What is retained is what has been collected
There is no separate penalty grid. If you cancel, what is forfeited is exactly what has been paid at that point — no more, and no invented percentage on top. The whole policy follows from that one sentence.
Payment schedule
| When | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| At confirmation | 35% of the net total | Converts the soft hold. Rate is fixed from this point. |
| D-30 | 50% | Calculated on the guaranteed minimum headcount, not on the current estimate. |
| D-7 | 15% | Adjusted to final confirmed numbers from the D-14 lock. |
| After delivery | Amendments only | Anything added on site, itemised in the post-event account. |
The schedule is the same for every programme, whatever the size: 35% at confirmation, 50% at D-30 and the final 15% at D-7.
Cancellation — the whole policy
If a booking is cancelled, the amount retained is the amount already collected at the moment of cancellation. That is it. There is no penalty grid, no percentage-of-total charge, and nothing further falls due.
| Cancelled at | Paid so far | Retained | Further liability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before deposit | Nothing | Nothing | None |
| After deposit, before D-30 | 35% | 35% | None |
| After D-30, before D-7 | 85% | 85% | None |
| After D-7 | 100% | 100% | None |
A conventional grid charges a percentage of the total regardless of what you have paid, which means a cancellation can generate an invoice for money you have not yet sent. Ours cannot — you can never owe more than you have paid. The trade-off is that at a late stage the retained amount is the full programme value, and there is no partial refund to argue about. Both parties know the number in advance at every point.
Headcount shortfall, which is not a cancellation
- Within 5–10% of the guaranteed minimum: no charge. Absorbed.
- Below the guaranteed minimum by more than 10%: the difference is charged at net, because rooms, vehicles and staffing were contracted against that number.
- Additions above the minimum: charged at the same net rate where capacity exists. Availability is not guaranteed after D-14, particularly in peak.
- Nominate the guaranteed minimum conservatively. Partners who nominate an optimistic figure to secure a better band rate then pay for the gap. The band saving is almost always smaller than the shortfall charge.
Currency, invoicing and force majeure
- Currency. Quoted and invoiced in USD by default; VND available on request. Rates are held in the quoted currency for the life of the booking, so exchange movement after confirmation is not passed on.
- Invoicing. Issued by the contracting entity to your company, with tax documentation appropriate to your jurisdiction. Never issued to your client.
- Bank charges. Sender pays. Shortfalls from intermediary bank deductions are invoiced as a balance rather than absorbed, so quote your client accordingly.
- Force majeure. Where a programme cannot proceed for reasons outside either party's control — typhoon, port or airport closure, government restriction — the position is a credit valid twelve months and transferable, not a cash refund. This is the position across Vietnamese ground operations and we state it at quote stage rather than in a schedule at the back.
- Insurance. Event cancellation cover is the instrument for recovering cash, and for a large programme in the typhoon window it is worth pricing. We supply whatever documentation an underwriter asks for.
Questions partners ask most
Can we pay in instalments matching our client's schedule?
Where your client's schedule is later than ours, the gap sits with you — we cannot fund it. Where it is earlier, no problem. Partners with trading history can discuss adjusted terms at the trade agreement level rather than per booking.
Is the deposit refundable if the client fails to approve?
No, and this is the reason the seven-day soft hold exists and costs nothing. Use the hold for internal approval and pay the deposit once the decision is made.
What happens if we cancel one destination in a multi-destination programme?
Each destination is contracted separately, so the retention applies only to the cancelled leg. This is one of the practical advantages of a single contracting layer over three unrelated DMC agreements.
Do you charge for amendments?
Not for changes within the programme structure before D-14. After that, only where a supplier charges us — passed through at cost with the supplier's invoice attached, not marked up.
Where to go next
Four fields and you can send
Send the outline and we will come back within eight working hours with feasibility — whether the dates hold at that headcount and what constrains them — and a detailed net quote within three working days.