Terms & Conditions

01About these terms

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") apply when you use mara-events.com (the "Website") or any service offered by Mara Events ("Mara Events", "we", "us" or "our"), including:

• event planning and management services for weddings, corporate events, conferences and social events;
• Mara Academy training programmes and certification;
• webinars, including The Breakthrough Series;
• our vendor directory and vendor referral programme.

By using the Website, submitting a form, booking an event, paying for training or registering for a webinar, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use our services.

Mara Events is based at Allen Court Estate, Lugbe, FCT Abuja, Nigeria. You can reach us at maraeventsplanning@gmail.com or +234 901 104 6473.

02Using our website

You may use the Website to learn about our services, read our blog, contact us and register for our programmes. When you use it, you agree not to:

• submit false, misleading or someone else's information through our forms;
• copy, scrape or republish our content, photos or course material without our written permission;
• interfere with the Website's security or normal operation, or try to access parts of it you are not meant to;
• use the Website to send spam or unlawful material.

We work to keep the information on the Website accurate, but prices, dates, venue details and guides (including cost estimates in our blog) are for general information and can change. The proposal or confirmation we send you is what counts for your booking.

03Event planning services

Enquiries and proposals

When you send us an enquiry or book a consultation, we will discuss your event and, where it fits, send you a written proposal. The proposal sets out the scope of work, our fee, the deposit, payment dates and anything specific to your event. A proposal is valid for 14 days unless it says otherwise.

Confirming your booking

Your booking is confirmed when you have accepted the proposal (in writing, including by email or WhatsApp) and we have received the deposit. We cannot hold a date until both have happened.

Payments

• All fees are in Nigerian Naira (₦) unless the proposal states another currency.
• The balance of our fee must be paid by the date shown in your proposal, and in full before the event day unless we have agreed otherwise in writing.
• Where we pay vendors on your behalf, you must provide those funds before we commit to the vendor.
• If a payment is late, we may pause work on your event until it is received. We are not responsible for vendors or venues that are lost because of a late payment.

Changes to your event

You can ask to change your event, such as the guest count, venue, date or services. We will tell you if the change affects the fee or the timeline. Changes are confirmed once we agree them in writing.

Your responsibilities

• Give us accurate information and make decisions in good time so we can keep to the plan.
• Get any permits, approvals or permissions that only you can obtain, unless our proposal says we will handle them.
• Make sure your guests behave safely and follow venue rules. You are responsible for any damage caused by you or your guests.

04Cancellations and postponements

Unless your proposal or contract sets different terms, the following applies.

If you cancel

• You must tell us in writing.
• The deposit is non-refundable, because it covers the planning time and dates we reserve for you.
• Any other payments you have made to us for our fee will be refunded, minus the value of the work we have already done.
• Money already paid to vendors and venues is subject to their own cancellation terms. We will help you recover what we can, but we cannot guarantee refunds from third parties.

If you postpone

If you move your event to a new date, we will try to transfer your deposit and payments to the new date, subject to our availability and the terms of the vendors and venue involved. Extra costs caused by the change are payable by you.

If we cancel

If we have to cancel for a reason within our control, we will refund all payments made to us for our fee and help you find another planner where possible.

05Vendors and third parties

Most events depend on venues, caterers, decorators, photographers and other suppliers. Unless your proposal says we are providing a service ourselves, these suppliers are independent businesses, and:

• your agreement with each supplier is between you and that supplier, even where we arrange or manage it for you;
• we choose and coordinate suppliers with care, but we are not responsible for their acts, omissions, quality of work or failure to perform;
• where a supplier lets us down, we will do our best to find a replacement and keep your event on track.

06Mara Academy training

Registration and payment

• You register on the Training page and pay the tuition through our payment partner, Flutterwave. Your place is confirmed once payment is successful.
• The tuition shown on the Website at the time you pay is the price you pay. We may change tuition for future cohorts.
• Referral or discount codes must be valid when used and cannot be exchanged for cash.

How the training runs

The training is delivered 100% online through live, instructor-led virtual classes. You are responsible for having a suitable device and internet connection. Where we provide recordings, templates or other materials, they are for your personal learning only.

We may change the class timetable, instructors or course content where needed. If we do, we will tell you in advance where we can.

Joining after classes have started

If you enrol after a cohort has started, you can join the remaining live classes and catch up using the recordings and materials we make available. Late enrolment does not extend the cohort's end date.

Refunds

• You can request a full refund within 7 days of paying, as long as you have attended no more than one live class.
• After that, tuition is non-refundable. You can instead ask to transfer once to a future cohort, subject to available places.
• If we cancel a cohort, you can choose a full refund or a place on the next cohort.
• Approved refunds are paid back to the original payment method within 14 working days. Fees charged by Flutterwave or your bank may not be recoverable.

Certification

A Mara Academy certificate is issued to students who complete the programme requirements set out during the course, such as attendance and assignments. The certificate shows that you have completed our training. It is not a government or university qualification.

Conduct

We expect students to be respectful to instructors and other students. We may remove anyone from a class, without a refund, for harassment, disruption, or for sharing course materials or class links with people who have not enrolled.

07Webinars

Our webinars are free unless stated otherwise. When you register, we will send you joining details. We may record webinars and publish replays. If you take part by speaking, appearing on camera or posting in the chat, you agree that your contribution may appear in the recording.

Webinar content is general education. It is not professional, legal or financial advice for your specific situation.

08Vendor directory and referrals

For people using the directory

Our vendor directory lists independent businesses to help you find suppliers. Being listed is not a guarantee of quality, availability or price. Please check each vendor yourself before you hire them. Any agreement you make with a vendor is between you and that vendor.

For vendors who apply to be listed

• You confirm that the information you submit about your business is true and that you have the right to use any photos, logos and descriptions you send us.
• We decide which vendors to list and may edit, pause or remove a listing at any time.
• Where Mara Events refers a client to you and that client hires you, you agree to pay the referral commission we have agreed with you in writing. The commission rate, how it is calculated and when it is due are set out in your vendor agreement.
• You must not contact clients we refer to you in order to avoid paying commission.
• You are fully responsible for the services you provide to clients, including your own licences, insurance and compliance with the law.

09Photos and content

Our content

The Website, our logo, photos, videos, blog posts, course material and templates belong to Mara Events or the people who licensed them to us. You may not copy, sell or republish them without our written permission.

Photos and videos from your event

We may take, or receive from our photographers, photos and videos of events we plan. Unless you tell us in writing before the event that you do not want this, you agree that we may use them to show our work on the Website, social media and marketing materials. We will not use images in a way that is embarrassing or harmful, and we will remove an image if you ask us to.

Content you send us

When you send us content, such as inspiration photos, logos or vendor portfolios, you confirm you have the right to share it and you allow us to use it for the purpose you sent it.

10Liability

• We will provide our services with reasonable care and skill.
• Our total liability to you for any claim about a service is limited to the amount you paid us for that service, not including money passed on to vendors and venues.
• We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, such as loss of profit, loss of opportunity or emotional distress, or for loss caused by vendors, venues or other third parties.
• We are not responsible for loss of, or damage to, personal belongings at an event, unless it was caused by our own negligence.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under Nigerian law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud.

11Events outside our control

Neither of us is responsible for failing to perform because of events outside reasonable control. These include severe weather, flooding, fire, public health restrictions, government orders, civil unrest, strikes, fuel scarcity, a widespread power or network outage, or a venue becoming unavailable through no fault of either of us.

If this happens, we will work with you to postpone or adjust the event. Payments made to us will be held against the new date. If the event cannot go ahead at all, we will refund what we have not yet spent or earned, minus money already passed on to vendors.

12Your privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect and use your personal information when you use the Website and our services.

13Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If you have a complaint, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it. If we cannot agree within 30 days, either of us may refer the dispute to mediation in Abuja. If mediation fails, the courts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja will have jurisdiction.

14Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when they were last changed. The version that applies to your event or training is the one in place when you confirmed your booking or paid, unless we both agree otherwise.

If any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest still applies.

15Contact us

Questions about these Terms? Get in touch.