Privacy Policy

Introduction

Istanbul Turkish Food Festival 2025 ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our food festival or use our website and services.

By attending our event, visiting our website, or using our services, you consent to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Information We Collect

Personal Information

When you register for the festival or use our services, we may collect:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, mailing address
• Registration Information: Festival pass details, workshop enrollments, dietary preferences
• Payment Information: Credit card details, billing address (processed securely through payment processors)
• Communication Records: Feedback, inquiries, complaints, and correspondence
• Event Participation: Workshop attendance, cooking class participation, food tasting preferences
• Health Information: Dietary restrictions, food allergies (voluntarily provided for safety purposes)

Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we automatically collect:

• IP address and geographic location
• Browser type, version, and language settings
• Operating system and device information
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and click patterns
• Referring website and exit pages
• Cookie and tracking technology data

How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Festival Services: To provide access to the festival, process registrations, and manage workshop enrollments
• Customer Support: To respond to inquiries, provide assistance, and handle complaints
• Safety & Health: To accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, ensuring your safety during food tastings
• Marketing Communications: To send promotional materials about upcoming events, special offers, and newsletters (with your consent)
• Service Improvement: To improve our festival experience, workshop content, and overall customer satisfaction
• Analytics: To understand visitor behavior and optimize our website and festival layout
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes
• Security: To protect against fraud, unauthorized access, and security threats

Information Sharing and Disclosure

We respect your privacy and do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers: With trusted third-party vendors who assist in operating the festival (payment processors, booking systems, email services)
• Master Chefs & Workshop Leaders: Your dietary restrictions may be shared with chefs to ensure safe food preparation
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government regulation
• Safety & Protection: To protect the rights, property, or safety of the festival, our staff, or visitors
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of business assets
• With Your Consent: When you explicitly consent to sharing your information for specific purposes

Data Security

We implement comprehensive security measures to protect your personal information:

• Encryption: SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmission and sensitive data storage
• Access Controls: Limited access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
• Authentication: Multi-factor authentication for administrative access
• Regular Audits: Periodic security assessments and vulnerability testing
• Secure Payment Processing: PCI DSS compliant payment systems
• Staff Training: Regular training on data protection and privacy best practices
• Incident Response: Procedures in place to respond to data breaches promptly

While we implement strong security measures, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We continuously work to improve our security practices.

Your Privacy Rights

Under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR and Turkish Personal Data Protection Law), you have the following rights:

• Right to Access: Request copies of your personal information
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal information ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation on how we use your information
• Right to Data Portability: Request transfer of your data to another service provider
• Right to Object: Object to processing of your personal information for marketing purposes
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time
• Right to Complain: Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided at the end of this policy.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on our website:

• Essential Cookies: Required for website functionality (session management, security)
• Analytics Cookies: To understand visitor behavior and improve our website (Google Analytics)
• Marketing Cookies: To deliver relevant advertisements and track campaign effectiveness (with consent)
• Preference Cookies: To remember your settings and preferences

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to:

• Provide our festival services and fulfill your requests
• Comply with legal, tax, and accounting obligations
• Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements
• Maintain business records for legitimate business purposes

Retention Periods:

• Registration data: 3 years after the festival
• Payment records: 7 years (for tax purposes)
• Marketing consent: Until withdrawn or 2 years of inactivity
• Website analytics: 26 months (Google Analytics default)

When personal information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

International Data Transfers

Your personal information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than Turkey, including:

• European Union member states
• United States (for cloud services)
• Other countries where our service providers operate

We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• EU Standard Contractual Clauses
• Adequacy decisions by relevant authorities
• Privacy Shield certification (where applicable)

Children's Privacy

Our festival welcomes families, but our online services are not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have collected information about a child under 13, please contact us immediately, and we will take steps to delete such information.

For festival attendance, children under 13 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who consents to the collection of information necessary for festival participation.

Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including:

• Social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook)
• Payment processors
• Tourism information sites
• Partner organizations

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party websites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

• Changes in our data practices
• New legal or regulatory requirements
• Improvements to our services
• New technologies or security measures

We will notify you of significant changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our website with a new "Last updated" date
• Sending email notifications to registered users
• Displaying notices at the festival venue

Your continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us:

Data Protection Officer:
For specific data protection inquiries, you may contact our Data Protection Officer at: privacy@turkishfoodfestival.com