The Vermont Renaissance Festival presents: Pirates of the Renaissance! Yes, Folks, as some of you may have heard, The Vermont Renaissance Festival has moved! Due to our expanding patron attendance, our old site could no longer hold our growing festival. After much searching we have found an amazing site; The Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, MA! That s right, this year VTRF will be presenting Pirates of the Renaissance in Greenfield, MA! This move brings with it some fantastic advantages. A larger site with better amenities, proximity to a large population that will increase our attendance, a place for VTRF to grow, and most importantly a home for VTRF while we build our patronage and develop our permanent hard site. Last season our attendance increased, despite problematic weather, to over 8300 patrons. This season, we anticipate our attendance will grow to 10,000 12,000 patrons. Why? 1) Moving to a denser population area will increase our patronage. Being closer to large numbers of people makes it more likely that they will come to our event. The Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, MA is less than half an hour from Brattleboro, VT, Northampton, MA, Amherst, MA, and less than an hour from Springfield, MA Springfield, VT and Keene, NH, placing over one million potential patrons in easy travel distance. About an hour away is Hartford, CT, and both Boston, MA and Albany, NY are less than two hours away. This year, we are extending our successful print campaign to all of the areas mentioned above. 2) Connecting our theme with a major motion picture. Because we are temporarily moving out of our home state, we have chosen to present a theme for the festival rather than emphasize our state name. The theme this year is Pirates of the Renaissance! which will coincide with the release of Disney Studio s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man s Chest on July 7 th. 3) A well known site. The Franklin County Agricultural Society has hosted the Franklin County Fair since 1848 and is a well known site in the community. 4) New marketing opportunities. The fairgrounds also hosts the Western Massachusetts Highland Games and Celtic Festival the weekend before our event. With an attendance of over 10,000 people, this is a wonderful marketing opportunity as it gives us a chance to entice those patrons to return to the fairgrounds for our festival.
We also have some new amenities associated with our new location. As always, all participants have access to our Green Room. This is a place for you, the merchant, and all of our participants to get out of the public eye for a few minutes, have a drink or something to eat, and just relax. In addition this year, our site also has ample parking, midweek security, enough space for all our participants to camp, and flush toilets and hot showers. We are not just a festival, we are a family. Each weekend we open the floor at our Saturday evening meetings to hear what YOU have to say. Any comments, commendations, criticisms, questions, or suggestions are listened to in order to make us a better festival. There are activities each weekend culminating in an official VTRF Party on one of the weekends. We also have games and contests that YOU, as a merchant, can join! Last year saw the inception of our first annual Merchant Demonstrator Contest where our merchants got to strut their stuff and win prizes. This year we are introducing another game; the Merchant Marketing Contest where you can win even more prizes! See the enclosed announcements for more information. We welcome you to come and join us for our 6 th season and become a part of our growing family. See you at the Festival! Daniel Curtis Merchant Manager www.vermontfestival.com MerchantMan@VermontFestival.com 122 Westminster Street Bellows Falls, VT 05101 802-463-3783 The VTRF Merchant Marketing Contest 2006 This contest allows you to make use of your network of friends and customers to increase our patronage, expand your business, and win more prizes! We shall provide flyers and printable e-flyers for you to personalize and give to your customers and friends, and the return of these marked cards to the gate will determine the winner. As with our regular flyers, these grant everyone in the party a free replica coin. 1st prize: Free Merchant Space for the 2007 season (up to $100/weekend); 2nd prize: 50% off Merchanting Fee for 2007 season (up to $50/weekend); 3rd prize: $50 off Merchant Fee for 2007 season. For more information, contact Daniel Myers at Daniel@VermontFestival.com or call 802-463-2565.
The VTRF Merchant Demonstrator Contest 2006 Dear Merchant, First of all, I d like to give a great big Huzzah! to all those who participated in the very first VTRF Merchant Demonstrator Contest last season. The demonstrations were fantastic! They not only increased each merchant s patron traffic, but they gave our Merchants a chance to show off their talents and skills. Want to join the fun? Here s how it works Merchants doing scheduled demonstrations at the festival will be eligible to participate in the Merchant Demonstrator Contest. Not only will they be featured on our festival map, but they will also be scheduled into the program so that ALL of our patrons will be on the lookout for them! Prizes will be awarded in three categories: Most Educational Demonstration This award is for the demonstrator that provides the most hands-on-experience and information about their craft in the Renaissance period. First prize - $50 and a VTRF cup and VTRF tee-shirt Second prize - $30 and a VTRF tee-shirt Third prize - $20 and a VTRF cup Most Entertaining Demonstration This award is for the demonstrator that best exhibits their craft in an exciting, entertaining, audience engrossing manner. First prize - $50 and a VTRF cup and VTRF tee-shirt Second prize - $30 and a VTRF tee-shirt Third prize - $20 and a VTRF cup Best In-Character Demonstration This award is for the best demonstration conducted In- Character. First prize - $50 and a VTRF cup and VTRF tee-shirt Second prize - $30 and a VTRF tee-shirt Third prize - $20 and a VTRF cup Rules and Eligibility: 1) This contest is open to Merchants only. No paid performers. 2) Merchants must be contracted for and attend all weekends of the festival. 3) Demonstrations must be related to the merchant s booth and relevant to the Renaissance period. 4) Merchants must submit a description of their demonstration for approval by the Merchant Manager by May 15, 2006. 5) Merchants must submit a description of their demonstration to be put into the program of no more than 3 sentences. 6) Merchants will be listed on the map of the program as an attraction for patrons to visit as well as on the demonstrator schedule page. 7) Demonstrations will be scheduled for 2-3 times per day. 8) No more than one prize per demonstrator. 9) Prizes will be awarded at the last Saturday meeting of the festival; July 15, 2006
Vermont Renaissance Festival 2006 Merchant/Vendor Application General Information- The Vermont Renaissance Festival 2006 will run three weekends on Saturdays and Sundays July 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. We are located at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, MA just off exit 26 on I-91. Fee Schedule- There are two separate fee schedules. One is for tented merchants with a space and one is for wandering merchants (such as pushcart merchants or merchants wearing merchandise on a tray or carrying it in a basket, bucket, or staff). Your fee must accompany your application. The fee will be returned if you are not accepted. Preference in the jury process will be given to merchants who apply to do all three weekends. Postmarked 4-1-06 and before Three weekends - $300 Two weekends - $250 One weekend - $150 Three weekends wandering merchant - $150 Two weekends wandering merchant - $100 One weekend wandering merchant - $50 Postmarked 4-2-06 to 6-1-06 Three weekends - $350 Two weekends - $300 One weekend - $200 Three weekends wandering merchant - $200 Two weekends wandering merchant - $150 One weekend wandering merchant - $100 Products & Jury Procedure- All crafts must be in keeping with plausibility for the period of history between 1400 and 1605. Obviously modern materials or blatantly modern subject matter are not acceptable. Imports and mass produced items are not allowed except by special permission for those items deemed not in direct competition with an artisan or vendor on the site. This is a juried faire. The jury date is April 7th. If your merchant packet has not arrived by that date you will be put onto a waiting list. Items will be judged by the following criteria, the first being most acceptable and the last being least acceptable. Artisans making themselves, demonstrating, and selling historically plausible items. Artisans making themselves and selling historically plausible items. Merchants selling historically plausible handmade crafts. Merchants selling hand made items that may or may not be historically plausible. Merchants selling items that are not handmade and may or may not be historically plausible Jury Categories- In order to ensure that all our vendors have an enjoyable and profitable festival run, The Vermont Renaissance Festival limits the number and type of vendors it hosts. To assist in this endeavor, merchants must apply to specific slots. As above, preference is given to merchants who are artisans selling a specific type of item. In order to apply for a particular category, at least 85% of your onsite selling stock must fall into that category. Any merchant selling items in categories other than the ones listed in their application, will not be asked to return. Email MerchantMan@VermontFestival.com or call 802-463-3783 if you have any questions or are unsure about which category you belong in.
Blacksmith Ironwork Chainmail Including chainmail jewelry Swords Including knives, not including leather sheaths Fiber Arts Such as spinning, embroidery, weaving, and related supplies Clothing Not including children s clothing or leather Jewelry Specifically body adornments. This does not include accessories such as (but not limited to) purses, pouches, decorative objects/sculpture, fans, hats, large hat like headpieces, or chainmail. Accessories Including purses, pouches, fans, hats, and hair accessories. Children s Fare Including clothing, games, toys Pottery Candle/Bath/Spice Musical Instruments Leatherwork Not including clothing Leather Clothing Decorative Arts Including sculpture, house wares, art prints Services: Tarot/palm readers Hair braiding Face painting Henna painting Genealogy Costumed Photography Double Category Merchant Merchant stock is comprised of 2 categories at roughly 50/50 each category. List categories in application Triple Category Merchant Merchant stock is comprised of 3 categories in roughly even percentages. List categories in application. Other If you do not fit into these categories, tell us more about your product or service in the application. Food People interested in selling food items should contact Daniel Curtis directly for more information. VTRF requires each merchant to send a photo of every category of merchandise that merchant intends to sell at VRF. For example, if a merchant sells 3 sizes of feathered purses in 15 different colors and flat caps in 25 different prints, that merchant needs to send two photos, one of a purse and one of a cap. Attached to your photos should be a short typewritten description of each item, materials, dimensions and price. If you do not send a picture of an item with your jury packet, you will not be allowed to sell it. Booths- All tents and portable booths must be pre-approved by the festival. You MUST send a photo of your setup. VRF is looking for an attempt at period setups. The modern tents that will not pass the jury process are as follows: Colored plastic dining flys, blue tarp, mesh screen tents, and cabin tents. This list is subject to change. Site- Merchant check-in and set up on site will begin Friday June 30 at 12:00 pm and no earlier. You MUST let us know if you will be leaving your tent/booth set up during the week. The Vermont Renaissance Festival LLC is not responsible for tents, belongings, or merchandise left on the Franklin County Fairgrounds during the week. You must be offsite by 10:00 am July 17. Limited electricity and water will be available on a first come first serve basis. Let us know of your needs in the application.
Camping- Merchants are allowed to camp onsite with their booth on Friday and Saturday nights. Merchants are also allowed to camp onsite midweek provided they let VTRF security and Pacita know. All modern tents in the festival public areas must be taken down before gate opening. There are flush toilets and hot showers onsite. Quiet hours will be enforced. If you are bringing an RV trailer, you must let Daniel Curtis know in advance. Please leave your pets at home. Costumes- All participants are required to be in costume from one half hour before the gate opens to one half hour after the gate closes on Festival days. Participants supply their own preapproved costumes. This includes shoes and accessories. All participants will work to develop a minimum standard in dialect, dress, decorum and booth display. Period containers and utensils must be used while on the festival site. Prohibited items of attire include but are not limited to: Wrist watches, cigarettes, neon colors, bright prints, tennis shoes, modern print bandannas, tiedye, spandex, unnatural hair colors, and extensive visible piercings. A festival costume guide is available to accepted participants. Resume- VRF would like to know a little bit more about our merchants. Let us know what other faires and festivals you have done, other talents that you may have, how long you have been a merchant, etc. If this is your first time merchanting, let us know that too. We offer some great resources for people who are new to renaissance festivals. Tax- All accepted merchants must provide a current Massachusetts sales tax certificate to management. You can get Massachusetts sales tax information by going to http://www.dor.state.ma.us/business/taxguide/salesuse.htm Insurance- All accepted merchants must have liability insurance and provide to management a copy of a current policy. The Vermont Renaissance Festival LLC cannot provide insurance for merchants. Contact/mailing information- Applications can be mailed to: Pacita Prasarn c/o The Vermont Renaissance Festival 122 Westminster Street Bellows Falls, VT 05101 www.vermontfestival.com Tel/fax 802-463-3783 Application check-off list Completed Application Fees (Check made payable to: The Vermont Renaissance Festival) Photocopy of MA tax certificate Photocopy of current Liability insurance policy Signed Merchant Contract Setup/Booth/Cart Photos Merchandise Photos Costume Photo of each participant working at your booth Resume
Vermont Renaissance Festival 2006 Merchant Application 1. Contact Person: 2. Business Name: 3. Mailing Address: 4. City: State: ZIP: 5. Telephone: Day: Evening: 6. Website: 7. Email: 8. I am applying for: 1 st weekend: 2 nd weekend: 3 rd weekend: 9. Category (choose from list above): 10. Booth or Wandering? 11. What are your booth's size/dimensions? 12. Do you need electricity? Water? 13. How many people will work in your booth? 14. What are the legal names of the people working your booth? Promotions Release Form I,, give The Vermont Renaissance Festival permission to use the enclosed photos, videos, and media in their promotions campaign. Signed Date I,, give The Vermont Renaissance Festival permission to link my website,, to The Vermont Renaissance Festival s official website. Signed Date I,, give The Vermont Renaissance Festival permission to use any photos or videotape taken during the event of me, my employees, my setup, or wares in any promotional capacity that the Vermont Renaissance Festival sees fit. Signed Date
Vermont Renaissance Festival 2006 Merchant Contract & Site Rules 1. Merchants must be present for ALL days of show applied for. Failure to do so may result in the cancellation of this contract by management and automatic denial of any future applications. The Festival will run regardless of weather. 2. Merchants may not sell ANY items not included in their application or approved by the Merchant Manager. Violation of this rule may result in the cancellation of this contract by management and automatic denial of any future applications. 3. Merchants must abide by honest and fair business practices with the general public as well as their fellow festival participants. Unprofessional or poor treatment of customers, other vendors, and participants reflects badly on the entire festival and will not be tolerated. 4. The use of alcohol is prohibited during festival hours. Illegal drugs are prohibited from the festival site at all times. ANY weapons, either sold or part of a costume, must be peacebound at all times. All state and federal rules apply. 5. Merchants must be ready for sales at least 30 minutes before opening. Ready for sales is defined as having all participants in approved costume, modern materials (such as camping supplies and back stock) out of public view, and all vehicles out of the festival public site. 6. All participants will be issued a Participant Pass which allows them entry into the festival. These passes must be carried at all times along with a picture ID. The name on the pass must match the one on the ID. Replacement of a lost Participant Pass is subject to a $20.00 fee. 7. Merchants must heed the requests and rules laid down by the Public Safety Manager. These requests and rules may include (but are not limited to) observing quiet hours, keeping paths clear, peacebinding weapons, dangerous behavior, etc. 8. Although VTRF maintains a Public Safety department, ALL participants attend the festival at their own risk. The Vermont Renaissance Festival is not liable for personal injury, loss of property due to theft, fire, accident, or any act of God. 9. VTRF does it s best to ensure that all Merchants have a successful run by providing a pleasant setting in which to do business and a willingness to work with Merchants to help them increase sales. However, as with any business venture, there are always risks and ultimately VTRF cannot be held responsible for the Merchant s sales or lack thereof. There are NO refunds. 10. Merchants may not play recorded or amplified music during festival hours. However, performing, singing, and hawking of wares are highly encouraged. Please be conscious and considerate of those around you and of other performers. 11. No one in costume may smoke in a public area during festival hours. 12. All participants are expected to maintain a certain amount of decorum and proper behavior befitting a family oriented show. Overly lewd, obscene, or indecent behavior is not acceptable. I, the Merchant, have read, understood, and accepted the above contract and rules and will be present on the Festival weekends listed below. I understand that this contract will go into effect upon my acceptance into the Festival and that, should I wish to cancel this contract and receive a refund, I must do so in writing no less than 30 days before the opening of the Festival. Otherwise, there are NO refunds. Signature Date Merchant will participate on the following Festival dates: Return this contract with your application. Please photocopy for you own records.