2019 Dealers Den Rules and FAQ
Welcome to Vancoufur 2019! Dealer's den applications closed August 27th, but we have left the following information available for your reference.
To complete your Dealer’s Den application, we require:
- Your desired listing name as you wish to have it appear for use in the Con Book and Vancoufur website
- Your real first and last name as it appears on your government-issued ID
- A portfolio of your work representative of what you will be selling, with links to any applicable website or hosted gallery
- A brief biography of yourself/business and why we should accept you
- If you are planning on sharing a table, the real first and last name and listing names (as appears on their application) of whomever you wish to share your table with - they must apply separately and put you in this section as well
- If you are planning on having a Dealer’s Den Assistant*, please specify who. Assistants may also be added AT the convention and will be provided with a way to identify them as an assistant.
*NOTE: Assistants are individuals of your own choosing (as the table applicant) that may assist you in running your table when you have stepped out or help out in the space around your table to help you manage your wares. Dealer’s Den Assistants are not allowed to sell their own products.
Please note: Dealers from outside of Canada should ensure that they are in compliance with the requirements to sell their wares in Canada. Sub-letting, or renting out your table at the time of the convention is not allowed. Please apply separately if you intend to share a table and express who you would be sharing with in your application.
Dealer’s Den Rules of Conduct
- Be in compliance with the hotel rules at all times
- Dealers and Assistants must have their con badge visibly worn at all times inside of the Dealer’s Den
- The consumption of alcohol and drugs is prohibited in the con space - including the Dealer’s Den
- Dealers and Assistants are not allow to handle business transactions if they are under the influence of drugs and alcohol
- Wares must be in compliance with the rules outlined in the “What can I sell in the dealer’s den?” section in the FAQ below
- Be kind and respectful to the staff, dealers, and attendees - if they don’t respect you back, contact staff
- Sub-letting, or the renting of your table is prohibited
- All sales at your booth must be legal in Canada and the province of British Columbia
- You are liable for the behavior of yourself and your Assistants while they are in the Dealer’s Den
Failure to comply with these rules will result in disciplinary action, not limited to warning strikes, ejection from the Dealer’s Den and loss of your booth, loss (pulling) of your convention badge, banning from Vancoufur, contact of police, and potential legal action. Disciplinary actions are effective immediately upon issuance. Appeals for actions will be handled according to convention rules.
A dealer who has their convention access revoked will also be ejected from the dealers den without compensation. This applies to the primary owner of the table. Assistants who have their convention access revoked will not be allowed to enter or be in the dealer's den for the remainder of the convention, under any circumstance.
Dealer's Den FAQ
How do I apply for a table?
To apply for a table, you need to fill out this year’s VancouFur Dealer's Den Application online between August 17th (12:00PM Pacific Time) and August 27th (11:59PM Pacific Time) through the provided link to Convention Master - the Dealer’s Den application handler. Within 48 hours of submission of your application, you will be sent an email by a member of the Dealer’s Den team - rollie@vancoufur.org or milk@vancoufur.org - verifying that your application has been received. You will be sent a separate email when your application is approved/waitlisted/declined. Application approval and waitlist/declination e-mails will be sent by September 5th. This e-mail will include your table type and a Convention Master link that will show you the amount due for your table. Dealer's Den fees must be paid within 30 days of acceptance, or you risk forfeiture of the table. Please note that the price for a table does not include the price of registration for the convention.
Why do you need my real name?
We strive to do our best to accommodate every need and concern of our attendees. However, due to the controlled nature of sales and commerce, we require the inclusion of your legal first and last name as it appears on your government ID. Additionally, we need to have it on file should government, police, or medical personnel require it. Your legal name will only be used on a strictly need-to-know basis and will not be shared with any staff members for identification purposes unless absolutely necessary.
What can I sell in the Dealer's Den?
Vendors must sell only items which they are legally entitled to sell. Please be aware that if you have pirated, or materials that infringe copyright in an illegal manner we will require you to remove the items from your table.
You are encouraged to sell your artwork, handmade items, merchandise with your artwork/creations on them, and items intended for resale. The sale of food or drink items in the Dealer’s Den OR Artist’s Alley is prohibited to be in compliance with Hotel/Catering agreements and policy.
We have some firm rules regarding adult material - considered any material depicting sexual and violent imagery - in our dealer’s den for 2019.
- Any material (art, sculpture, and literature) containing extremely violent and/or sexually explicit depictions must not be accessible to anyone under 18 years old.
- Adult material must be kept in closed binders/folders/bins that are clearly marked as adult.
- Adult art in progress must be as concealed as possible from public view.
- Dealers are required to monitor their adult materials to ensure minors are not viewing them (please check government issued ID) and must be aware of the persons behind the person's browsing their materials may be a minor. Adult material in binders must have explicit portions censored.
- Dealers are required to check Government issued identification when exhibiting adult materials. Convention badges are not a valid picture ID and cannot be used to confirm an attendee's age.
- For Adult Sculpture, we recommend a binder of photographs to showcase and simultaneously censor explicit portions. Examples are available on request.
Dealers found in non-compliance with these rules will be asked to rectify the problem. If on follow-up the problem persists, the dealer may be ejected from the Dealer's Den without compensation.
How are tables approved?
Vancoufur's Dealer's Den applications are reviewed by a committee of Vancoufur staff and community members in an effort to fill the Den with a wide variety of exciting, diverse merchandise. Judging is based on the following criteria:
- Marketability
- Reputability
- Uniqueness
- Variety of merchandise
- Merchandise available at-con vs. post-con
- Theme-appropriateness
Preference is given to full-table vendors with complete portfolios depicting products that will be sold at-con, and those with on-theme variants. Having less-common styles and products is also an asset. Selling something that can be picked up at-con vs. only take home commissions and online sales is a plus.
The majority of our tables are filled by the selection committee; if need be, the remaining tables are filled by a random number generator lottery of the remaining applications. The table count for the Dealer’s Den will be adjusted according to interest.
The selection committee will review submissions once received from the time they open at 12:00PM Pacific Time on Friday, August 17th, to Monday, August 27th at 11:59PM Pacific time. Applicants will be notified by Wednesday, September 5th if they were accepted or waitlisted.
Who is the Selection Committee made up of?
The selection committee consists of seven voting members and a non-voting chair who will facilitate the selection process. To avoid bribery, coercion and blame, we do not release the names of the committee members. You can be assured they will make judgements to the best of their abilities based on the information available to them. The committee will be chaired by the Vancoufur Business Executive TigressSerena (business@vancoufur.org). Any questions or concerns regarding the committee or the selection process can be directed to the committee chair or Dealer’s Den Co-leads Rollie (rollie@vancoufur.org) and Milk (milk@vancoufur.org).
What happens if I don't get a table?
Dealers who do not receive a table will be put on a waiting list, broken down by their panel remarks and time of application. Wait listed dealers will be contacted for a table as soon as a spot opens up. If no response is received within two days, the table will be forfeited and the next waitlisted applicant will be contacted.
Can I request a specific location in the Den?
While we are not able to promise a specific location for your Dealer's table, there iis a section for requests in our DD application. Please fill out this portion if you would like to be sitting next to another vendor, or have specific corridor accesses (priority given to those with mobility difficulties) and we will do our best to accommodate your request. There are no guarantees that we will be able to accommodate every request, but we will do our best.
Is electricity and/or Wi-Fi available?
We will do our best to provide electricity to your table. Please indicate in the online form if you require electricity for your table. There will be free Wi-Fi vouchers given to dealers in our Den; dealers can purchase additional vouchers for a donation to our charity.
We look forward to seeing you at the convention!
