Please be sure to read through the Exhibitor policies fully and carefully, as it contains important information regarding required licenses, conduct, policies, procedures, and payment. Should you have any questions regarding the information on this page, please contact us via email at [email protected]
Single Booth Each booth is 10’ W x 10’ D. Each booth comes with:
Corner Booth Each booth is 10’ W x 10’ D. Corner Booths are placed along the main aisles with two sides open to traffic. Each booth comes with:
Double Booth The whole booth is 20’ W x 10’ D. Each booth comes with:
Endcap Double Booth The whole booth is 20’ W x 10’ D. Endcap Double Booths are placed along the main aisles with three sides open to traffic. Each booth comes with:
Island (Quad Booth) The Industry Island Quad Booth is intended for large Exhibitors, specifically established companies. The whole booth is 20’ W x 20’ D. Industry Island Quad Booths are placed in a separate section with all four sides open to traffic. Each booth comes with:
Pipe and drape will come in the following colors:
Anything part of the standard booth package—those items and services listed above—cancelled or not used will not be eligible for refund. Please see the “Cancellations and Refunds” section below for more information.
You will receive an invoice for payment from [email protected] after being sucessfully selection for the Exhibitor Hall. All payments are to be made no later than one month after being notified of selection, in order to obtain your booth(s). If you or any of your assistants have already purchased a ticket you will be provided a credit for all pre-paid tickets. Other arranged credits for people such as panelists will also be considered. For exact details, please email us. If you do not pay by the date specified, you will lose your space and the next available exhibitor on the waitlist will be contacted. After your payment clears you and all of your assistants will receive an email containing the tickets used to pick up your badges.
Payments for additional exhibitor badges—not included in your booth package—will be handled closer to the convention after booth payments have been processed.
The Exhibitor Hall is a section of the officially (and playfully) named Blank Canvas’s Marketplace.
It is located on the 100 Level of the Baltimore Convention Center in Halls A and B, with the majority of the Exhibitor Hall itself located in Hall A. The Artist Alley and the Art Show are located completely within the confines of Hall B. You can find official maps and diagrams of the BCC here: http://www.bccenter.org/floorplans.php In addition, we will be posting publicly official BronyCon maps as the event draws nearer.
The Marketplace will be open during the following times:
Please note that while you will have 3 hours of setup time on Friday morning before doors open, we highly recommend that you complete the majority of your booth preparations on Thursday.
Exhibitor load-in will take place on Thursday, from 4 pm to 10 pm. All load-in and setting up that requires union labor must be completed during this timeframe. Please note that during load-in, the BCC may not be providing air conditioning or full lighting. During this time, only BronyCon staff and exhibitors will be permitted into the hall.
Each morning, there will be a one hour window for exhibitors to come in and prepare for the day. Each evening, there will be a one hour window for exhibitors to shut down their booth and leave for the night. During these times, only exhibitors and BronyCon staff will be permitted into the hall. Please note that artists from the Artist Alley may also be passing through the Exhibitor Hall section during this time.
Exhibitor load-out will take place immediately following the exhibitor hall closing down to attendees, on Sunday, from 4 pm until 9 pm. Any union labor must be completed during this time. During this time, only BronyCon staff and exhibitors will be permitted into the hall. Once again, please note that artists from the Artist Alley may also be passing through the Exhibitor Hall section during this time.
Failure to be completely off the premises by 9 pm will result in a $250 fee per additional hour, rounded up, up to $750 for 3 hours over. All exhibitors, no matter what, must be completely off the premises by no later than 11:59 pm. If an exhibitor is not completely vacated from the premises by that time, any fees or costs placed on BronyCon/Lunar Solis Corp for the additional rental of the the facilities due to that exhibitor’s negligence, will then be passed on to that exhibitor, payable to BronyCon/Lunar Solis Corp. Such fees or costs will be astronomically high. Incurring such fees will result in the exhibitor having a semi-permanent or permanent ban from future exhibiting at BronyCon or other Lunar Solis Corp. events.
Most convention facilities large enough to house BronyCon have a unionized work force. We are quite fortunate that the unions who are employed by the Baltimore Convention Center are reasonable and have been willing to work with us on many issues. It is important that our exhibitors understand the rules that will pertain to the Exhibitor Hall.
During load-in and load-out, exhibitors may bring in only what they can carry on their own, or in a small 2-wheeled luggage case. If you have more than that, or if you require a cart, you must bring your wares to the loading dock area to be carted in by union labor. We understand that this may be something new to some of our exhibitors. Please bear in mind that this is standard practice for large venues such as this one. This service is included with your booth cost.
BronyCon will employ union labor to assist Exhibitors with moving materials to and from the loading dock area during load-in and load-out. The union team and loading dock will be available during all load-in and load-out hours, as listed in the “Exhibitor Hall Hours” section above.
Large displays that require more than one person to assemble, or which require power tools, will have to be assembled with the help of union labor. Likewise, anything that is large enough to require a forklift will need professional moving. Exhibitors will be able to order such services through the Decorator Packet, to be sent out closer to the con directly from our decorating contractor.
It is important that BronyCon maintain a strong and friendly working relationship with the local staff. If you have any disagreements or issues with any union employee, please do not argue with them. Bring your disagreement to the Exhibitor Relations Department Head. Similarly, if you have any disagreements or issues with any BCC staff or private security, please get in contact with any BronyCon staff member.
Exhibitors will be supplied with two exhibitor badges for each 10’ x 10’ section purchased. Exhibitor badges will be honored as 3-day attendee badges during all hours of the convention. Exhibitor badges must be worn at all times by any person working at a booth or while on convention property. Badges may not be sold, loaned, or otherwise transferred to persons who are not working for or with you.
Additional badges will cost $65 apiece for your assistants. All additional badges will need to be purchased before the convention itself. The cut-off date will be about a month before the convention. After that point, no additional badges will be sold.
If you are planning on adding additional exhibitors to your booth that will be selling their own wares, the Department Heads and/or the Sections Heads for the Exhibitor Hall must approve each additional exhibitor. Adding exhibitors will have implications on your tax status as well. Please see the Maryland Exhibitor License section below.
Badge sharing is explicitly forbidden. Anyone caught sharing badges, especially the sharing of one badge among multiple people simultaneously, can result in the badge(s) being confiscated. Repeated infractions may result in loss of booth and confiscation of all badges associated with the booth.
Upon arrival to BronyCon for load-in, you are required to first stop by exhibitor registration. Exhibitor registration will occur in the Charles Street Lobby. Badge pick-up must occur before trying to unload your vehicle. At check-in, you will be required to present ALL of the following:
We will keep the Exhibitor’s Affidavit on file and return the other two items back to you. We strongly recommend keeping your traders license (or temporary sales tax license) with you at your booth throughout the convention. Having a photocopy of your Exhibitor’s Affidavit is also recommended.
Upon check-in, you will receive a packet which contains all of the badges for your booth, any extra items from registration (such as sponsor perks, swag, or panelist ribbons), and any additional information deemed important.
If you are unable to vend at BronyCon 2016, please let us know immediately. It is unfair to our exhibitors on the waitlist to keep them waiting until it is too late for them to reasonably prepare and make travel arrangements. BronyCon will not provide a refund or credit of any sort for cancellations.
You may not transfer your booth to another exhibitor for any reason. If you cannot attend, you must notify us so that we can contact the next exhibitor on the waitlist.
If an exhibitor fails to check in for their booth(s) by close of hall on Friday, they will be considered a no-show. At that point, their booth(s) will be offered for sale on a first-come, first-served basis. Lost booths cannot be reclaimed, and neither credit nor refund will be given for no-show booths or any exhibitor badges associated with those booths.
If you need to cancel an exhibitor badge, let us know immediately, so that we can update our records. BronyCon will not provide a refund or credit of any sort for cancellations but may be able to convert the badge into a 3-day attendee badge, depending on the situation.
If you need to transfer an exhibitor badge, you can either contact us and we will take care of it for you, or you can change the badge’s information in EventBrite yourself.
Any cancellations of parts of the booth package, such as basic electricity or the included table(s) or chair(s), will have to be arranged directly with our decorating contractor. You will have the opportunity to do this once you receive the decorator packet. Exhibitors can not cancel their pipe and drape, except in very specific circumstances, such as for corner booths. Exhibitors can cancel their included exhibitor badges in accordance with the policy found in the sections above.
Exhibitors cannot transfer any part of the booth package to anyone else.
Exhibitors are not eligible to receive a refund for any cancelled parts of the booth package. This includes unused exhibitor badges, unused union services, or unused furnishings.
BronyCon is contracted with several outside contractors or vendors for various needs, in order to help make the overall experience better for everyone.
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. Some of the things that you would get through the decorator can include:
The electrical contractor works with the decorator and with us to help provide safe and reliable electrical connections of various strengths for any exhibitor’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 booth’s location. Some of the services that you can get from our electrical contractor include:
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. Some of the services that you can get from our telecoms contractor include:
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. Some of the items that you can get from our AV and computer equipment contractor include:
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 exhibitors are individually responsible for following the above as well as any fees or fines associated with the above.
All Exhibitors must strictly adhere to all of the below regulations for licenses.
Each separate exhibitor will require a Maryland State Sales Tax License. If you have multiple exhibitors at one table, each of you must file your own taxes. The only exception to this would be if your booth has a group of exhibitors 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 exhibitors must submit one or the other at registration in order to redeem their booth(s). Should they not, BronyCon reserves the right to refuse to allow the exhibitor 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.
All exhibitors are required to have a Trader’s License or an Exhibitor’s Affidavit prior to the convention. All exhibitors must submit one or the other at the convention in order to redeem their booth(s). Should they not, BronyCon reserves the right to refuse to allow the exhibitor to sell at their booth(s), and will not offer a refund on the booth(s).
Any exhibitor 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 booth. At the end of the event, BronyCon will collect all Exhibitor’s Affidavits.
All material at, on, or around an exhibitor’s booth 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 exhibitor caught utilizing these methods may lose their booth and all exhibitor badges associated with their booth 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.
Exhibitors are not allowed to sell or give out food or beverages to anyone. This includes bottles of water, muffins, cupcakes, candy, mints, or gum. Any food or beverage at a booth must be for personal consumption and can not be a part of the display of a booth in any way, shape, or form. Also covered by this policy are inedible items that are still expected to be used in the mouth, such as toothpicks.
Exhibitors 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.
Before reading through this section, please read through our Cosplay & Props Policy found on our website: http://2016.bronycon.org/about/policies/cosplay-props-policy/
While real steel weapons are not allowed on convention property, they may however still be sold. They must be displayed at the Exhibitor’s booth in a safe and secure manner. Real steel weapons must be sold fully wrapped, once again, in a safe and secure manner. Exhibitors are to encourage attendees who purchase such items to carry them directly back to their hotel rooms, vehicles, etc., immediately after purchase, and to not open them while on convention property.
Real firearms are strictly forbidden from con property, and as such are not to be sold or displayed in any manner. Do not bring them anywhere near BronyCon.
Gun-Like Props
Gun-like props—such as airsoft and nerf guns—should always have orange tips if they are to be carried out in the open. However, they may be displayed without an orange tip. Regardless of whether they have an orange tip or not, they should always be disabled and unloaded, and safely secured. Absolutely no ammunition of any type can be displayed or sold. Gun-like props must be sold fully wrapped in a safe and secure manner, and must not come with ammunition of any type. As with real steel weapons, exhibitors are to encourage attendees who purchase such items to carry them directly back to their hotel rooms, vehicles, etc., immediately after purchase, and to not open them while on convention property.
Items that appear to be weapons—or are weapons—should never be brandished on con property. We also highly recommend not brandishing them in the streets either, as the police may not be able to tell that that nerf gun, for example, isn’t a real assault rifle. You (and your customers) really, really don’t want that to happen.
We encourage all Exhibitors to limit the handling of their weapon and weapon-like props by attendees, especially for gun-like props. Do not allow attendees under the age of 18 to handle any dangerous weapons or weapon-like props, especially real steel or gun-like props. Do not allow attendees under the age of 18 to purchase any dangerous props without direct parent or guardian permission, especially real steel or gun-like props.
If you have additional concerns for a type of weapon—real or fake—not listed here, please contact us immediately at [email protected] and we’ll work with our Heads of Security to get it straightened out for you.
BronyCon reserves the right to visually spot check the premises of your booth at any time in order to maintain the safety regulations of BronyCon, the Baltimore Convention Center, and the City of Baltimore. At no point will BronyCon staff ever handle anything within your booth without the direct permission from the POC for the booth. If you have any questions involving this policy, please contact us immediately.
While we permit the creation of original artwork of our mascots, use of any other official BronyCon brand assets (including but not limited to: logos, wordmarks, typography, and the BronyCon Pony pattern) or brand assets of our parent company, Lunar Solis Corp, are explicitly prohibited unless expressed permission has been granted in writing by the head of Design. Sale of any item featuring BronyCon branding without permission will not be allowed. If you would like to acquire written permission, please contact the Design team at [email protected]
noun: a fraudulent imitation of something else; a forgery. Counterfeit items are not permitted to be sold at Bronycon. These items include but are not limited to:
All Exhibitors are expected to follow the attendee codes of conduct: http://2016.bronycon.org/about/policies/general-rules/
In addition to these policies, exhibitors are expected to respond to inquiries via email in a timely manner. They are expected to know and follow all rules, policies, etc., contained in this document, as well as any additional items provided by Exhibitor Relations staff via email or in person.
Overly loud music, videos, etc. will not be tolerated in the Exhibitor Hall. If the amount of sound coming from a booth is found to be disruptive as determined by convention staff, the exhibitor will be asked to lower the volume.
Strong or offensive odors will not be tolerated in the Exhibitor Hall. Violations will be determined by convention staff, and will be asked to be removed from the hall or cleaned up at the exhibitor’s expense.
Please see the above section, “Policies on Exhibitors’ Wares”. Exhibitors should avoid displaying any video, lighting, etc., that may be deemed as dangerous, such as strobing lights or patterns known to induce epileptic seizures.
No one should be tasting anything at your booth, as food and beverage products are strictly prohibited. However, careful consideration should be made for small items that may be accidentally ingested by some of the many young attendees that will be in the hall. Also, any technically edible products should be non-toxic and/or labeled specifically as not to be ingested.
Please keep in mind that attendees will probably be handling your wares unless you state otherwise. So please remember to keep your space safe and clean. All pointed or sharp objects should be safely secured, especially if they fall under the weapons or weapon-like props category, as elaborated above.
Any surface or object having repeated and/or constant contact with attendees should result in the Exhibitor taking appropriate sanitary measures. Such items include virtual reality headsets, gaming controllers, shared headphones, photoshoot props, etc. It is highly recommended that Exhibitors provide hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, etc., at booths having any hands-on portion. Please help keep as many people healthy as possible by preventing the spread of “con plague!”
Multiple violations of the “Five Senses” policy will result in penalties up to and including removal of the booth from the hall without refund.
All business names on booth 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 “International House Of Ponies”, the conflicting signage must be removed. Exhibitors are requested not to move, tamper with, or block any official BronyCon signage.
The exhibitor agrees that the convention staff may act as their agents for the purposes of investigating suspected shoplifting incidents. BronyCon does not guarantee the return or compensation of any stolen items. BronyCon does not and cannot become involved in disputes between buyers and sellers in the Marketplace. 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.
If you leave behind a mess that is considered to be excessive and perhaps intentional, you may be assessed a fine of up to $100 per mess, payable to BronyCon/Lunar Solis Corp. All decisions on this basis will be made directly by the Exhibitor Relations Department Head. All decisions will be considered final.
Any structure brought to display artwork or merchandise must be of sound construction and may not extend more than a reasonable amount off of the ground. If any structure falls down, appears unstable, or extends more than a reasonable amount off of the ground, the exhibitor to whom it belongs will be asked to remove it by Exhibitor Relations staff. In addition, all displays must reside within the confines of your area. Displays within your booth may not impede upon other exhibitors’ areas nor disrupt traffic flow at any time.
This may go without saying, but in the event of an incident at con, whether it be harassment or theft, please report it immediately to the nearest member of Exhibitor Relations staff. If you need a matter handled in private, please inform the Exhibitor Relations staffer so that they may contact the appropriate manager in order to handle the situation. In the event of medical emergency, please report it directly the the nearest staffer that you can find, regardless of department.
BronyCon reserves the right to change the policies, etc., contained within this document at any time before or during the event, with or without notice. However, we will make every effort to notify all exhibitors well ahead of time of any changes, when possible.
By applying and accepting to be an exhibitor, it is understood that you have read, fully understand, and agree to abide by these rules, policies, codes of conduct, etc., in their entirety. All exhibitors will be held responsible for the penalties resulting from failures to follow the above content. If you put BronyCon at risk, whether legally, financially, or otherwise, even if it is only perceived, we reserve the right to remove your booth(s) and have all associated exhibitor badges either converted to regular 3-day badges or revoked completely, with or without warning.