Privacy Policy

We may collect the following types of information:

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you interact with us, you may provide information such as:

• • Contact details: name, email address, phone number, mailing address
  • Demographic or interest information: city, state, organization, school, role (e.g., teacher, parent, presenter, artist)
  • Ticketing and event information: performance selections, ticket quantity, seating preferences
  • Donation and membership information: giving history, donation amount, recognition preferences
  • Meta Lead Ads / online form responses: your responses to questions in forms or lead ads (for example, if you request more information about group sales, school performances, or festival events)
  • Communication preferences: your choices about how we contact you (email, text, etc.)

We do not collect or store full payment card numbers on our own systems. Payments are processed securely by third-party payment processors (such as [Stripe, PayPal, or your ticketing platform]). Those processors handle your payment information in accordance with their own privacy policies.

1.2 Information We Collect Automatically

When you visit our website or interact with our digital content, we may automatically collect:

• • Device and usage data: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system
  • Log information: pages viewed, links clicked, referring/exit pages, date and time of access
  • Cookies and similar technologies: small files stored on your device to help us remember your preferences and understand how our site is used

For more details, see Section 6 – Cookies and Tracking Technologies.

1.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from:

• • Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram): when you submit a Meta Lead Ad form, Meta shares the information you choose to provide (such as name, email, phone, school, or interest in group tickets) with us.
  • Ticketing, email, and CRM providers: e.g., ticketing partners, email marketing platforms, donation platforms, or customer relationship management tools we use to manage our communications and events.
  • Partner organizations: if you have given permission to share your information with us through a co-hosted event or partner campaign.

We treat this information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To provide and improve our Services
  • Processing ticket purchases, registrations, and donations
  • Managing events, performances, tours, and educational programs
  • Responding to your questions, requests, or customer service needs
• To communicate with you
  • Sending festival news, event announcements, marketing, and fundraising messages
  • Providing details you requested (e.g., group sales, school performances, special offers)
  • Sending confirmations, reminders, and important updates about your tickets or registrations
• To support marketing and outreach
  • Creating custom audiences and running ads on Meta and other platforms
  • Measuring the effectiveness of our Meta Lead Ads and other campaigns
  • Understanding who is interested in our events to better plan programming and outreach
• To maintain security and comply with laws
  • Protecting against, investigating, and deterring fraudulent or unauthorized activities
  • Complying with applicable legal obligations and responding to lawful requests

We do not sell your personal information.

While we are a U.S.-based organization, if you are located in the European Union/EEA, United Kingdom, or other regions with similar data protection laws, we process your personal data under one or more of the following legal bases:

• Your consent, such as when you opt in to receive marketing communications or submit a Meta Lead Ad form
• Performance of a contract, such as fulfilling ticket purchases, registrations, or donor benefits
• Legitimate interests, such as promoting our programs, improving our Services, and conducting outreach, where your interests and fundamental rights do not override these
• Compliance with legal obligations, when required by law

You may withdraw your consent at any time by following unsubscribe links in our emails or contacting us directly (see Section 9).

We may share your information with:

• Vendors and service providers
  • Ticketing platforms
  • Email marketing and CRM providers
  • Payment processors
  • Web hosting and analytics providers
    These parties are authorized to use your information only as necessary to provide services to us.
• Meta and other advertising platforms
  • When you submit a Meta Lead Ad form, your information is shared by Meta with us.
  • We may also use contact information (such as email addresses) to create custom audiences or similar outreach campaigns on Meta or other platforms, in accordance with the platforms’ terms and applicable laws.
• Partner organizations
  • For co-presented events or jointly sponsored programs, we may share limited information with program partners if it is necessary to run the event and you have given, or reasonably expect, such sharing.
• Legal and safety purposes
  • When required by law, regulation, or legal process
  • To protect the rights, property, or safety of our organization, our audiences, our artists, or others

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third-party marketers.

We use reasonable physical, technical, and administrative measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

If we learn of a data incident that affects your personal information, we will take steps to investigate and notify you in accordance with applicable laws.

We may use cookies and similar technologies on our website and digital platforms to:

• Remember your preferences and settings
• Understand how visitors use our site and improve user experience
• Measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns

These technologies may be set by us or by third parties (such as analytics providers or Meta Pixel) to help us run and measure ads.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. If you disable cookies, some parts of our website may not function properly.

7.1 Marketing Communications

You can opt out of receiving marketing emails from us at any time by:

• • Clicking the “unsubscribe” link in the footer of our emails, or
  • Contacting us directly (see Section 9)

Even after you unsubscribe, we may still send you non-marketing messages related to transactions or essential updates (e.g., ticket confirmations, performance changes).

7.2 Meta Lead Ads and Platform Settings

If you submit your information through a Meta Lead Ad, you may also manage how Meta uses your data and shows you ads by adjusting your settings within your Facebook or Instagram account.

7.3 Access, Update, or Delete Your Information

Depending on your location, you may have rights to:

• • Request access to the personal information we hold about you
  • Request corrections to your information
  • Request deletion or restriction of certain processing
  • Object to certain uses of your information
  • Request a copy of your data in a portable format, where applicable

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 9. We may need to verify your identity before completing your request.

Our general online content and marketing are intended for adults. However, we present many family-friendly and youth events.

We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 (or under the age defined by local law) without verifiable parental consent. If we learn that we have collected such information without proper consent, we will take steps to delete it.

If you believe we may have collected information from a child without appropriate consent, please contact us (see Section 9).

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
410 S Michigan Ave, Studio 310
Chicago, IL 60605
Email: info@chicagopuppetfest.org
Phone: 312-753-3234

Please include your name and contact information, and a clear description of your request.

Our organization and many of our service providers are located in the United States. If you are located outside the U.S., your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States or other jurisdictions that may not provide the same level of data protection as your home country.

We take steps to protect your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.

Significant changes may be communicated by additional means (for example, by prominent notice on our website or via email).

Your continued use of our Services after a change to this Privacy Policy signifies your acceptance of the updated terms.