The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) reserves the right to refuse any booking request for any reason.

Where catering has been agreed to be provided for you please inform us of dietary requirements at least 2 weeks prior to the competition or event start date, otherwise we may not be able to accommodate your request.

Registration fees for the main competition dates do not include catering. The exceptions to this are at some of our competitions a social evening may be arranged and some catering provided. We reserve the right to cancel or reduce this offering at any stage. For some ancillary competition events such as Learn to Win the entry fee does include lunch and refreshments where applicable. This will be clearly stated on the booking page. Where bookings are made within 5 working days of the event date dietary requirements may not always be possible to accommodate. If this occurs, we will notify you in advance and advise you of local alternatives.

At some of our competition event sites catering options may be available for purchase at your own cost and in some instances there may be the option for self-catering where camping is available. Please note this is subject to site restrictions and guidelines.

Please note alcohol policies vary from event to event so please check.Accommodation is not included in the fee of any of our competition events as an attendee, except where clearly stated. For more information, contact eventenquiries@imeche.org

The Institution's competitions team will acknowledge receipt of bookings within three working days. Confirmation of your place will only be confirmed on receipt of payment.

We will send joining instructions directly to the teams and faculty advisor, which will have will have details such as exact timings, camping details (where relevant) venue and/or how to join (online training).

Attendee substitutions can be made for free at any time until the day before the course/event date.

Where a faculty advisor is required onsite please follow the process for that per the specific event rules.

To provide consistency and transparency, the following policies apply to all teams:

• Category changes
  • FS (FS or FSAI → Concept). Teams may switch to the Concept Class until 18 June 2026 (subject to capacity); however no refund will be given.
  • Design Challenge. Teams may request to switch to Class but it will be at the Head Judges discretion and subject to capacity; however no refund will be given.
  • Railway Challenge Teams may request to switch to Class but it will be at the Head Judges discretion and subject to capacity; however no refund will be given.
  • UAS – currently only one category so no switches possible.
  • AAC – currently only one category so no switches possible.
• Refunds – In any of the scenarios above no refunds available due to fixed event costs
• Visa application rejections do not make entrants eligible for refunds
• All cancellation requests must be received in writing prior to the commencement of the competition and within the dates given above.

Any refunds will be made to the original method of payment. Card refunds will be made back to the original card and credit notes will be issued for any payments made by invoice.

The following payment methods are accepted by the Institution:

CREDIT/DEBIT CARD
These can be processed online, please contact eventenquiries@imeche.org to organise a payment link via our payment processor.

INVOICE VIA PURCHASE ORDER (PO)
Send the purchase order to eventenquiries@imeche.org.
Please ensure the below information is included in your purchase order:

For events:
Address:
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers
One Birdcage Walk,
Westminster,
London,
SW1H 9JJ.

Details:

• Name of the competition/event
• Date of the competition/event
• Name of the attendee(s) attending
• Member number of attendee(s) attending, if applicable

Invoices are due for payment within 30 calendar days of receipt. Failure to pay within these terms may result in the withdrawal of any discounts and the removal of the delegate(s) from the course/event.

We reserve the right to cancel any booking at any time and for any reason or change published dates or change venues. In the event of a change or cancellation where an alternative cannot be mutually agreed and arranged, monies received in respect of that course/event will be refunded in full. We are not liable for any travel or accommodation costs incurred.

In the event that the Institution postpones a course/event for any reason and the delegate is unable or unwilling to attend on the rescheduled date, they will receive a full refund of the fee paid.

Whilst we make every effort to avoid resource changes, we reserve the right to amend or replace any pre-named trainer or speaker scheduled to deliver a specific course/event.

IMechE L&D’s complaints handling procedure will involve the following actions:

• Complaint received in writing, requesting to be treated as a complaint to eventenquiries@imeche.org and labelled "IMechE Competition Complaint".
• IMechE L&D to respond acknowledging receipt within 2 working days and advising who will be investigating the complaint
• IMechE L&D to take action to resolve the immediate problem (if applicable) or escalate to the Governance team which will then follow our complaints policy and procedure found here

IMechE L&D’s complaints escalation procedure will involve the following actions:

• Where a resolution is rejected, the complaint will be escalated to the Associate Director for Learning and Development, IMechE
• The Associate Director will review the investigation; the resolution proposed and carry out further investigation where applicable and provide to the customer in writing a final resolution. This resolution may be the same or different as previously offered.
• If that resolution is rejected, the IMechE Associate Director, Governance is the next and final route of escalation. This escalation should be made in writing to the Associate Director, Governance who shall review the issue and the resolution proposed. The outcome of this review is final.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers are required to collect personal information to book you onto a course/ event and to run these sessions, as necessary. All data submitted when making a booking will be processed in accordance with IMechE’s Privacy Policy.

If a booking is made on behalf of a third party, you warrant that you have their consent to use their data this purpose. Live virtual classrooms may be recorded and shared with delegates unable to attend individual sessions. Recordings will not be downloadable and should not be shared.

PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY

Selected networking events may be filmed, recorded or photographed for marketing purposes. If you wish to opt-out please contact onsite staff or in advance via eventenquiries@imeche.org.

DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION

At some of our events, digital wrist bands will be provided and you can share your contact details with sponsors and partners via scanners as you wish.

Read our privacy policy

All participants are solely responsible for ensuring they obtain the appropriate visas, travel authorisations and entry permissions required to attend the event.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) will provide supporting documentation where applicable but does not guarantee that visa applications will be successful.

Failure by any participant or team to obtain the required visa or travel documentation will not entitle the participant or team to a refund of any entry fees, participation fees, camping fees or other event-related payments.

Teams are strongly advised to apply for visas and travel documentation as early as possible to avoid issues that may prevent attendance.

All participants must arrange and maintain adequate travel insurance, where required, for the duration of their travel to and attendance at the event at their own cost.

Travel insurance must include, as a minimum:

• medical coverage
• personal accident coverage
• travel disruption or cancellation
• repatriation where applicable.

The responsibility for obtaining and maintaining travel insurance rests entirely with the participant and/or their institution.

IMechE shall not be liable for any costs, losses, damages or claims arising from failure to obtain appropriate travel insurance.

In addition to personal travel insurance, teams must ensure that all insurance required under the specific competition rules and safety guidance is obtained.

This may include, but is not limited to:

• public liability insurance
• vehicle insurance
• third-party liability insurance
• any additional insurance specified in the competition rules.

Evidence of required insurance will be requested by IMechE prior to and during the event.

Failure to obtain or provide evidence of the required insurance may result in:

• refusal of entry to the competition or event site, and/or
• disqualification from the competition.

In such cases, no refund of entry fees or other payments will be provided.

Where camping or accommodation is arranged and booked through IMechE, invoices will be issued to participating teams in advance of the event.

All camping or accommodation invoices must be paid in full by the stated payment deadline prior to the event.

These charges cover services secured from third-party providers and therefore are non-refundable once invoiced.

If a team subsequently withdraws from the event or is unable to attend for any reason, including but not limited to visa refusal, travel disruption or institutional decisions, no refund of camping or accommodation fees will be issued.

Unpaid invoices could result in a team not being allowed to enter in a future year until these debts are settled.

Competition entry fees are non-refundable once payment has been received.

Entry fees cover administrative costs, event preparation, venue booking, and other services that are committed in advance of the event.

If a team requests or is approved to change the entry class or competition category after payment has been made, no partial refund or adjustment of the entry fee will be issued where the revised entry class carries a lower fee.

Where a team changes to an entry class with a higher fee, the team will be required to pay the difference in the applicable entry fee prior to confirmation of the class change.

Refunds will only be considered in exceptional circumstances at the sole discretion of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

All participants attending the event must read and agree to comply with the IMechE Student Competition Code of Conduct and any additional event rules, safety requirements, or behavioural guidelines communicated by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

The Code of Conduct applies to all participants, team members, faculty advisors, and any individuals attending the event as part of a registered team.

Participants are expected to behave in a professional, respectful, and responsible manner at all times while attending the event, including during competition activities, camping or accommodation arrangements, and any associated social activities.

IMechE reserves the right to investigate any alleged breach of the Code of Conduct or event rules.

Where IMechE reasonably determines that a participant or team has breached the Code of Conduct, IMechE reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to take appropriate action, which may include but is not limited to:

• Issuing warnings
• Disqualification from the competition
• Point deductions
• Removal of an individual participant from the event
• Removal of an entire team from the event
• Restriction from participation in future IMechE events.

Any participant or team required to leave the event due to a breach of the Code of Conduct will not be entitled to any refund of entry fees, camping fees, accommodation charges, or any other payments made in relation to the event.

IMechE will not be responsible for any additional costs incurred by participants or teams as a result of removal from the event, including travel, accommodation, or other associated expenses.

Each competition has a set of judging rules and a code of conduct for students, faculty advisors, officials, sponsors, and suppliers. These must be adhered to at all times.

Any rule queries please contact the competition team to request clarification.

For any questions, please contact:

eventenquiries@imeche.org

+44 (0)20 7973 1251