HOW TO BecomE a Vendor

Thank you for your interest in participating in our celebration! We are excited that you are interested in being involved in our community festival as a vendor. Below you can find details regarding registering for the event as well as our tax exempt status to assist you in your charitable donation.

Date, Time, Location:

The festival runs from 10am – 7pm on Saturday May 18^th, 2019 at Middletown High School, 120 Silver Lake Road, Middletown, DE 19709. The vendor fair will be located in the student parking lot on campus. This is an outdoor venue; please plan accordingly for weather.

Who can be a vendor?

Any community group, organization, business, or individual can be a vendor. However, we are only allowing so many vendors in a particular category to prevent oversaturation of the market for purchasers as well as for vendors; so you are not competing against several similar types of business.

How much for a spot?

One spot = $40 + Raffle Donation

Two spots = $65 + Raffle Donation

Three spots = $100 + Raffle Donation

How big is a spot?

Spots are the size of a standard parking space: 8 feet wide by 19 feet deep. For reference: two spots will fit a standard sized pop up. Since these spots are deep rather than wide; please plan accordingly for displays so purchasers are able to enter your spot and see what you have to sell.

How can I purchase a spot?

You can purchase a spot by sending in an application (below) and payment. Payment can be made via cash or check made out to Middletown High School in the appropriate amount based on how many spots you require. Please make sure your payment clearly indicates that it is from you and/or your business. You can drop the payment off in person when school is in session between 7:15 am and 2:45 pm. You can also mail the payment to Middletown High School, c/o Class of 2019, 120 Silver Lake Road, Middletown, DE, 19709.

We also have an option to pay online with a credit card at: https://secure.educationalnetworks.net/apps/s/index.jsp?ech=www.middletownhs.org&s=3339 (as seen below). Please note a convenience fee will apply if you choose this method of payment.

Spots are a first come first serve lock in for vendors. It is recommended that you lock in your spot with application and payment for the spot as soon as possible. If you wait too long to submit your payment after you application, and we find a similar vendor who is interested and who is ready to pay, we will notify you that there is no longer space available for you. If you submit an vendor application and payment and we already have other vendors who are too similar to your goods, we will notify you, refund your payment, and cancel your application.

Note: If you have paid and can no longer make the commitment, we will refund your money in full up through Wednesday April 10^th by 2:45pm. You must notify the festival in writing by Wednesday April 10^th by 2:45pm for refunds to be processed.

Raffle Donation:

As part of the participation in the vendor fair we are requiring a $10 (minimum) contribution for our corresponding festival raffle. This donation will be placed into a large raffle basket, but if you would prefer to have your own raffle basket in our raffle please feel free to make a basket accordingly. Suggestions for donations include: vouchers or gift cards for your business, actual merchandise from your business, other items related to your industry (example: if you sell home owners insurance you could donate house warming items), etc. You are also welcome to send in information material about your business as well that we will include in the basket.

Please note: The raffle items/prizes you donate must be something that the winner receives without conditions like spending additional money to receive it, hosting shows in order to receive something, buy one get one free, purchasing memberships, sessions, etc., in order to use your donation. It is illegal to raffle something that the winner has to provide money, etc. for in order to receive their winning item. If you want to give away something that is conditional on the winner spending money, you may do your own give away at your table (separate from donating to the festival raffle) to help you get your leads and customers. A give away at your table is completely at your discretion and is optional. Depending on the value of the item(s) you donate to the festival raffle, we may create a grand prize raffle for the festival.

When you mail or drop off your raffle item(s), please indicate the retail value of the donation if it is not already marked with a retail value as well as your name/business so we know we have received your donated. The large raffle baskets that will be created from donations will be advertised to the community leading up to the event along with the basket contents & vendors in a particular basket. This raffle is a great way to showcase your business with a sample of what you will be offering the community during the vendor fair.

Please note that all vendors are required to participate in the raffle donation. If a donation is not received by Wednesday April 17^th, vendors will not be able to participate in the event and you will not receive a refund for you spot fee. Don’t forget that our organization is a nonprofit organization when claiming donations for your taxes next year.

Can I participate in the raffle as a customer?

Yes, you are more than welcome to purchase tickets to join the raffles during our festival. We will have several large baskets and a 50/50 raffle going throughout the festival. If you need to step away to look at the raffles, buy food or drink, etc., let one of the staff know and we'll send you a volunteer, if one is available. We will also have food trucks available for meals/snacks.

Set Up/ Clean Up:

Vendor set up will take place the day of the event, May 18^th, 2019, from 7-9am. Vendors are required to unload and park in the designated area immediately. Do not park in another vendor's space while unloading. Be courteous to other vendors and volunteers. After materials are dropped off and you have parked, you can set up your designated area. Volunteers will be around to assist as needed. You do not need to tip the volunteers; most volunteers are ROTC and NHS students, many of which are earning volunteer hours. You are responsible for unloading, parking, and setting up your own vendor area. Please remember to ONLY set up in your designated area. Your vendor lot number(s) will emailed to you a few days before the event along with vendor spot locations in the student parking lot. You will also be able to find this information on our website as it will be available to the public.

On the day of the event, please sign-in with event staff in the parking lot, unload, and go to your designated parking spot. It is important to the flow of traffic & set up time frames that you unpack and set up your area after you have parked your vehicle in the designated spot. Event staff will be around to give you directions if needed. Please note: MHS is not responsible for stolen, missing, lost or broken products.

Vendor clean-up will be after the event from 7-9pm. Volunteers will be around to assist as needed. Please be courteous of other vendors. It is recommended that you pack up your spot first, and then bring your vehicle around to load before leaving.

Vendors must keep areas clean and remove trash as the end of the event. Trash receptacles are not for vendor trash.

Unless you have made specific arrangements with the festival for special circumstances, you are not permitted to pack up before the event is over at 7pm. It does not look professional for any vendors to start leaving early (unless, of course, a true emergency arises, or you made special arrangements with the festival prior to). It always is cause for speculation and/or panic on why a vendor may pack up early at an event. Please do not make patrons feel unwelcome. Some patrons will come in at the last hour which is why you need to stick around.

Vendor Etiquette:

• Vendor are confined to their allotted space. You may not utilize an empty space or roam around the festival grounds.
• No loudspeakers or bullhorns may be used. Audio equipment must be approved by the festival.
• Vendors may distribute/sell ONLY what is listed on your application, and ONLY in your allotted space- no roaming the festival grounds to sell or distribute products, coupons, samples or literature of any kind. Please do not approach visitors with your information unless invited to do so. All materials must be displayed on your table and NOT handed out in front of your space.
• Selling of live animals is strivctly prohbited at this festival. Anyone seen selling any type of live animal will be asked to immediately pack and leave.
• No alcoholic beverages are permitted on festival grounds.

Vendors with samples for tasting and/or food vendors:

If you are a food vendor or a vendor who does tastings and samples, please make sure that you post signs or labels on the products to alert anyone if your items contain, nuts, soy, milk, gluten, etc. We expect adults to know to ask about foods for their allergies, but sometimes kids forget.

Parking:

You will be guaranteed 1 parking spot on campus with your registration fee. Parking will be located on the far side of the main teacher lot. We will notify you will your vendor spot number(s) and where you can park for the event a few days prior to the festival. Additional parking is available offsite if you have more than 1 vehicle.

Things you must/may want to bring:

This event is outdoors so please be prepared for the weather of the day. All vendors are responsible for providing their own tables, chairs, canopies or pop-ups, and electricity. Vendors are responsible for bringing their spot to life; they should bring their own table covers, decorations, or display set up items. Since the vendor area is on pavement you will not be able to stake anything down, please plan accordingly for how to support the base of canopies and pop-ups. It is the vendors responsibility to make sure the canopy and base dimensions of pop-ups will fit within the designated area of their spot. There will be food and drinks available for purchase on site. MHS is only supplying your vendor spot; you are required to bring anything else you will need.

Advertising:

We will be advertising for this event in many ways, but we would also like you to spread the word to your clients. We have a Facebook page and website (https://sites.google.com/apposchooldistrict.com/mhscommunityfestival/home) you are welcome to link to provide you customers with more details.

Festival Reserves the Right to:

• Reassign/change a space if necessary, even on the show date. Spaces are not transferrable by vendors.
• Deny vendor application for any reason the committee sees fit. Booth fees will be returned if the vendor is not selected.
• Prohibit display of certain products/distribution of materials based on its acceptability to the general public.
• Eject vendors/visitors from the festival grounds where there is cause.
• MHS is not responsible for theft or damage of vendor's display or property. Vendors are responsible for their own space and agree to reimburse MHS for any damage caused by unloading, loading and operations during the festival.
• MHS is not liable for any damage to your equipment, merchandise, yourself or you family, friends or employees working at your booth.

Final Notes:

Please be patient, courteous and mindful of what a huge undertaking this event is for us. Everybody putting this event together is a volunteer, giving up their time for the kids, school, and community. We are human and occasionally do make mistakes and errors. If it happens please, don't yell at the volunteers or the staff of MHS. Please be kind and understanding. Vendors who are not acting as positive role models for our student will be kindly asked to leave immediately by event staff & police. We believe all problems are fixable, please communicate appropriately so we can fix it.

Be mindful that this is a community celebration and many families and children will be present. Please watch your language; dress appropriately; no inappropriate things at the displays or table; no hidden agendas about promoting religious beliefs, politics and things of that nature. There is a time and a place for that, but not at this event.

Also note that you are not permitted to ask for cash donations at your table, putting out jars, etc., for causes you are an advocate for such as: relay for life teams, sick children and families in need, cancer and disease awareness’s, etc. As much as we support of all these causes, as well, this overwhelms visitors.

Thank you so much for your courtesies and feel free to e-mail with any questions.