Dealer FAQ

Please read through this FAQ to find the URL for the Dealer application form.


General Dealer Questions

1. When is Arisia?

January 17th - 20th, 2014. The convention starts Friday afternoon, and will finish Monday afternoon.

2. Where is Arisia?

The Westin Waterfront Hotel at 425 Summer Street, Boston MA 02210.

. 3. If I have questions, who do I talk to?

Your Dealers Liaisons this year are Ed Trachtenberg and Amy Chused. The best way to reach both of us is to send e-mail to dealers@arisia.org.

4. Is there a Dealers Room this year?

YES!    Please note: There is NO Dealers Row this year.

5. May I share my space with another vendor?

Absolutely. Discuss it with them ahead of time. You will need to mention them on your application form and they will need to mention you on their application form.

6. Tell me about the Dealers Room.

The Dealers Room is an area in a large exhibit space. The space will be shared mainly with the Con Suite.  The Art Show is moving upstairs.  This area will be secured after hours, so that our dealers will be able to set up Thursday afternoon or Friday morning and tear down Monday afternoon, without having to do set-up and tear down during the weekend.

The cost is $100/table. Each table is 6' by 30". Dealers who want more than two tables will have to provide justification for why they need extra tables, and they will be granted on a case-by-case basis. There will be space in the application form for this justification.

We will, also, provide a small number of 10’ X 10 spaces for booths.  Arisia does not provide booth partitioning nor pipe/drape decorating.  These booth spaces will cost $250 for a non-corner booth and $300 for a corner booth.

As always, we are limiting the # of tables to be appropriate for our attendance. We will provide at least one power outlet per dealer, if you ask for it. If you need more than one, please bring power strips and/or extension cords.  Power strips and/or extension cords must be of the grounded variety (3 wire).

The hotel does not have storage areas for boxes or crates, so packing materials will have to go under the table, or back to your vehicles.

The Dealer’s Room will be open for you to start moving in at 2pm on Thursday,  and at 10am on Friday. All day Thursday, and between 10am and 5pm on Friday, people will only be able to get into the Dealers room if they have a Dealers Ribbon. You get your Dealers Ribbons from the Dealers Liaison at the convention.

Proposed Dealers Room Hours are:

  • Friday 5pm-9pm

  • Saturday 9:30am - 6:30pm

  • Sunday 9:30am - 6:30pm

  • Monday 9:30am - 2:30pm

FYI … most programming starts at 10am each day (except Friday) and the Programming Grid operates on 90 minute blocks.


Dealers Room Questions

7. What is the lighting like in the Dealers Room?  

The lighting in the Dealer’s room is not great.  We're trying to get extra lighting placed around the Dealers Room.  However, if you have readily transportable lights, it's probably a very good  idea to bring them along.

8. What is the power situation in the Dealers Room?

If you ask for it, we will make sure that your area has an outlet.  We will have at least one power drop per dealer island/wall-group.  It is recommended that you bring at least one grounded (3 wire) extension cord.  If you need to plug in more than one item, please bring a grounded (3 wire) power strip.  Please bear in mind that you will be sharing power with your neighboring dealers.  

9. Can I get internet in the Dealers Room?

Free internet cannot be guaranteed in the dealer’s room.   If Arisia is able to create a room-wide hot-spot we will notify dealers.  Wired internet is available at  $125/drop.  Reservations for a wired internet connection (if desired) must be made NO LATER THAN December 1, 2013.

10. Can I load into the Dealers Room on Thursday?

Yes. We will have security for the room overnight Thursday night. If you want to load in early, and miss the Friday rush, we would be delighted to have you do so. We will have the Dealers Room open for load-in, and a volunteer to door guard between 2pm and 10pm Thursday. After about 10pm, the room will be closed to setup, and our security will be guarding it.  Please don’t arrive before 2pm on Thursday as we will very probably still be in the process of setting up the room


More Information

11. What is the process for me to vend at Arisia?

  1. Please fill out the application form, including an agreement to pay all applicable associated fees to both Arisia and the hotel, and to abide by Arisia Rules and Regulations. Please feel free to forward the links to the Dealers' FAQ and the Dealers' Application Form to any colleagues that you think would also enjoy vending at Arisia.

  2. Receive confirmation that we have allocated space for you. Do NOT proceed to step 3 (Payment) UNTIL you have received this confirmation.

  3. Payment & Reservations:

    1. Pay your dealers fee ($100/table or $250 per non-corner booth and $300 per corner booth).  If you are selected to be a vendor at Arisia ‘14, payment instructions will be included with  your acceptance letter.

    2. Purchase your needed memberships at http://2014.arisia.org/registration.

    3. Reserve a hotel room (http://2014.arisia.org/hotel).   As the Westin tends to sell out very quickly, you should plan on booking your room as soon as hotel reservations open.

  4. Confirmation:

    1. Receive confirmation from Arisia Dealers Liaisons that we have received your dealers fee.

    2. Receive confirmation from Arisia Registration that they have processed your membership registrations.

12. How much is dealing at Arisia going to cost me?

  • $100 per table / $250 or $300 per booth. If you are sharing a table / booth with another vendor, you will need to decide how that cost will be split.

  • The cost of your lodgings, whether that is at the Arisia hotel, another hotel, or with a nearby friend.

    •  The nightly room rate at the Westin will be $136 for a King (single bed) and $164 for a  Double (two beds).  Tax for the rooms is currently 14.45%  

  • A membership fee for each person who will be with you, paid to Arisia http://2014.arisia.org/registration).

    • This applies to all workers, helpers, children, etc. regardless of whether or not they plan to attend any other Arisia events (except for kids-in-tow, i.e. children that never leave your side).

    • This membership fee goes up the closer we get to the convention, so the sooner you know you are vending, the sooner you can purchase your memberships.

    • All memberships will need to be purchased through Arisia registration.

    • If you have local folk coming to help with set up or break down who are not staying to work or attend the convention please contact dealers@arisia.org ahead of time so that they can make arrangements so that your short-term helpers are not turned away at the door.

  • Your cost for getting you and your stuff to and from Arisia, including tips for hotel staff who move your stuff and parking fees.

  • Your cost for food, and for any other items that you want to purchase at Arisia, especially from your fellow vendors.

  • If you are interested in purchasing an ad in Arisia's Souvenir Book, contact ads@arisia.org.

13. What happens if I need to cancel my reservation?

  • If you must cancel your dealer reservation, notify us as early as possible.

  • Refunds will be given ONLY if we are able to resell your table(s) / booth(s).

  • NO, you cannot resell / sublet your booth yourself. However, if you have a person in mind please let us know who it is and have them fill out the dealer application.

14. Parking

Please see http://2014.arisia.org/parking.

15. Load-In

There is a full-height covered loading dock, with both a freight elevator (up 2 feet) and stairs (up 3 stairs) to the Dealers Room.   There is, also, a street-level freight-only lift available near the loading dock.  Please unload as rapidly as possible and then move your vehicle to allow other vendors to also unload there.

16. Adult Items

Dealers Room is open to the general public and con suite is also open to the general public. FYI, adult items include, but are not limited to, handcuffs, BDSM toys, and any pictures of naked individuals.

If you are selling adult items, you must agree to the following restrictions:

  • It is your responsibility to ensure that children do not have access to any adult items. This can be done by checking ID before allowing patrons to look in an enclosed box or area.

  • If we hear or see that you have adult items which are easily visible to children, you will receive one warning (since your definition of adult items may be less strict than some of our attendees), and will be expected to rectify the situation immediately after receiving your warning.

  • If you require a second warning, Arisia reserves the right to either mandate _how_ you rectify the situation, or to close your shop.

17. When I get to Arisia, what procedure should I follow?

In no particular order, you will need to:

  • Unload and then park your car.  Please remove your vehicle from the loading dock area before you begin to set up your space.

  • Check in at the registration desk and pick up your badges. One person may pick up the badges for the entire group, provided they have IDs from the other members of the group.

  • Check in at the hotel desk and get your hotel keys if you are staying at the Westin.

  • Find your Dealers Liaison, let us know you are here, get answers to any burning dealers liaison questions, and collect your dealers ribbons.

18. Why are you asking ....

  • Membership information, if you aren't selling us our memberships?

    • So that we can estimate how many Dealers Ribbons we need, and so that we can check the names you give against our registration database to make sure you registered (we may sell out the convention, so it's best to make sure you buy your memberships early).

  • Whether we will be open for vending on Monday?

    • This is a four day convention, and we do NOT want the Dealers Room looking deserted on Monday morning. Therefore, dealers who plan to pack up Sunday, or early Monday before opening will be placed LAST to get tables and rooms, and may not get a spot.

  • For us both to check off what we sell and describe what we sell?

    • The description will be used for deciding between applications if we have more applications than spots e.g . "Both of these folks checked Jewelry, but this one has a cooler description, so they're in.", and in a modified shortened form, if we have space in the program book, as a short description below your vendor name.

    • The description and the check boxes will be used so we can avoid putting similar dealers next to each other (except for dealers selling adult items).

19. What laws and rules do I need to be concerned about?

  • You are responsible for observing copyright and tax laws.

    • ALL vendors are required to have a MA Sales Tax number in order to vend at Arisia as we are required to submit a list of vendors and their tax numbers to the State.

    • This rule applies whether your business is a MA based business or an out-of-state business.  It also applies even if you are selling only items that are tax exempt.

  • If you are an out-of-state vendor you should read: A Guide to Sales and Use Taxes (you'll need Adobe Acrobat to read it). For more information on Massachusetts taxes, see the Department of Revenue web site or call: (617) 887-MDOR (or in state: (800) 392-6089).

  • To find out what weapons are not legal to carry in Massachusetts see Mass. General Laws Chapter 269, Section 10 (search for paragraph (b) in the middle). Basically if it is more dangerous than a Koosh Ball(TM), then it's probably illegal. Some of the things banned by the state are: any knife having a double-edged blade, dirk knife, any armband made with leather which has metallic spikes, nunchaku, ....

  • The hotel contract says that bumper stickers and any other sort of sticker may not be distributed at the convention, so no free stickers advertising your business.

20. Where is the Dealers Application Form?

The URL is: http://2014.arisia.org/DealerQuestionnaire