Specialised Travel in Germany, October 2023

17/01/2024

In October, our global offices from the UK, USA, Mexico and Australia gathered in Berlin for our ‘Global Summit’. An opportunity to get together with colleagues from across the world, our time in Berlin was spent discussing tour successes, ideas and plans for the future, and visiting venues and sightseeing excursions that our groups regularly experience.

This year, the global summit was especially exciting for two reasons:

It was our first since before the pandemic (Shanghai, 2020), and many colleagues hadn’t seen each other ‘in person’ for over 3 years!
We have had new staff join the company this year, in both UK and US offices, and for many it was the first time meeting their global colleagues. Our global offices work closely with each other to make our tours happen, and so many colleagues work together daily ‘online’, but very rarely ‘in person’ – it was a lovely treat!

Team photo of staff

Berlin provided many opportunities for us to step into the shoes of our clients and experience the sights and sounds that Germany has to offer our groups. Across our weekend visit, we enjoyed delicious meals, guided tours of Berlin and Potsdam, and even had the opportunity to sing in the Freidenskirche at Schloss Sanssouci. We were definitely spoiled in the Friedenskirche, as the Kantor also demonstrated the power of the organ and acoustic for us – a special experience! Have a listen to the clip below and hear our staff singing Faure together:

Click here to see the clip!

After we all said our goodbyes in Berlin, some of our new staff extended their trip to visit Brandenburg, Bad Schmiedeberg, Leipzig, and Dresden with our Germany Concert Rep, Sue. We have lots of groups visiting Germany this year, so it was important for us to visit new venues and opportunities that we have ‘lined up’ for the 2024 season.

A special moment in Leipzig was attending Prayers for Peace in the Nikolaikirche alongside a full congregation, where the visiting choir was one of our groups, Hutchesons Grammar School. It was fantastic to see them ‘in action’, enjoying the opportunity and sharing their music with others – the core goal of a Specialised Travel tour!

Website Terms & Conditions

Website Terms of Use

This page (together with any documents referred to on it) explains to you the terms of use on which you may make use of the website (www.stct.co.uk and www.stct.co.uk) (“the Website”). Please read these terms of use carefully before you start to use the Website. By using this Website, you indicate that you accept these terms of use and that you agree to abide by them. If you do not agree to these terms of use, please refrain from using the Website.

Terms of use

The Website is operated under the trading name and registered trade mark ‘ACFEA’ by Specialised Travel Limited, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 01472055 whose registered office is at 3rd Floor, Craven House, 40-44 Uxbridge Road, London W5 2BS (“the Company” or “we”). We are a fully bonded member of Protected Travel Services (PTS) membership number 5726. We also hold an ATOL licence membership number 12230.
We have a link through to ACFEA USA (www.acfea.com) whereby further information is provided on ACFEA tours originating in North America. These are operated by our sister company ACFEA North America.
Access to the Website is permitted on a temporary basis and we reserve the right to withdraw or amend the service provided on the Website without notice. We shall not be liable if for any reason the Website is not available at any time or for any period. From time to time, we may restrict access to some parts of the Website, or the entire Website, if required. We aim to update the Website regularly and may change the content at any time. We may therefore have to suspend access to the Website, or close it if necessary. Any of the material on the Website may be out of date at any given time and we are under no obligation to update such material.
You are responsible for making all arrangements necessary for you to have access to the Website and for ensuring that all persons who access the Website through your internet connection are aware of these terms and that they comply with them.
We shall not be liable for and accept no responsibility for any information presented by a third party including, but not limited to, pricing, liability in connection with any products, bookings and cancellations made directly with a third party, or any other transactions between you and a third party, and the performance of the contract entered into between you and the third party or any circumstances that may arise during your holiday.
We do not guarantee that the information displayed on the Website is accurate. We make every attempt to keep the content on this Website as up-to-date as possible, but (in accordance with Clause 2) are under no obligation to do so.
Where we publish and control information on the Website, we will use all reasonable endeavours to correct errors or omissions as quickly as practicable after being notified of them. However, because of the complex technology that is required in operating the Website there may be times when obvious errors occur. For example, this may result in a price, product or service or other detail displayed being incorrect. We will endeavour to correct this information as quickly as possible.
All holidays, tours and packages shown on the Website are subject to availability and you must always check with the Company to see whether a holiday, tour or package is available prior to arranging any booking. You may book a holiday, tour or package with the Company by contacting the Company using the details on the ‘Contacts’ page on this Website. Any bookings made will be subject to the Booking Conditions applicable at the time you make your booking, as provided by the Company.
Any links provided on the Website to other websites are not intended to provide an endorsement by the Company (unless otherwise specified) and we will have no liability or responsibility for the content of this or those websites whatsoever. You must not establish a link to this Website from any other website without the Company’s explicit written consent.
We cannot guarantee that the Website is free from infection by viruses or anything else that has contaminating or destructive properties. You must not misuse the Website by introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or other material which is malicious or technologically harmful. You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Website, the server on which the Website is stored or any server, computer or database connected to the Website.
Any destination/attraction/tour/travel guide information on this Website written or provided by the Company is purely for information. We endeavour to ensure that such information is accurate however we provide no guarantee that such information is accurate. This information does not form part of your agreement with the Company and is provided solely as additional background content. We shall not be held liable in any way whatsoever for any inaccuracy, misunderstanding or expectation drawn from this content.
All rights in the Website, including copyright, the content and design of the Website, is owned by the Company or used under licence from third party owners. Any use of this Website or its contents, including copyright or storing it or them in whole or part, other than for your personal or non-commercial use is prohibited without the permission of the Company. You are prohibited from copying, modifying, transmitting, distributing, selling, displaying, licensing or reproducing any content including images and other media on this Website for any commercial purpose.
The transmission of unlawful, threatening, defamatory, pornographic, political or racist material is strictly prohibited.
If you breach the provisions of these Terms of Use, we shall suspend or permanently terminate your access to the Website.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all liability, representations, warranties, whether express or implied by statute, custom or usage relating to the information contained in or services offered on this Website. This does not affect your statutory rights under English law. We shall not be liable for any losses or damages (whether direct, indirect or consequential) whatsoever, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), or otherwise arising from this Website, or from any interruption or delay in accessing this Website.
Any material you upload to the Website will be considered to be non-confidential and non-proprietary and we have the right to use, copy, distribute and disclose to third parties any such material for any purpose.
We process information about you in accordance with the Privacy Policy displayed on the Website from time to time. By using the Website you consent to such processing and you warrant that all data provided by you is accurate.
These Terms of Use may vary from time to time. By using this Website you accept that you are bound by the terms and conditions in force at that time and displayed on this page.
If any part of these Terms of Use or any document referred to herein is illegal or unenforceable, such portion(s) shall be excluded from these Terms and Conditions and any relevant document to the minimum extent required and the balance of these Terms and Conditions and any relevant document shall remain in full force and effect and enforceable.
These Terms of Use and any documents or policies referred to herein shall govern the entire relationship between the parties to the exclusion of any other terms.
It is not the intention of the parties to confer any rights on any third parties by virtue of this Agreement and accordingly the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 shall not apply to these Terms of Use.
These Terms of Use and any disputes that may arise between you and the Company will be governed by the laws of England and Wales and the parties shall submit to the jurisdiction of the English courts.

Specialised Travel Concert Touring Privacy Policy

Specialised Travel Concert Touring Ltd – Privacy Policy

Introduction

This is the Privacy Policy for Specialised Travel Concert and Touring Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 00713414, having its registered office at 3^rd Floor Craven House, 40-44 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 2BS (“STCT”, “We”, “Us” or “Our”).

This Policy sets out how STCT uses and protects any personal data that you provide to STCT (including personal data provided through any booking process and/or through STCT’s website (“Website”)). We are committed to protecting your personal data and this Policy and tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

STCT provides services to individuals in connection with booking travel arrangements and services, and through providing services to individuals it may collect and process personal data about individuals (“Services”). In addition to this, the Website also collects certain personal data from users, in accordance with this Policy.

STCT and its affiliated Group companies or brands (“STCT Group”) are firmly committed to respecting and protecting the privacy of all personal data received or collected, in strict adherence to Data Protection Legislation (defined below) and best business practice. The STCT Group has established this Policy so that you can understand the care with which We intend to treat your personal data.

How to contact us

We have a data privacy manager who is responsible (together with our Data Protection Committee) for overseeing questions in relation to this Policy. If you have any questions about this Policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact the data privacy manager using the details set out below. If you have any questions regarding your personal data and how We may use it, including any queries relating to this Policy, please contact us at data@stlon.com or writing to our “Data Privacy Manager” at the head office address noted above.

It is important that the personal data We hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep Us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with Us.

Terminology used

STCT’s data protection and privacy measures are governed by all applicable data protection and privacy legislation in force from time to time in the UK, including without limitation (i) the UK GDPR (which has the meaning given to it in section 3(10) (as supplemented by section 205(4)) of the Data Protection Act 2018); the Data Protection Act 2018 (and regulations made thereunder); and (ii) to the extent EU GDPR applies, the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679)) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2426) as amended (“Data Protection Legislation”).

For the purpose of Data Protection Legislation where personal data is provided directly to STCT through use of the Website, email, meeting with you or other means where STCT is determining the way in which that personal data is processed, then STCT will be a data controller of such information.

Personal data and Basis for Collection

Personal data means any data or information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

Where STCT is acting as a data controller, STCT may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which STCT has grouped together as follows:

Identity Data includes first name, last name, username or similar identifier, title, date of birth, gender, and passport or national identity card information;
Contact Data includes postal address, email address and telephone numbers;
Financial Data includes credit / debit card details or other payment information;
Transaction Data includes details about payments to and from you and other details of travel services you have purchased from STCT;
Technical Data includes internet protocol address, browser type and versions, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions and platform and other technology on the devices you use to access our Website;
Profile Data includes purchases or bookings made by you, your interests, preferences, feedback and survey responses;
Usage Data includes information about how you use our Services or submit an enquiry or query through our Website;
Marketing and Communications Data includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and Our third parties and your communication preferences;
Individual Data – additional information collected from you in relation to the Services We provide;
Special Categories of Data includes information relating to disabilities or medical conditions which may affect your holiday arrangements and any dietary restrictions which may disclose your religious beliefs. Special categories of data may also include ethnicity, sexual orientation or other biometric data, although it is unlikely that We will need to collect all of this type of data from you in connection with your holiday arrangements.

If you fail to provide personal data

Where STCT needs to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract STCT has with you (or our client whom STCT acts for) and you fail to provide that data when requested, STCT may not be able to perform the contract it has or is trying to enter. In this case, STCT may have to cancel the Services but it will notify you (or where appropriate, its client) if this is the case at the time.

How is your personal data collected?

STCT uses different methods to collect personal data from and about you including through:

Direct interactions. You may give Us your contact information by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you making a reservation or booking STCT for travel Services, when We (or those travel providers for whom We act as an agent) provide your holiday or travel arrangements; or
Enquiries information, when made through the Website or by email, including requests for a brochure or further information relating to the Services We offer; or
Participation contact if you participate in a competition, survey or other offer that We might make available to you; or
Third parties or publicly available sources. We may receive personal data about you from various third parties and public sources such as contact data from providers; or
Automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with Our Website, We may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies. Please see Our website terms of use policy www.stlon.com/small-print for further details.
Telephone interaction. We take your details during telephone calls in relation to your Identity Data, Transaction Data, Contact Data, Financial Data, Profile Data and Marketing Data.

How STCT uses your personal data

STCT will only use your personal data when the law allows Us to, ie, if We have a legal basis for doing so, as outlined in this Policy or as notified to you at the time We collect your personal data, and for the purposes for which it was collected for, unless We reasonably consider that We need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If We need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, We will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows Us to do this. Please note that We may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, where this is required or permitted by law.

Where We act as the data controller for client contact information, We have set out below in the table a description of all the ways We plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases We rely on to do so. We have also identified what Our legitimate interests are, where appropriate.

Note that We may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which We are using your data. Please contact STCT if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data where more than one ground has been set out in the table below.

Purpose/Activity

Type of data

Lawful basis for processing including basis of legitimate interest

To register you as a new client and verify your identity (where required) and to provide you with travel arrangements and our Services

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

(c) Financial

(d) Special category data

Performance of a contract with you

Consent (for use of special categories of data)

To manage Our relationship with you which will include:

(a) notifying you about changes to Our terms or privacy policy

(b) asking you to leave a review or take a survey

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

(c) Profile

(d) Marketing and Communications

Performance of a contract with you

Necessary to comply with a legal obligation

Necessary for Our legitimate interests (to keep Our records updated and to study how customers use Our services)

To process and deliver the Services including:

(a) Manage accounts, payments, fees and charges

(b) contacting you and corresponding about your travel arrangements and our Services

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

(c) Financial

Performance of a contract

Necessary for our legitimate interests (to recover debts due to us)

To respond to queries and enquiries

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

Legitimate interests

To undertake marketing to you

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

(c) Marketing and Communications

Consent, unless Our legitimate interests apply and this does not adversely affect your rights as a data subject

To administer and protect Our business and this Website (including troubleshooting data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data)

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

(c) Technical

Necessary for Our legitimate interests (for running Our business, provision of administration and IT services, network security and to prevent fraud)

Necessary to comply with a legal obligation

How your personal data may be shared

Where We act as the data controller, personal data processed by STCT may be shared as follows:

with any member of the STCT Group, which means STCT’s subsidiaries, STCT’s ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries, as defined in section 1159 of the UK Companies Act 2006;
where STCT is under a duty to disclose your personal data to comply with any legal obligation, or to enforce or apply STCT’s or terms and conditions and other agreements;
to protect the rights, property, or safety of STCT, STCT’s client, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and for compliance with laws;
with the authorities, Foreign and Commonwealth Office or other regulatory or official purpose, as may be appropriate for regulatory purposes; and
with third parties to whom We may choose to sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or our assets. Alternatively, We may seek to acquire other businesses or merge with them. If a change happens to our business, then the new owners may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this Policy.

Third party travel service providers

To fulfil your booking arrangements, appropriate personal data will be passed on to the relevant suppliers of your arrangements / any third party supplier / any other third party (including banks and/or credit card issuers) who need to process your personal data so that your holiday can be provided. The information may also be provided to government / public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law.
We will generally use other companies to help provide your travel services, including hotels, airlines, ground handlers and guides, as well as when we mail brochures and send marketing material. We only provide third parties with the personal data they require in order to deliver their services and their use is limited to the services they provide.
If We cannot pass your personal data to the relevant suppliers, We will be unable to fulfil your booking.

We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow Our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with Our instructions.

Many of Our external third parties are based outside the European Economic Area (EEA) so their processing of your personal data will involve a transfer of data outside the EEA.

Whenever We transfer your personal data to countries outside of the EEA to other people or companies it will be for one of the legal bases for processing your personal data as indicated above. Where We do so, We will take all steps to ensure that any country to which the personal data has been transferred has suitable protection mechanisms in place to protect personal data, including (if applicable) use of EU Model Clauses in any contract with that third party for steps to be taken to keep personal data secure. We will always ensure suitable safeguards are implemented.

Please contact Us if you want further information on the specific mechanism used by Us when transferring your personal data out of the UK.

Marketing

We strive to provide you with choices regarding certain personal data uses, particularly around marketing and advertising.

Promotional offers from Us

We may use your Identity, Contact, Technical, Usage and Profile Data to form a view on what We think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you. This is how We decide which products, services and offers may be relevant for you (We call this marketing). You will only receive marketing communications from Us if you have either requested information from Us, or you have previously purchased travel arrangements from Us, and you have not opted out of receiving that marketing.

Opting out

You can opt-out of receiving marketing communications from Us at any time by contacting Us via the following methods.

1. Email Us at data@stlon.com providing your full name, address and postcode and the email address which you would have originally used.

2 .Write to STCT at 3^rd Floor Craven House, 40-44 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 2BS

3. Call Our office on 020 8799 8300.

4. You can also be removed from Our email database by clicking the Unsubscribe link located in the footer of all marketing email communications from Us.

You can update your preferences by sending an email to data@stlon.com, or telephoning Us on 020 8799 8300.

Data security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, We limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where We are legally required to do so.

Other than in relation to government / public authorities (over whom We have no control), We take appropriate steps to ensure that anyone to whom We pass your personal data for any reason agrees to keep it secure, only uses it for the purposes of providing their services and does not collect any personal data from you in the course performing their services.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where We are legally required to do so.

Personal Data Retention

We will keep your information for as long as We need it for the purpose it is being processed for. For example, where you book a holiday with Us We will keep the information related to your booking, so We can fulfil the specific travel arrangements you have made and after that, We will keep the information for a period which enables Us to handle or respond to any complaints, queries or concerns relating to the booking. The information may also be retained so that We can continue to improve your experience with Us, this will usually be no longer than 7 years after you have travelled with Us.

We will actively review the information We hold and delete it securely, or in some cases anonymise it, when there is no longer a legal, business or customer need for it to be retained.

Your Rights

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. These include the right to:

The right to be informed – this is information on for what purpose We are processing it and what personal data We are processing.
The right of access (commonly known as a “subject access request”) – you have the right to be provided with copies of the personal data of you that We are processing as well as confirmation of the processing We are doing. You can do this by sending a “subject access request” to the contact details noted above for Our consideration.
The right to rectification – if you think the personal data that We hold on you is wrong you can tell Us and We will fix it, though We may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to Us.
The right to erasure (also known as the right to be forgotten) – if you want Us to permanently delete the personal data We hold for you then you can ask Us to do so.
The right to restrict processing – if you do not like how We are using your personal data then you can let us know and We will stop processing it in that way. You also have the right to object where We are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, We may demonstrate that We have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.
The right to data portability – if you want Us to pass on your personal data to someone else then please let Us know. This transfer should not affect the integrity or otherwise damage your personal data.
The right to withdraw your consent – you can withdraw your consent for Us to process your personal data (if we have relied on your consent to process your personal data) at any time by contacting Us. If We have relied only on your consent as the basis to process your personal data then We will stop processing your personal data at the point you withdraw your consent. Please note that if We can also rely on other bases to process your personal data aside from consent then We may do so even if you have withdrawn your consent.
Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling – if We use either automated decision making or profiling then you have a right to know. Also, We need your consent if either of these are used to make a decision that affects you. As with all consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of the above rights please email your request to: data@stlon.com.

Where you exercise your right to erasure or where information is deleted in accordance with STCT’s retention policy, please note that after the deletion of your personal data, it cannot be recovered, so if you require a copy of this personal data, please request this during the period STCT retains the data.

Where you exercise your right to request access to the information STCT processes about you, you will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, We may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. We will inform you of this, and our reasons, if this is the case.

Alternatively, We may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.

STCT will try to respond to all legitimate access requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, We will notify you and keep you updated.

If you believe that any of your personal data which We are processing is inaccurate or incorrect please contact Us by calling Our office on 020 8799 8300, by emailing data@stlon.com, or by writing to STCT, 3^rd Floor Craven House, 40-44 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 2BS.

Children

The Website is not intended for children and STCT will not knowingly collect any personal data from persons under the age of 18. Where, as part of the Services being provided and travel arrangements being put in place, We may collect information about children from you to perform such Services and We will treat such information securely.

Complaints

If you would like to make a complaint in relation to how STCT may have stored, used or processed your personal data, you have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). STCT would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact Us in the first instance.

External Websites

The Website may, from time to time, contain links to and from the websites of STCT partner networks, advertisers and affiliates. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies and that We do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. STCT is not responsible for the content of external internet sites and you are advised to read the privacy policy of external sites before disclosing any personal data.

Remember the Risks Whenever You Use the Internet

STCT is committed to ensuring that your information is secure and has in place reasonable and proportionate safeguards and procedures to protect your personal data. Whilst STCT does its best to protect your personal data, STCT cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to STCT and you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of any passwords or other account information.

Changes to this Privacy Policy and your duty to inform us of changes

As and when necessary, changes to this Privacy Policy will be posted here. Where changes are significant, We may also email all our registered users with the new details, and where required by law, We will obtain your consent to these changes.

This Privacy Policy was last updated in August 2022.