There have been some change-ups in terms of the Vendor Hall this year. First off, the Vendor Hall is now officially called the Marketplace. BronyCon has split the Marketplace into several sections, one of which is the Artist Alley. What this means for you is that the Artist Alley now has its own independent managers and staff and everything! As such, we’ve tailored some policies to better fit the needs of you, the artists. Therefore, before going straight to the application, please read through our updated Artist Alley policies for BronyCon 2016. Of course, if you have any questions or concerns that are not being answered, please feel free to shoot us an email at [email protected]
First off, the Artist Alley, unlike the Exhibitor Hall, operates on a first-come, first-serve basis, (with some jurying to ensure quality), and will be having several staggered openings over the next several months. So if it’s closed, check back in a month or so!
If you’re confused as to which area would be a better place for you to set up shop, please keep in mind that the Artist Alley is for artists to create and sell their works of art, not for vendors of merchandise. To put it another way, if you are representing yourself as an individual, you are probably a good fit for the Artist Alley. If you are representing a company, and NOT yourself as an individual, perhaps you should be looking at the Exhibitor Hall. Finally, another way to look at it involves union labor. If you require union labor to move-in, set-up, tear-down, and/or move-out, you should be in the Exhibitor Hall, not the Artist Alley.
In lieu of further complex rules attempting to better define the distinction between "art" that we’d like to see in the Artist Alley and "merchandise" better suited for the Exhibitor Hall, we will take it on a case by case basis, as needed. If we feel that you would be better off in the Exhibitor Hall, we will reach out to you, but will not otherwise force you out if you could fit in either.
That being said, here’s what a table will cost you:
Artists are either provided with a:
Additionally, both slots include the four feet directly behind the confines of their slot.
The actual costs are as follows:
Extra Artist Alley Badges-$65
Please note that there is a MAXIMUM of two (2) total badges per half table, and four (4) per full table.
WARNING: THERE WILL BE NO AT-DOOR SALES. BronyCon asks that there be only one artist, craftsperson, or other business entity allowed in each space.
While in the Artist Alley, all convention rules, in addition to local, state, and federal laws, shall be observed. In addition, artists agree to obey instructions provided by convention staff. All artists must show a government-issued photo ID to check in to the Artist Alley. Accepted forms of ID include but are not limited to:
Other forms of Photo ID may be accepted at the discretion of the Department Head. You must be 18 years of age or older to purchase a table at BronyCon. If you are under the age of 18, you must be accompanied by someone 18 or older to vend at the convention.
The Artist Alley will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, with some light jurying to ensure quality. This jurying will only entail checking the legitimacy of the application, ensuring the applicant applied for the correct section of the BronyCon Marketplace, and cross-checking against our various databases for duplicates, bans, etc. BronyCon reserves the right to reject any application.
Artists may begin the check-in process on Thursday evening, but will not be able to set up until Friday morning during the times specified. Artists will not be permitted into the Marketplace on Thursday.
Artists are permitted early access to the Artist Alley for setup and preparation. You must have completed your check in and received your badge before you can begin moving things to your slot. Access to the Artist Alley for setup will be provided early Friday morning. Artists caught in the Alley before or after this time may be subject to forfeiture of their booth(s) and artist badge(s) without a refund.
The Marketplace will be open during the following times:
Open to Attendees
Open to Artists
BronyCon is contracted with several outside contractors or vendors for various needs, in order to help make the overall experience better for everyone. Before purchasing or agreeing to purchase any items from the below contractors, please contact us at [email protected] to confirm the appropriateness of the item or service. A ten foot sofa would be a little ridiculous, to use an example.
The decorator is responsible for minor coordination between various other vendors, the BCC, and us, as well as providing various furnishings, booth packages, and union services.
The electrical contractor works with the decorator and with us to help provide safe and reliable electrical connections of various strengths for any artist’s needs. They can also provide compressed air, water, and drainage services. Before requesting any of those three auxiliary services, please contact us at [email protected] first. Hookups for these are only located in certain locations and will most likely require us to move your location.
The telecom contractor works with the decorator and with us to help provide safe and reliable internet connections (both wired and wireless) as well as various other telecom services.
Please note that personal hotspots can be used anywhere within the BCC in accordance with Section 333 of the Communications Act. Please report any willful interruptions of service to the nearest BronyCon staff member.
The AV and computer equipment contractor works with the decorator and with us to help provide reliable and high quality equipment rentals.
Cancellations of additional external contractor services and items are the responsibility of the exhibitor, not BronyCon. As such, it is your responsibility to contact them directly. Refunds or partial refunds may or may not be available for such cancellations.
Any misuse of any of the provided or additionally supplied services or items will result in penalties up to and including fees and loss of the exhibitor booth. Misuses can include:
The following notices are from the BCC itself:
All artists are individually responsible for following the above as well as any fees or fines associated with the above. In this context the term “exhibitor” above refers to you, the artist.
Transfer of tables: No purchased table may be moved to the ownership of another artist. If you need to back out of your table, please notify the Artist Alley staff so that we can offer that table to the waitlist. All tables are nonrefundable.
No-Shows: If an artist fails to check in for their table by close of hall on Friday, they will be considered a no-show. At that point, their table will be offered for sale on a first come, first served basis. Lost tables cannot be reclaimed, and neither credit nor refund will be given for no-shows.
Table Signage: All business names on table signage should match the information that you registered with. For example, if you put down on your application that you are “Twilight’s House of Scootaloo’s and Waffles” but all your signs say that you are “IHOPonies”, the signage must be removed.
Structures: Any structure brought to display artwork or merchandise must be of sound construction, may not extend more than 8 feet off of the ground, and must be located on or behind the table without impeding or encroaching on BronyCon signage or other artists’ spaces. If any structure falls down, appears unstable, or extends more than 8 feet off the ground, the artist to whom it belongs will be asked to remove it by the Artist Alley staff. In addition, all displays must reside within the confines of your area. Displays behind your table may not impede upon other artists’ areas nor disrupt traffic flow in case of emergency. Flashing/rotating lights, sound generators or other excessively annoying displays will not be permitted. Video soundtracks or other audio need to be kept at a proper volume. The Exhibitor Relations Department Head has the final authority on whether any displays, audio, etc., constitute an annoyance.
Exclusions: Artists are allowed to also have materials submitted to the Art Show. Artists, however, ARE NOT allowed to also be exhibitors in the Exhibitor Hall, nor host any materials at their table from other exhibitors in the Exhibitor Hall, and vice versa.
Badges: Badges must be worn at all times. The only people who should be behind Artists’ Alley tables are artists with Artist Alley badges. At no time is it permissible for others to be behind the tables. This means that you may not invite friends to sit behind the table with you at any point throughout the weekend, even if they have Exhibitor Hall badges. Artist Alley badges give access to the Artist Alley during artist hours, but otherwise act as 3-day/weekend attendee badges, affording the wearer the same rights as an attendee. No other special treatment or permissions will be given to wearers of Artist Alley badges. Badges may not be sold, loaned, or otherwise transferred to persons who are not working for or with you.
DO NOT move tables or chairs away from your space. If there’s a table or chair that absolutely has to be moved, please contact our staff.
Smoking: There is a strict NO SMOKING policy in our halls. Due to Convention Center Rules, this policy now includes e-cigarettes and personal vaporizers. Furthermore, no items that generate an open flame or excessive heat may be employed..
Noise: Items generating an unacceptable noise (by volume or nuisance) are strongly discouraged. This includes portable stereos, computers, handheld game units, etc. Repeated complaints of excessive noise may result in BronyCon staff asking you to turn it down or turn it off.
Signs: Artists are requested not to move or tamper with BronyCon signage.
Content: Things that are illegal in the United States or in the state of Maryland (firearms and other restricted weaponry, pornography, copyrighted work, etc.,) may not be sold at any time in the Artist Alley.
Family Friendly: All material at, on, or around an artist’s space must be family friendly. This means absolutely no materials of an adult nature. This includes anything promoting the use of drugs and/or alcohol, extreme violence or gore, anything sexual in nature, and anything putting minors—real or otherwise—in an adult or compromising situation. This list is not considered to be exhaustive.
Under-the-table sales, closed-binder items, etc., are not allowable for inappropriate items. Any artist caught utilizing these methods may lose their space and all artist badges associated with their space without refund.
While the decision for what is and what is not appropriate ultimately rests with the Department Head, the decision can still be made by any member of Exhibitor Relations staff. If you do not agree with the decision made by such members of staff, first comply with their instructions, then ask to see the Department Head.
Do not forget that members of the public, members of the press, and parents with their children will be in the hall. Anything that isn't in line with BronyCon's public image as a family-friendly convention will not be allowed on or in your booth.
Use of BronyCon’s Branding: If you plan on utilizing any of BronyCon’s intellectual property, please contact us first and we can quickly give you the go-ahead or the cease-and-desist. Decisions on whether or not you can use our branding are made by the Design Department.
Sale of Food or Beverage: The sale of consumables is strictly forbidden in the BronyCon Marketplace. This includes, but is not limited to: water, candy, muffins, cupcakes, mints, free give-aways, and sodas. Exceptions are made for completely non-edible food products on a case-by-case basis. Also covered by this policy are inedible items that are still expected to be used in the mouth, such as toothpicks. When in doubt, please contact us.
Mystery Bags: Artists selling mystery bags or items of a similar nature must be willing to disclose all contents to Exhibitor Relations staff. BronyCon reserves the right to check any or all such items.
The artist agrees that the convention staff may act as their agents for the purposes of investigating suspected shoplifting incidents. BronyCon does not guarantee the return of any stolen items. BronyCon does not and cannot become involved in disputes between buyers and sellers in the Artist Alley. It is the buyer’s responsibility to obtain proof of purchase and/or delivery for any artwork that is to be mailed or delivered after the convention. Please make sure to get an artist’s contact information at the time of sale.
Misuse of Your Art: If you believe that your content has been reproduced in whole or in part by another artist selling at the convention, please alert the Artist Alley staff as soon as possible.
Though BronyCon and the Exhibitor Relations staff retain the right to make instantaneous changes to the Artist Alley policies, every effort will be made to extend artists the courtesy of an announcement of the changes.
All Exhibitors must strictly adhere to all of the below regulations for licenses.
30-Day Temporary Sales Tax License: Each artist will require a Maryland State Sales Tax License. Multiple artists at one table are not permitted. The only exception to this would be if your booth has a small group of srtists who will be filling together as a single entity. For example, if Applejack and Fluttershy are selling their products at the same booth, they will need to file their taxes separately as “Applejack’s Hoofcarved Knickknacks, Inc.” and “Fluttershy’s Flutterific Pet Accessories Co.”, despite the booth being named “Applejack and Fluttershy: Knickknacks and Pet Accessories”. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, however, will be filing their taxes together as “The TwiDash Company.”
If you already have a sales tax license, then you must notify us of such at [email protected] If you do not have one, you will require a temporary 30 day Maryland State Sales Tax License. All artists must submit one or the other at registration in order to redeem their space. Should they not, BronyCon reserves the right to refuse to allow the artist to sell, and will not offer any refunds.
If you need to adjust your sales tax information or apply for a license through us, please send an email to [email protected] no later than April 30th, 2016. The email must contain the following information:
BronyCon will present this information to the Maryland State Comptroller of the Treasury. The Comptroller will email the 30 day temporary licenses to the provided email address, or mail the license to your physical address. BronyCon may or may not receive a digital copy of your temporary license.
Instructions can be found on the back of your 30 day temporary Maryland State Sales Tax License. The license is required in order to pay the taxes owed to the state. The Maryland sales tax is 6%. BronyCon advises that you work this fee into your sales prices. Taxes owed are not due until 30 days after the event, and the Comptroller will also send a self-addressed envelope for payment.
Trader’s Licenses and Exhibitor’s Affidavits: All artists are required to have a Trader’s License or an Exhibitor’s Affidavit prior to the convention. All artists must submit one or the other at the convention in order to redeem their space. Should they not, BronyCon reserves the right to refuse to allow the artist to sell at their space, and will not offer a refund on the space.
Any artist who has a Trader’s License for a fixed location in Maryland must present a photocopy to BronyCon. Manufacturers selling their products are exempt.
A copy of the Trader’s License or an Exhibitor’s Affidavit must be conspicuously displayed at your table space. At the end of the event, BronyCon will collect all Exhibitor’s Affidavits.
By signing up for the Artist Alley, you agree to abide by the policies, and all other applicable rules and regulations, and acknowledge that the interpretation by the Artist Alley staff and the Department Heads of any given rule is considered final. Any violation of the rules or engaging in any form of "rules-lawyering" may result in temporary or permanent removal from the Marketplace, and, if necessary, from the convention. You also agree to abide by these policies in any future versions and revisions. Any section of these policies that becomes void for any reason does not automatically invalidate the remainder of the document, nor any future version of these policies.