requesting Data Deletion

To request deletion of your personal information, email support@thesumof5.com. Please note that transaction records we are legally required to retain cannot be deleted until the retention period below has expired.

9. Data Retention

We retain transaction records for 7 years, as required by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Information not subject to this requirement is deleted when it is no longer needed or upon a valid deletion request.

10. Cookies and Advertising

We use strictly necessary cookies to maintain your session while you browse and check out.

We also advertise our events on Facebook and Instagram, and we use the Meta Pixel to measure whether those ads work. If you arrive from one of our ads and go on to buy a ticket, the Pixel tells Meta that a purchase happened, what it was worth, and which event it was for. It sets a cookie so Meta can connect the two. We never send Meta the contents of your order beyond that, and we never sell your personal information.

You can limit this. Browser privacy settings and tracking protection will block the Pixel, as will the “Ask App Not to Track” setting on iOS. Blocking it does not affect your ticket, your confirmation, or anything else on this site.

11. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal information? Email us at support@thesumof5.com.