Membership

Terms and Conditions

I. CTA MEMBERSHIP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

CTA supports its member companies through its mission to grow the consumer technology industry. The following terms and conditions govern the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® Membership and the benefits available. These membership terms and conditions (“Membership Terms & Conditions,” or “Agreement”) are made between the Consumer Technology Association (“CTA”), a Virginia corporation located at 1919 South Eads Street, Arlington, Virginia 22202 and the company registering for membership (“Member”).

1. CTA MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS: CTA member benefits are available to all full-time employees of a CTA member company. See a full list of benefits.

2. MEMBERSHIP TERM: The initial term for all Members is based on a one (1) calendar year membership dues term that runs from January 1st to December 31st. The term of this membership will begin with CTA’s receipt and acceptance of the membership dues. Members are required to pay dues according to Section 4 below. All membership dues are nonrefundable.

2.1 Renewals: Memberships are not automatically renewable. Memberships are based on a calendar year cycle. All members will receive a renewal notice in October. A 10% early bird discount will be applied to renewal if paid before December 31st. The final renewal deadline is February 28.

2.2 Termination: Membership terminates when a company fails to renew by the February 28th renewal deadline each year. CTA may terminate the membership at any earlier date upon notice, if Member does not comply with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

3. MEMBERS: CTA offers three categories of membership. A North American business location is required to qualify for any membership.

3.1 Core Member: Core membership is open to companies that manufacture, sell, install or distribute consumer or enterprise technologies including internet services, software, applications and related products.

3.2 Non-profit Member: 

a) Non-profit membership is open to organizations whose primary function is to provide healthcare services.

b) Non-profit membership is open to organizations whose primary function is providing collective buying services, also referred to as buying groups, that would otherwise qualify for Industry Associate membership but for their non-profit/not-for-profit status. Membership benefits are limited to employees of these organizations. Companies that are members of buying groups would be required to have their own membership, if eligible.

3.3 Industry Associate: Industry Associate membership is open to companies that serve the technology industry including consultants, research analysts, venture capital firms, and any other companies that do not manufacture, sell, install or distribute consumer or enterprise technology products or services.

3.4 Notwithstanding Section 2 above, CTA reviews new memberships three (3) times per year, and applications received in between those review periods are considered provisional once dues payment is received. Provisional members may receive access to benefits. A member must not be a company, or an entity majority owned by a company, which is listed on the United States Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Entity List or Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. CTA may, in its sole discretion, prohibit or restrict any company, or any entity majority owned by a company, identified in the List of Equipment and Services Covered By Section 2 of The Secure Networks Act (FCC Covered List) or any other government restricted or entity lists from becoming a member or participating in the affairs of the Corporation. If CTA deems a company ineligible for membership, a full refund will be granted. Companies with the primary business of government entities, media/press, law firms, non-profits (except as set forth in section 3.2), competitive tradeshows, trade associations, or academic institutions do not qualify for membership in CTA.

4. MEMBERSHIP DUES: To ensure accuracy of member dues, CTA may ask prospective members to provide supporting documentation. All information provided will be kept strictly confidential.

4.1 Members: Membership dues are as follows:

4.1.1 Dues for all member categories are determined by the company’s annual North American revenue. If a member has annual North American revenue of less than one (1) million for three (3) consecutive years, its dues are determined by the amount of equity funding it has received the previous two calendar years.

4.2 Payment:

If paying by check, please make payable to CTA and send to the following address:

Consumer Technology Association
P.O. Box 90032
Charlotte, NC 28290

If paying by wire transfer:

Domestic Wires:

Beneficiary Company Name: Consumer Technology
Beneficiary Company Address: 1919 S. Eads St., Arlington, VA Bank 
Bank Name: Pinnacle Bank 
Bank Address: 150 3rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37201 
Account #: 800108244559
Bank Routing, Transit, ABA #: 064008637

International Wires:

Bank BIC/SWFT (Non-USD Currency): PNFPUS44
Bank Routing, Transit, ABA (USD): //FW: 064008637
Bank Name/Address: Pinnacle Bank, 150 3rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37201
Beneficiary Company Name: Consumer Technology Association
Account Number: 800108244559

PLEASE NOTE: CTA does not cover intermediary or beneficiary banking fees. Please add twenty-five dollars ($25.00 USD) to the total amount due or check with your bank for exact fees in order to assure your balance is paid in full.

4.3 Proration Credits: Companies who join CTA during the time period of July 1-September 30 must pay in full for the current year, but CTA will apply a portion of the initial dues payment towards the following year’s membership renewal. Prorating membership dues allows CTA to convert all members to the calendar year renewal cycle. If a company joins CTA between October 1- December 31, the dues payment will be counted toward the following full calendar year and the company will receive member access through the remainder of the year in which they paid at no additional cost.

4.4 Member Benefits: Access to member benefits is not available until membership dues are paid in full.

4.5 Membership Dues:

4.5.1 Membership dues are non-refundable.

4.5.2 Each Member will be required to verify its North American revenue on an annual basis so that CTA is able to validate a Member’s dues level. Failure to do so may result in a penalty fee of up to ten percent (10%).

4.5.3 Following expiration of an annual Membership Term, CTA reserves the right to increase base membership dues as determined by the Executive Board for any subsequent term. The amount of such increase will be notified to members in writing in their annual renewal notice.

4.5.4 If a company is undergoing a merger and/or acquisition, the member company must notify CTA staff within a year of consummating such merger/acquisition or may incur a penalty fee. The membership dues for the resulting entity will be transitioned within three (3) years to reflect actual annual North American revenue. 

4.6 CES® Exhibitor Discount: To receive the CES discount of up to $5 per sq. ft., the exhibiting company must joint CTA as a member with fully paid dues within 60 days of submitting its CES Exhibit Space Contract, or by July 1, whichever is earlier. Exhibit space discount is not available after July 1. Not all exhibit spaces quality for member discount.

4.7 CES Member Discount: CTA members who spend at least five times their dues rate on CES exhibit space, sponsorships or other CES investments will receive a discount on the following year’s membership dues. The discount percent is based on the ratio of CES spend to member dues on a sliding scale and is based on the prior year’s show.

4.8 No Requirement for Purchase Order. Member acknowledges that a purchase order is not required and is for Member’s administrative convenience only. CTA has the right to issue an invoice and collect payment without a corresponding purchase order. If Member issues a purchase order, then it will be for the full membership dues amount and CTA hereby rejects any additional or conflicting terms appearing in a purchase order or any other ordering materials submitted by Member. These CTA Membership Terms and Conditions will control.

5. OWNERSHIP/LICENSE: Unless otherwise noted, all materials shared through the CTA membership and on the CTA website (“CTA Content”) are the copyrighted property of CTA and are subject to all applicable copyright protection. CTA Content is available to Members for personal and non-commercial use. During the term of this Agreement, CTA grants Members a royalty-free, non-exclusive, non-assignable and non-transferable limited license to use the trademarked CTA name and logo (“CTA Marks”) for the limited purpose of conveying notice of CTA membership. Members agree that the CTA Marks must not be used otherwise without the written consent of CTA. Members will use the CTA Marks in accordance with such reasonable guidelines as provided in writing by CTA. Members agree to cooperate in facilitating the monitoring and control of the use of CTA Marks. Nothing in this Agreement, or in a Member’s use of CTA Marks, gives Members any right in the CTA Marks beyond the rights granted in this Agreement. CTA Marks may not be used in any way as to represent an endorsement or certification by CTA of any product or service offered by a Member and nothing in this Agreement will confer any endorsement or approval of any Member’s products of services. Upon membership termination, Members must discontinue all use of CTA Marks. CTA has the right to terminate, suspend or withdraw any Members license at any time.

6. CONFIDENTIALITY: Certain CTA Content may be marked or indicated “Confidential” or “Proprietary.” In that event, Member agrees not to use or disclose to any non-member, and agrees to maintain the confidentiality of such content, unless compelled to disclose by judicial or administrative process or, in the opinion of counsel, by other requirements of law.

7. WARRANTIES: All membership benefits and services available to Members are provided on an “as is” basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of title or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Without limiting the above, no warranty or guaranty is given regarding the completeness, accuracy, reliability or quality of any information, content, data, service, advice, or product provided or available to, through CTA membership. CTA will not be liable for any delay or failure of performance but will use reasonable efforts to correct any material performance brought to its attention.

8. OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS: Member represents that it has reviewed and agreed to abide by CTA’s governing documents, including the CTA Bylaws and policies of CTA. Member’s employees and agents will use CTA membership and any information obtained in the course of doing business with CTA in ways that shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.

CTA participates in policy work at the federal, state and local levels across North America, supporting the innovation economy and fighting laws and rules that delay, restrict or ban the development of consumer technologies. CTA selects policy issue involvement and reserves the right to restrict advocacy services regarding particular international interests, national security matters or any other subject matter in CTA’s sole discretion. 

9. OUTBOARDING: Outboarding is a violation of CTA and CES rules, is an unethical business practice and in violation of IAEE guidelines. Outboarding is defined as any digital or physical non-permanent exhibit, demonstration, event, or branded activation that is created and deployed outside the scope of CES but it promoted or implied as being part of CES. This includes digital or virtual programming and activations as well as physical events at Las Vegas hotel suites, meeting rooms, ballrooms, restaurants, clubs, etc. For physical events, a company is also considered an outboarder if it has contracted space with CTA but contracts directly with another Las Vegas venue for space (for more than one day) that exceeds the net square footage (NSF) contracted with CTA.

Companies who outboard at CES may face several penalties as follows:

  1. They will lose priority points affecting their space selection order for future CES’. For instance, if an exhibitor (i) cancels its official space and has space in any non-official venue during the CES dates, and/or (ii) in addition to its CES official space, has space in any non-official venue during the CES dates with an area equal to or greater than its CES official space, then the exhibitor will lose all priority points for CES in the future. 
  2. Companies may be subject to exposure as an outboarder to CTA members, media, customers and shareholders.
  3. Companies may also be subject to loss of its CTA membership.

10. GENERAL RELEASE: Member will indemnify and hold harmless CTA and its officers, directors, employees and agents from and against any and all losses, damages, claims, demands, debts, liabilities and expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from any monetary damage or personal injury sustained as a result of or during the use of any member benefits available from CTA membership. Under no circumstances will CTA be liable to the Member for indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages (even if that Member has been advised of the possibility of such damages), arising from any provision of this Agreement.

11. NOTICES: All notices and communications required by this Agreement must be in writing and sent by facsimile, e-mail, hand delivered with a signed receipt, or mailed by registered or certified U.S. mail, return receipt requested addressed as follows: Consumer Technology Association, Member Relations Department, 1919 South Eads Street, Arlington, Virginia 22202.

12. GOVERNING LAW: This Agreement and all rights and obligations of the parties will be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States of America without giving effect to any conflicts of law rules that would cause the application of the laws of any other jurisdiction. Any dispute arising out of this Agreement (except for an action for injunctive relief) may be resolved by arbitration held in Arlington County, Virginia, in accordance with the Rules of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrators may be entered in any court jurisdiction. The parties consent to exclusive jurisdiction (non-arbitration) in the courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

13. ENTIRE AGREEMENT: These Membership Terms and Conditions constitute the entire understanding between the parties with respect to CTA membership and supersede all written or verbal agreements between the parties, including but not limited to all representations, warranties, statements, correspondence, purchase orders, and understandings with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement. CTA reserves the right to change the terms and conditions of these Membership Terms and Conditions at any time.