One of the benefits of a convention like VCON is that it gives members and interested others the opportunity to find a variety of fannish goods collected together in one place. With this in mind, we run a Vendor Exhibition Hall — a sort of a “Fan Shopping Mall” if you will — for the duration of the con, with two sections within it.
The Dealer's Room is where fans can find science fiction and fantasy related merchandise of all kinds.So, instead of running all over town looking for great books, comics, T-shirts, memorabilia, or what-have-you, at VCON you can find them all gathered conveniently under one roof!
We also have an Artists Alley where artists and craftspeople of 2D or 3D art can set up shop to showcase their own work. Artists will be at their table each day of the convention and, in addition to buying original artwork and items generated from them (comic books, art prints, bookmarks, etc.), you may be able catch a glimpse into their process by watching them create their art or crafts live and in person. Some artists even accept commission requests.
One particularly nice thing about the VCON Vendors Hall is that it is open to the public! That's right - you don't even have to be an attending member of VCON to come check out all the geeky goodness that is for sale.
For details about who will be peddling their wares this year and where they'll be doing it, go to our Attending Vendors page.
Sections:
Vendor Hall Hours | Vendor Hall Rates | Vendor Staffing Requirements | Vendor Hall Registration
Vendor Hall Hours
The VCON 37 Vendor Exhibition Hall will be open during the following hours:
TO BE ADVISED
- Friday, Noon-7pm
- Saturday, 10am-8pm
- Sunday, 10am-5pm
Vendor Hall Rates
Dealers Room Spaces
A full space in the Dealers Room section of the Vendor Hall costs $100 for the weekend and includes a full weekend membership to the convention. Each full space provides a vendor with a 6'x6' area that may be furnished with one 6'x30" or 6'x18" table and up to two chairs. An individual vendor may reserve up to a maximum of three (3) Dealers Room spaces.
Half-spaces may also be reserved. Each also includes a full weekend membership and are available for $75.
Artists Alley Spaces
A full space in the Artists Alley section of the Vendor hall costs $85 for the weekend and includes a full weekend membership to the convention. Each full space provides a vendor with a 6'x30" table and two chairs. An individual vendor may reserve up to a maximum of two (2) Artists Alley spaces.
Half-spaces may also be reserved. Each also includes a full weekend membership and are available for $67.50.
The VCON Artists Alley is intended as a place for artists and craftspeople of 2D and 3D display art to showcase their own work. In general Artists Alley vendors are expected to sell original works at their table with a few exceptions (e.g. a comic artist may sell published books of their work). Any other items sold at the table—prints, posters, bookmarks, etc.—must be based on the vendor's own original work. Artists and craftspeople are also encouraged to demonstrate their art by creating new works at their table if doing so would be appropriate for their medium (i.e. a artist who sketched or painted could work on site, but we would not expect a potter to do so).
Vendor Staffing Requirements
Vendor Staff
All vendors are required to have at least one (1) person staffing their reserved space(s) during Vendor Hall hours. A staff member must either be a VCON Member or Vendor Assistant.
Vendors are expected to have at least one person attending their space on every day of the convention during all scheduled Vendor Hall hours. Anyone serving as vendor staff must either have a VCON Membership valid at the time they are attending the space in the Vendor Hall or they must be wearing a valid Vendor Assistant Badge (see the next section for details about Vendor Assistants). Note that all reservations include at least one full weekend membership and are also entitled to at least one Vendor Assistant Badge.
In general, we do not accept vendor hall reservations from anyone who is unable to commit to this requirement. However, if you would like to attend as a vendor but have a specific concern relating to this staffing requirement, please contact the Vendor Hall Liasion in order to discuss your situation - vend{click-to-expand}@vcon.ca
Vendor Assistants
Dealers may bring in Vendor Assistants—individuals without full weekend memberships—to help staff their space. Each vendor is entited to one Vendor Assistant badge for each space that has been reserved.
All Vendor Assistants must wear a Vendor Assistant Badge while they are attending a space in the vendor hall. These badges display the vendor's name prominently and are transferable – that is they may be given to different people during the dates of the convention allowing vendors to rotate in different individuals to serve as assistants at different times.
Every vendor will be given one Vendor Assistant badge upon arrival at the convention. Vendors who have reserved two or more spaces may request one additional Vendor Assistant badge for each additional space if they expect to have more than one Assistant staffing their space at the same time.
Note that Vendor Assistants are restricted to those areas of the convention that are open to the public (the Vendor Hall, the Art Show, and the Friday evening Book Launch Event) unless they purchase a membership valid on the day(s) they are on site and wish to explore other areas of the convention (one-day memberships are available at the door).
On-Site Contact
All vendors are required to register one or more On-Site Contacts with the Vendor Hall Liaison. An On-Site Contact must be a VCON Member. At least one On-Site Contact must be in attendance at the convention during all the hours that the Vendor Hall is open. A vendor may register themself as an On-Site Contact.
On-Site Contacts are pressumed to have authority over the vendor's reserved space and will be held accountable for the behaviour and actions of anyone on staff. They may also be contacted in an emergency. On-Site Contacts are not required to stay in the Vendor Hall at all times but at least one must be on site at the convention during the hours the Vendor Hall is open.
Vendor Hall Registration
If you are interested in selling merchandise in the VCON Dealer Room or VCON Artists Alley please let us know by filling in and submitting the form linked below. Doing so will send some basic information to the VCON Vendor Hall Liaison who will review it and then contact you directly with information about table availability and other booking details.
