Cookie Policy
Last Updated: July 14, 2026
CONTENTS
- Introduction
- What Are Cookies?
- Why Do We Use Cookies?
- Cookies We Use
- How to Control Cookies
- Other Tracking Technologies
- Targeted Advertising
- Updates to This Cookie Policy
- Where to Get More Information
1. Introduction
This Cookie Policy explains how the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (“ESCA,” “we,” “us,” and “our“) uses cookies and similar technologies to recognize you when you visit The Badge website at badge.esca.org and any related ESCA-operated websites (together, the “Badge Site“). It explains what these technologies are and why we use them, as well as your rights to control our use of them. This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which describes more broadly how we handle your personal information.
In some cases we may use cookies to collect personal information, or information that becomes personal information if we combine it with other information.
2. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small data files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies are widely used by website owners in order to make their websites work, or to work more efficiently, as well as to provide reporting information.
Cookies set by the website owner (in this case, ESCA) are called “first-party cookies.” Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called “third-party cookies.” Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website (e.g., advertising, interactive content, and analytics). The parties that set these third-party cookies can recognize your computer both when it visits the website in question and also when it visits certain other websites.
3. Why Do We Use Cookies?
We use first- and third-party cookies for several reasons. Some cookies are required for technical reasons in order for the Badge Site to operate, and we refer to these as “essential” or “strictly necessary” cookies — for example, cookies that enable secure log-in and maintain your session. Other cookies enable us to understand how the Badge Site is used so we can improve it, and to make our communications and advertising more relevant. Third parties may also serve cookies through the Badge Site for analytics and advertising purposes, as described below.
4. Cookies We Use
The specific types of first- and third-party cookies served through the Badge Site and the purposes they perform are described below (please note that the specific cookies served may vary depending on the pages you visit):
Essential cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through the Badge Site, such as secure log-in and session management. Because they are required for the Badge Site to operate, they cannot be switched off.
| Name | _wis_session |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Maintains your session while you use the Badge Site |
| Provider | .esca.org |
| Country | United States |
| Type | server_cookie |
| Expires in | session |
Analytics and customization cookies
These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how the Badge Site is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize the Badge Site for you.
| Name | _ga |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Records a particular ID used to come up with data about website usage by the user |
| Provider | .esca.org |
| Service | Google Analytics View Service Privacy Policy |
| Country | United States |
| Type | http_cookie |
| Expires in | 2 years |
| Name | _ga_# |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Used to distinguish individual users by means of a randomly generated client identifier, which allows calculation of visits and sessions |
| Provider | .esca.org |
| Service | Google Analytics View Service Privacy Policy |
| Country | United States |
| Type | http_cookie |
| Expires in | 2 years |
Advertising cookies
These cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you. They perform functions like preventing the same ad from continuously reappearing, ensuring that ads are properly displayed for advertisers, and in some cases selecting advertisements that are based on your interests. Advertising cookies on the Badge Site are primarily set by embedded third-party content, such as YouTube videos.
| Name | VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Set by YouTube when videos are embedded on the Badge Site. YouTube collects user data through embedded videos, which is aggregated with profile data from other Google services in order to display targeted advertising across the web. |
| Provider | .youtube.com |
| Service | YouTube View Service Privacy Policy |
| Country | United States |
| Type | server_cookie |
| Expires in | 6 months |
| Name | YSC |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Set by YouTube to track views of embedded videos during a browsing session |
| Provider | .youtube.com |
| Service | YouTube View Service Privacy Policy |
| Country | United States |
| Type | http_cookie |
| Expires in | session |
| Name | DEVICE_INFO |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Set by YouTube in connection with embedded video playback |
| Provider | .youtube.com |
| Country | United States |
| Type | http_cookie |
| Expires in | 6 months |
5. How to Control Cookies
You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. Essential cookies cannot be rejected, as they are strictly necessary to provide you with services. If you choose to reject other cookies, you may still use the Badge Site, though your access to some functionality and areas may be restricted.
You can manage or delete cookies through your web browser controls. As the means by which you can do this vary from browser to browser, you should visit your browser’s help menu for more information:
In addition, most advertising networks offer you a way to opt out of targeted advertising. If you would like to find out more information, please visit:
- Digital Advertising Alliance
- Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada
- European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance
You can also opt out of Google Analytics at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
6. Other Tracking Technologies
Cookies are not the only way to recognize or track visitors to a website. We may use other, similar technologies from time to time, like web beacons (sometimes called “tracking pixels” or “clear gifs”). These are tiny graphics files that contain a unique identifier that enables us to recognize when someone has visited the Badge Site or opened an email including them. This allows us, for example, to monitor the traffic patterns of users from one page within a website to another, to deliver or communicate with cookies, to understand whether you have come to the website from an online advertisement displayed on a third-party website, to improve site performance, and to measure the success of email marketing campaigns. In many instances, these technologies are reliant on cookies to function properly, and so declining cookies will impair their functioning.
7. Targeted Advertising
Third parties may serve cookies on your computer or mobile device to serve advertising through the Badge Site. These companies may use information about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services that you may be interested in. They may also employ technology that is used to measure the effectiveness of advertisements. They can accomplish this by using cookies or web beacons to collect information about your visits to this and other sites in order to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services of potential interest to you. The information collected through this process does not enable us or them to identify your name, contact details, or other details that directly identify you unless you choose to provide these.
8. Updates to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time in order to reflect, for example, changes to the cookies we use or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. Please revisit this Cookie Policy regularly to stay informed about our use of cookies and related technologies. The Last Updated date at the top of this Cookie Policy indicates when it was most recently revised.
9. Where to Get More Information
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or other technologies, please email us at hello@esca.org or write to us at:
Exhibition Services & Contractors Association
8501 W. 191st Street, Unit 1
Mokena, IL 60448
United States
Phone: 972.777.9282