Frequently Asked Questions
About The Fair
- What is unique about this fair?
- What happens to any profits?
- How many attendees do you expect?
- Will there be food available to exhibitors?
- Where will demonstrations be held?
- Will there be a separate art show?
- Finding the gym exhibition area and workshops has been a problem, will this be addressed?
- At the last fair parking became a problem, can something be done?
- How will you advertise?
- Why don't you do this fair every year?
- Will there be a way to get an Internet connection?
About Participating
- How does the town's involvement affect the fair?
- Are groups that teach meditation or Eastern philosophy permitted if they are not a religion?
- How about the sale of products?
- Why do you exclude MLM products, many have health benefits?
- Why the extra fee for those selling products?
- Can we charge for giving massages or doing energy work?
- Can we request a certain booth?
- How late can we wait to sign up for a booth?
- If you get more requests than you have booths how will you determine who gets spots?
- How will you determine who gets workshops?
About The Fair
What is unique about this fair?
This fair is a partnership between the Town of Vernon and the holistic health community to educate the general public about the benefits of alternative and complementary options, what the different modalities offer and where to find them in our region. From the practitioners viewpoint it is an opportunity to reach a fresh audience.
Any profits go to the Vernon Youth Services Bureau, an agency of the town, for its programs. In the past this has included tuition for after school programs and summer programs, providing food baskets for needy families, supporting tuition for summer school, and supporting case management services for middle school aged youth.
How many attendees do you expect?
This is the one variable we can't control. As this is our fourth fair we have a good idea of where our advertising is most effective. We have experimented with different times of the year and late March seems to work the best as spring sports have not really started, and the likelihood of a snow storm is low. We're also a few weeks before the Easter and Passover holidays. At the last fair we were delighted to have about 800 attendees including our exhibitors. We will plan for this number again.
Will there be food available to exhibitors?
Since we are in a school there are health regulations that prevent us from offering on site prepared food. Some vendors may have baked goods available. For attendees we provide a list of area restaurants. For exhibitors we offer boxed lunches with sandwiches and sides for $8 from Charlie's as we have in the past and we will provide water. The meals will be delivered to your booth, but there will also be a break area in the Teacher's Lounge if you would like to rest for a bit. We'll provide sandwich options later for those who sign up.
Where will demonstrations be held?
At our previous fairs we have held Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates and drumming demonstrations in one quarter of the gym. As we have grown this has become a problem as the exhibitors and demonstrators interfere with each others activities. This year the drum circle, which is done at the end of the day at 4:00 p.m., will be held in the auditorium so as not to disturb exhibitors. The other demonstrations will be held in classrooms with the other workshops. We will try to find a larger room for them where we can open the space for movement.
Will there be a separate art show?
This year artists will likely be integrated with other exhibitors. We considered separating the artists at our last fair, but there wasn't enough interest from the art community.
Finding the gym exhibition area and workshops has been a problem, will this be addressed?
Yes, this has been an ongoing challenge. We'll have new signs and more volunteers directing people. Same is true for locating the workshop area.
At the last fair parking became a problem? Can something be done?
We recognize the problem and should be able to secure an overflow lot. It will also help if exhibitors move their vehicles away from the building after unloading.
For the last fair our 10 large 8'x10' signs at key sites around Vernon drew the most attention, followed by email campaigns, and notices sent to parents through the schools. We also advertised in The Door Opener plus area Horizons and Reminders covering Vernon, Manchester and Tolland and which are delivered to every household.. This year we also have Conscious CT available and will work with the newer Hartford County holistic publications.
Why don't you do this fair every year?
Since all money raised goes to the Vernon Youth Services Bureau those of us putting it on are all volunteers. A fair of this size takes a lot of work. We need a year off to recover.
Will there be a way to get an Internet connection?
No Internet service available in the cafeteria or gym.
About Participating
How does the town's involvement affect the fair?
The town asks us to keep our focus on health; thus no readers or church groups. In return we have free use of the school, access to town property for advertising signs, and the school helps us publicize the event to parents of students. This helps us keep our expenses low which we can pass on to exhibitors and attendees.
Are groups that teach meditation or Eastern philosophy permitted if they are not a religion?
Since there is so much variation in groups we'll handle it on a case by case basis. Certainly meditation and Yoga are acceptable, but the sale of books and products that could be perceived to be of a religious nature are not. Recruitment would also be discouraged.
How about the sale of products?
We include a number of vendors and artists to add interest and many practitioners also sell products associated with their work. The only prohibitions are items that are religious in nature or include religious icons or are multi-level marketing (MLM)/network marketing products.
Why do you exclude MLM products; many of these have health benefits?
At our first fair we had a bad experience with a practitioner who brought along people from a MLM product. They were extremely aggressive annoying attendees. We want our attendees to have a pleasant experience and be comfortable exploring things that may be new to them. Our priority is to our guests, not those who are marketing products and most problems come from people more interested in building their down lines than in than in education.
Why the extra fee for those selling products?
Again the focus is on educating the public about health options so we want to encourage practitioners to participate and offer them a lower fee.
Can we charge for giving massages or doing energy work?
Yes, you have the option to charge for these services. If you do please post the costs clearly so there is no misunderstanding as some practitioners will be offering free demonstrations.
Can we request a certain booth?
Only if you are a Sponsor. We'll consider your request but placement will depend on electricity needs and balancing types of exhibits.
How late can we wait to sign up for a booth?
At our last fair we sold out by the end of January and had a lengthy waiting list after that. Some exhibitors dropped out and we found a few more spaces, so we could accommodate many on the waiting list. Because the last fair was so well attended and there seem to be fewer large events there has already been a lot of interest in reserving spots. We expect we'll be sold out by the January 16 preliminary deadline, so don't put it off if you are interested.
If you get more requests than you have booths how will you determine who gets spots?
Preference will be given to regional practitioners and vendors and we'll look for a balance of practitioners, vendors and artists.
How will you determine who gets workshops?
There are always more requests than we have spots so do get your request in by January 16. The focus is on education, so promotion of products will not be favored. Again we'll look for a balance of interesting topics and will show some preference to regional practitioners. There is no specific theme this year.
