As soon as you take photos or videos at an event, you must inform the participants about this processing and, under certain circumstances, obtain their consent. 

Firstly, create a general data protection notice that explains the purpose for which the recordings are made and how they are processed. At an event, you have two different options for implementing lawful processing:

1) Use of the recordings through consent

If you want to use recordings for advertising purposes, you should obtain written consent from the participants. This will document that consent has been given for this purpose. This procedure is also suitable for events whose recordings you would like to use on your website, on social media or in printed materials. 

2) Note on recordings at the event

The larger the event, the more difficult it is to obtain written consent from each individual person. It is still possible to make recordings and publish them. You must publicise the recordings as early as possible and also display clearly legible and easily understandable notices at the event. As long as participation is not compulsory for the persons, they can choose for themselves whether to attend the event and accept the recordings or stay away from the event. 

Irrespective of this, the persons responsible for taking the photos should avoid taking full-frame or portrait photos of individual visitors. The more people can be seen in the recordings and are more likely to be an accessory to the recording, the lower the probability of complaints. 

Templates

• Guideline for sound, image and video recordings at events (PDF-File)
  
• Template for a information sign for filming at an event (PDF-File)
• Template date protection notice for events (PDF-File)