Terms & Conditions of Use
TBF Connect — Thessaloniki Book Fair Professional Platform
Operated by the Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture (HFBC)
Last updated: March 2026
1. Introduction
These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the TBF Connect platform ("Platform"),
a professional networking and appointment scheduling service for participants of the Thessaloniki Book Fair.
The Platform is operated by the Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture (HFBC), with registered offices in Thessaloniki, Greece.
By registering for an account, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.
2. Eligibility & Registration
- The Platform is intended for professionals in the book industry: authors, publishers, literary agents, and other related professionals.
- Registration requires providing accurate personal and professional information.
- All registrations are subject to manual approval by an administrator. HFBC reserves the right to reject or revoke access at its discretion.
- You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials.
3. Use of the Platform
You agree to use the Platform exclusively for professional purposes related to the book industry. You may not:
- Use the Platform for commercial advertising, spam, or unsolicited messages.
- Upload content that is offensive, defamatory, illegal, or infringes third-party rights.
- Attempt to access accounts, data, or features not intended for you.
- Use automated tools, bots, or scrapers to access or extract data from the Platform.
4. Content & Intellectual Property
- You retain ownership of any content you post (text, images, files).
- By posting content, you grant HFBC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display it on the Platform.
- HFBC does not claim ownership of user-generated content but may remove content that violates these Terms.
- The Platform design, logo, and software are the property of HFBC and may not be reproduced without permission.
5. Appointments & Meetings
- The Platform facilitates scheduling of meetings between users. HFBC is not a party to any agreement made between users.
- Users are responsible for honoring confirmed appointments or cancelling them in a timely manner.
- HFBC is not liable for any disputes, losses, or damages arising from meetings arranged through the Platform.
6. Account Suspension & Termination
- HFBC may suspend or terminate your account at any time if you violate these Terms.
- You may request deletion of your account by contacting the administrator.
- Upon termination, your profile and content may be removed from the Platform.
7. Limitation of Liability
The Platform is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. HFBC shall not be liable for:
- Service interruptions, data loss, or technical failures.
- Actions or content of other users.
- Any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Platform.
8. Changes to Terms
HFBC reserves the right to update these Terms at any time. Users will be notified of significant changes.
Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
Privacy Policy & GDPR Compliance
9. Data Controller
The data controller is the Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture (HFBC), Thessaloniki, Greece.
For questions regarding your personal data, contact us at the email address provided on the Platform.
10. What Data We Collect
We collect the following personal data when you use the Platform:
- Registration data: Name, email address, password (encrypted), professional role, company/organization, country, timezone.
- Profile data: Bio, website, profile photo (optional).
- Usage data: Posts, messages, appointment bookings, notification preferences.
- Technical data: IP address, browser type, access times (for security and analytics).
11. Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal data based on:
- Consent: By registering and accepting these Terms, you consent to the processing of your data as described.
- Legitimate interest: To operate and improve the Platform, prevent abuse, and communicate with users.
- Contractual necessity: To provide the services you have requested (scheduling, messaging, etc.).
12. How We Use Your Data
- To create and manage your account.
- To facilitate appointment scheduling and messaging between users.
- To send notifications related to your activity (appointment confirmations, messages, etc.).
- To display your profile to other registered users of the Platform.
- To improve the Platform and user experience.
13. Data Sharing
- Your profile information (name, company, role, bio) is visible to other registered users.
- We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.
- We may share data with service providers who assist in operating the Platform (e.g., email delivery services), under appropriate data processing agreements.
- We may disclose data if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of HFBC or its users.
14. Data Retention
- Your data is retained as long as your account is active.
- Upon account deletion, personal data will be removed within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
- Anonymized data may be retained for statistical purposes.
15. Your Rights (GDPR)
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU 2016/679), you have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
- Restriction: Request restriction of processing under certain circumstances.
- Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
- Withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
To exercise any of these rights, contact the Platform administrator. We will respond within 30 days.
16. Data Security
- Passwords are stored using strong one-way encryption (bcrypt).
- All data transmission is encrypted via HTTPS/SSL.
- Access to personal data is restricted to authorized administrators.
- We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data.
17. Cookies
The Platform uses essential cookies for session management and security (CSRF protection).
We do not use tracking cookies or third-party analytics cookies.
18. Supervisory Authority
If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the
Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA):
Website: www.dpa.gr
Address: Kifisias 1-3, 115 23 Athens, Greece
19. Contact
For any questions or requests regarding these Terms or your personal data, please contact:
Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture (HFBC)
Thessaloniki, Greece
Via the Platform administrator or the contact email provided on the website.
These Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy are governed by the laws of the Hellenic Republic.