Baltimore Book Festival 2024: Exhibitor Application
IMPORTANT DATES
- Application opens: Monday, July 15, 2024
- Application closes: Wednesday, July 31, 2024 (Late submissions will not be considered)
- Notice of application status: Week of August 12, 2024
- Accepted exhibitor contract and fee due: Friday, September 6, 2024
- The Baltimore Book Festival:
- Saturday, September 28: 10 AM - 8 PM
- Sunday, September 29, 10 AM - 6 PM
GENERAL INFORMATION (New for this year):
- Date change: This year’s festival dates are September 28- 29, 2024
- 2-Day Exhibitor / Vendor presence: There are NO longer 1-Day Exhibitors. ALL Exhibitors must be present for both days and scheduled event hours.
- Timeline: Please see the above timeline for all changes to dates and deadlines. Accepted exhibitors will receive a separate info packet with festival details
Who can be an Exhibitor?
- Authors/Booksellers/Publishers
- Zines/Small Press
- Educational Institutions promoting literary arts
- Sellers of literary/book-themed products such as journals, pens, jewelry, clothing, stationary, e-readers, etc.
- Those promoting a literary-oriented event or resource
- An attraction with a literary connection (or related book)
- Non-Profit or Cultural Organization: if your organization is not literary in nature, you must propose a STRONG book-themed element as part of your display
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE STANDARD EXHIBITOR PACKAGE
- Festival-provided tent (10’ x 10’)
- [1] 6' table per 10’ x 10’ of space
- [2] chairs per 10’ x 10’ of space
- 24-hour roaming security
- Listing in the event program and website
- A comprehensive exhibitor guide (emailed pre-festival)
- Please note: The Festival does NOT provide parking, but will supply a list of area garages and flat lots to selected exhibitors.
EXHIBITOR GUIDELINES:
- Cancellations: If an Exhibitor cancels before September 9, 2024, the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts will refund the Exhibitor 50% of the booth fee.
- Refunds: After September 9, 2024, there will be no refunds.
- Stand-alone pop-up tents/extra tables are prohibited.
- Unauthorized/unapproved use of any festival space is prohibited.
- Exhibitor set-up is confined to the 10x10 tent space(s) footprint they have been approved and paid for.
- Storage areas located behind or outside the tent footprint are prohibited.
- There are no sound systems permitted in tents.
- Participants agree that the Baltimore Book Festival and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts shall have the right to reproduce digital images or the reproductions of selected artwork for publicity or marketing purposes.
- Exhibitors must keep their space open all hours of the festival, rain or shine.
- Exhibitors must have their booths open from *Saturday, September 28, 2024, from 10 AM – 8 PM* and *Sunday, September 29, 2024, from 10 AM – 6 PM.*
- 80% of materials displayed, sold, and distributed must be related to the literary arts.
- Exhibitors may not re-sell, share with an unaccepted exhibitor, or sublet any portion of their space – unless approved by the Festival Director. This includes Media Partners, Corporate Sponsors, and any/all third parties. Violations will result in expulsion from the festival, with no refund.
- Exhibitors are required to close their tent walls each night. We will have festival staff available to assist with closing tent walls at the end of each festival day. Exhibitors will be permitted to keep their display and artwork in their space overnight at their discretion.
- Exhibitors violating show rules, or who fail to cooperate with the direction of Festival Staff- via email or onsite- will not be permitted to exhibit. The show will be monitored for misrepresentation and we reserve the right to remove any questionable, non-approved items from the show. Violations of this kind will result in expulsion from the festival with no refund and may bar the Exhibitor from applying to future BOPA festivals and events.
Equipment Fees:
Exhibitor: $150 (2 Days)
- Standard (10’ x 10’) Festival-provided tent
- [1] 6-foot table
- [2] chairs
Standard Exhibitor Package includes:
- [2] Exhibitor Credentials
- 24-hour roaming security
- Listing in the event program and website
- A comprehensive exhibitor guide (emailed pre-festival)
Please note: The Festival does NOT provide parking, but will supply a list of area garages and acceptable parking areas.
Your Space At The Festival
- You must be open by 10 AM each day and remain open until the festival closes each day (Saturday, 8 PM / Sunday, 6 PM)
- Display: Your materials must fit into the space you reserved or were assigned, and be designed to separate you from your neighbors. The tents are of a number of different styles (such as 10x10, 10x20, 10x30, etc.) with most being larger tents shared by two or more exhibitors.
- Electricity: You are provided access to 20 amps of electricity per 10’x10’ space. Bring a heavy-duty outdoor extension cord of at least 25 feet to access electricity for your booth. The festival will not have extension cords to borrow, rent, or purchase.
- Lighting: The Baltimore Book Festival provides 1 light per tent only. You will need to plug the light into the electrical box behind your tent and then turn them on. You will need to supply your own supplementary lighting for your display.
- Signage: The Baltimore Book Festival does provide individual signage for each exhibitor. You may bring signage and other printed collateral material- including a tablecloth, banner, etc. (as long as it is contained to your assigned space and does not damage city or rented property).
- Wi-Fi internet is not guaranteed to be available to collect payments. Please be prepared to use another method to collect payments that will not require Wi-Fi access.
-- FOR FURTHER QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT:
Delaney Cate | BBF Festival Director / Event and Market Manager, Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts
E-mail: dcate@promotionandarts.org
-- PLEASE NOTE: Media and corporate/commercial spaces are reserved for corporate sponsors/media outlets. Through their generosity, we can keep the Baltimore Book Festival free and open to the public. What constitutes "corporate/commercial space" or "Media Space" is at the discretion of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts.
If you are a CORPORATE SPONSOR, or MEDIA OUTLET interested in participating in and supporting the festival - you may email us with further details.
LOCAL / BALTIMORE based organisations, please contact:
Diana Emerson | Executive Director, Waverly Main Street
E-mail: executive.director@waverlymainstreet.org
NATIONAL organisations, please contact:
Sarah Gibbons | Director of Development, Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts
E-mail: sgibbons@promotionandarts.org