Code of Conduct
A: The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers ("AFPM") has adopted the following "Ethical Responsibility and Professional and Personal Conduct Code" (hereinafter, "the Code"). Every member of AFPM, their designated representatives, and non-member attendees at all AFPM meetings and forums agree to abide by the Code as a condition of membership in AFPM and attendance and participation at AFPM meetings and forums. The Code requires the following of all individuals attending AFPM meetings and forums:
- Adherence to the AFPM bylaws and the AFPM policies and procedures, as adopted by AFPM’s Board of Directors.
- Strict compliance with federal antitrust laws.
- Adherence to all applicable federal and state laws.
- Maintenance of the highest level of professional and personal ethical behavior while attending AFPM meetings and forums.
- Prevention of certain behaviors, including harassment, violence, intimidation and discrimination of any kind involving race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or, where applicable, veteran or marital status.
- Assurance that conduct at all times and in all professional and personal dealings with each other and other attendees is with the highest level of integrity and courtesy.
- Sharing of knowledge and expertise as speakers at AFPM educational events and sessions whenever practicable, without soliciting or explicitly promoting their own organization's products or services. Working to instill public and consumer confidence in the petrochemical and refining industries, its member companies, and its professionals, avoiding any action conducive to discrediting members of AFPM.
- Refraining from scheduling general attendance meetings, receptions or other events at times that conflict with substantive programming or social events at AFPM meetings without express written permission of AFPM.
Failure to abide by the Code may result, for the first offense, in informal censure of a company or individual by the AFPM Executive Committee. If violations of the Code continue after such an informal censure, a company may be subject to expulsion from AFPM, or an individual to exclusion from participation in AFPM activities, by the Board of Directors.
Conference Registration
A: Registration is available online for all AFPM meetings and is typically available 90 days prior to the meeting date. Go to EVENTSthen click on the name of the meeting you wish to register for. Click on "Register Now". At this point, you will be prompted to enter your username and password for the AFPM website. (If you do not know your log-in information, there is a link to retrieve a forgotten password.) Click on "Register Me". You may then follow the prompts on the page to register, pay the conference fees, and make hotel reservations.
Or, you may complete a registration form for the appropriate meeting. Be sure to complete all sections of the form legibly, especially email address, and fax it to AFPM with a credit card number and your signature for payment.
A: Registration forms are found on the last page of a conference's Advance Program. Go to the appropriate meeting page and select the Advance Program from the "Related Files" list. Advance Programs are typically published 90 days prior to the meeting.
A: AFPM membership is on a corporate basis. If you are an employee of a member company, you are eligible to pay the member fees. If you are uncertain as to eligibility, please call AFPM for clarification (202-457-0480).
A: AFPM accepts credit card payments only for meeting registration. The cards we accept are Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Payment is due at the time of registration.
A: No, all badges are distributed at the meeting site. Pick up is alphabetical by last name in the registration area.
A: You will receive a confirmation of registration via email after your registration is completed. This also serves as your receipt of payment for your expense reporting purposes.
A: If you register on-line, you will receive an automatic email confirmation upon completion of payment and/or hotel reservation processing. This email is sent to the individual completing the registration, who may or may not be the attendee.
Please allow 2 weeks for processing of your registration if submitted via fax. Please include your email address so that a confirmation can be sent to you via email. You do not need to bring the confirmation with you to the meeting in order to pick up your badge, but you will need photo ID.
A: Click on the Login button at the top of the page. This will prompt you to enter your AFPM username and password. That button will then change to My AFPM. Click on that button, then click on "My Meetings." Under "My Upcoming Meetings," click on View/Edit Registration.
Proceeding through the registration WILL NOT duplicate your existing registration or tickets purchased. If purchasing additional tickets, be sure the quantity reflects the total quantity that you need. You will only be charged for those you have added.
A: Logged in as yourself, you may only register other individuals from your own company. To do this go to the meeting home page, and click on "Register Now", then click on "Add Someone Else". Enter as little information as possible on this search screen. First initial and last name is usually enough as this only searches within your company. If found, click the plus (+) sign in form of there attendee's name. If not found, try to search one more time by just the last name. If still not found, click "Add New Individual" and create a personal profile for the attendee. At the end of the profile creation, click on "Back to Create Registration", then "Save/Continue" and proceed with registration.
You may not access the other individual's membership record to make changes to it. If changes to the individual personal profile are needed, the individual may log in as him/herself and make the change, or send an email to membership@afpm.org with the needed changes.
A: There are two different ways to handle this situation.
SUBSTITUTION - If there is someone else within your organization who could attend the meeting in your place, his/her name can be substituted for yours at any time with no penalty. Simply send the new attendee's name, address, phone, fax and email address to AFPM via email or fax, with a note as to whom he/she is replacing and at which meeting. Substitutions can even be accommodated on site at the actual meeting.
CANCELLATION - Cancellations may be made on-line or submitted in writing to AFPM. NO TELEPHONE CANCELLATIONS WILL BE PROCESSED. Whether or not you receive a refund of either the entire fee or a portion of the fee depends on when you cancel. Please refer to the cancellation policy of the meeting you are attending for exact dates.
A: NO, all cancellations must be submitted on-line or received in writing and must be postmarked if mailed, or dated, if faxed or e-mailed, no later than the final cancellation date. Please see individual meeting for exact cancellation cut off dates.
A: NO, we always have on-site registration for regular attendance to the meeting. However, attendance at some meetings is by invitation only, or restricted to only AFPM members. The only numerical limits we have are on ticketed events (breakfasts, luncheons, etc.) and booth space at our trade shows.
A: On-line registration for meetings closes one business week before the meeting. If on-line registration is still available, go ahead and register or send your registration form to the office. If on-line registration is closed or you have less than 10 days until the meeting, please bring your registration form and payment to the meeting with you and register on site.
A: Yes, you will receive an email confirmation once your registration has been entered into our system and the payment has been completed.
A: The Meetings Department can be reached by email at meetings@afpm.org, by phone at 202-457-0480, or by fax at 202-835-0467 for help with any registration, housing, or exhibit questions.
Conference Housing
Q: How do I make a hotel reservation?
A: AFPM's housing policy is that a hotel reservation may be made in the AFPM contracted block with a paid conference registration only. One room is allowed per registration. Hotel reservations can be made online during the registration process. Or, you may submit a hotel reservation on a completed registration form.
Q: How do I change my hotel reservation?
A: Click on the My AFPM button at the top of the page, and then click on "My Meetings." This will prompt you to enter your AFPM username and password. Under "My Upcoming Meetings," click on View/Edit Registration. Click on the meeting name link located above the attendees name. Save and continue through the registration until you come to the housing page. Click on edit housing, save and continue through the registration.
Q: What is the hotel cancellation policy?
A: Hotel cancellation policies vary by hotel. Individual hotel policies are listed on your email confirmation. Hotel cancellations must be made on the AFPM website until the published hotel cut-off date (typically about 1 month prior to the meeting.) After the published cut-off date, cancellations must be made directly with the hotel. Please see individual meeting for exact dates.
Q: Is the hotel guarantee charged to my credit card when I make my reservation?
A: No. The guarantee is not charged by AFPM. Your credit card is held to guarantee the reservation until the reservation is submitted to the hotel at cut-off date. At that time, some hotels do charge the deposit and others continue to hold the card as a guarantee. Please see individual hotel policies on your email confirmation.
Exhibitions
Q: Do all AFPM Meetings have exhibits associated with them?
A: No. The following meetings include exhibitions.
- National Occupational & Process Safety Conference
- AFPM Summit
Q: If I apply for an exhibit space, does this register me for the conference?
A: No. All exhibitors must register for the conference regardless of whether they plan to attend the educational sessions.
Q: Do I have to be an AFPM member to apply for exhibit space?
A: No. Non-members may apply for exhibit space, however, AFPM members are given priority for the space.
Q: Can I apply for exhibit space on-line?
A: Yes. On-line applications can be submitted for all AFPM trade shows listed on the previous years exhibit application. Email notification will be sent to the company representative when the application submission period begins.
Q: Can I apply for next year's exhibit on-site at this year's show?
A: No. AFPM sends the Exhibit Prospectus for each conference to the company contract representative from the previous year via email when it is available. For the smaller exhibits, application begins 60 days prior to the conference. For larger exhibits, application begins 5 months prior to the meeting.
Q: If I apply for an exhibit space, does this guarantee me a spot in the show?
A: No. See next question to view AFPM's space assignment criteria.
Q: How are booths assigned?
A: Booths are assigned using the following Exhibitor Priority Points System:
1. Points are awarded as follows:
- Two and one half points are awarded for membership in the Association.
- One point is awarded for each year of exhibiting with the show.
- 0.01 point are awarded for each year on the wait list.
2. Entrance into the show and assignment of booth spaces are based upon the following process:
- All applications received by the priority cut-off date will be assigned as follows:
- The first criterion for priority is a company's point ranking, based upon the above award system. The highest ranking companies are assigned space first.
- All companies with the same point ranking are then prioritized by a second criterion: date the application was received by AFPM.
3. Point ranking takes precedence over the date of receipt of application, i.e., a company which submits an application earlier than a second company which has a higher rating will not receive priority over that second company. Another factor which affects the assignment of booth location is the number of competitors you want to be separated from; if some of those competitors have higher priority for assignment, you might have fewer space options available.
4. Sample Assignment of Booth Space:
| Company X | Company Y | Company Z | |
Date of receipt of application by AFPM |
November 15 |
November 18 |
November 30 |
| Point Ranking | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6 |
In the above example, Company Z would receive priority for entrance into the show and for booth space assignment, as it has the highest point ranking of the three companies.
Company X would be the next in priority; although Company X and Y both have the same point ranking, Company X's application was received at an earlier date than Company Y's application.
Also, if the show only had two remaining spaces available, Company Z and Company X would gain entrance to the show; Company Y would not.
6. Wait List
Once the exhibition has been completely sold out, AFPM will start a wait list based upon the date of receipt of the application. In an average year for the RMC, approximately 5 booths are cancelled and reassigned prior to the show opening, with the majority of cancellations occurring about 4-6 weeks prior to the show.
Press Registration
Q: What is AFPM's Press Registration Policy?
A: AFPM Press Policy
Sponsorships
Except for those specifically contracted to produce a daily show newsletter, AFPM meeting or conference activity sponsorships are not available to media outlets, including trade publications. Energy and petrochemical trade publications are invited to participate in AFPM's "Press Wall" program for applicable conferences and meetings.
Photography and Video Recording
Unauthorized photography and video recording is not permitted at AFPM conferences and meetings. Recorded or live media interviews are permitted with prior written authorization from the AFPM Communications Department.
Conference Registration
Press badges are available for credentialed working press only (reporters who are actively writing about the conference for a publication). Working press are eligible for complimentary registration, with a maximum of six complimentary registrations allowed per publishing company. All other registrants are offered the AFPM member registration rate. Complimentary press registration approval can be obtained by filling out a press registration request form and emailing or faxing it to the attention of AFPM Communications Department at media@afpm.org. One form can be completed and submitted or all meetings for each calendar year.
You will be notified via email when your request has been reviewed and approval granted. Upon arrival, your name will be added to a press list for the appropriate meeting(s). Registration for a particular meeting must be completed online when general registration opens for that meeting.
At least one of the following press credentials is required. Please submit your credentials with your request form.
Print Journalists:
- A current business card (from a publication relevant to the event) imprinted with your name and title,
- A copy of a current by-lined article, or
- The mast page of a current industry-related publication with your name listed.
Freelance Journalists:
A letter from an editor stating that you are working on assignment for an industry-related publication.
Electronic Media:
Internet representatives, including editors of websites, must present proof of an existing site with relevant editorial content.
Other persons affiliated with the media:
The following do not qualify for press badges or complimentary registration. These individuals are welcome to attend and should register at the conference rate.
- Art Directors
- Advertising sales representatives
- Sales and Marketing Representatives
- Promotions Coordinators
- Public relations representatives
- Editors of in-house newsletters
- Publishers (unless active in the editorial content)
If you are unsure whether your credentials meet the above criteria or if you have any additional questions, please contact the AFPM Communications Department at media@afpm.org.