Artists’ Area
About Otakuthon
<< Less
For general inquiries, please contact the Information Desk at info@otakuthon.com.
For all registration questions, please contact registration@otakuthon.com. Pre-registration is closed but weekend and single day badges can be obtained on site during the convention.
Our Partners
NOTE: Artists' Area registration is closed. Sadly, all spaces have been filled.
1. Artists' Area Information
The Artists' Area is a space provided for amateur artists (hobbyist who produces artwork or crafts in a non-professional context) who wish to sell and promote their artwork, as well as draw new works on commission. If you are a professional artist and plan to sell items you produce to earn a living, you qualify as an Artisan - please contact artisan@otakuthon.com. If you are a merchant and plan to sell official merchandise, you qualify as a Dealer - please contact dealers@otakuthon.com.
1.1. Location
The Artists' Area can be found in the Exhibition Hall (room 220DE), along with the Artisans' Space, Dealers' Area, and Exhibitors.
1.2. Operating Hours
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| Setup | 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm | 8:00 am - 10:00 am | 8:00 am - 10:00 am |
| Open | 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm | 10:00 am - 7:00 pm | 10:00 am - 5:00 pm |
| Tear Down | 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm |
1.3. Artist Table Pricing
| Weekend (Fri,Sat,Sun) |
Friday & Saturday | Sunday-only | |
| Half table (3'x2.5') | $35 CAD | $25 CAD | $15 CAD |
| Full table (6'x2.5') | $60 CAD | $40 CAD | $30 CAD |
2. Artists' Area Application
Artists' Area tables can be booked by amateur artists in half and full denominations. Half-tables include ONE (1) chair while full tables include TWO (2) chairs. No additional chairs will be provided or permitted. Additionally, the use of backdrops or other freestanding structures is prohibited. Structures which can rest on or be secured to the table via clamps may be used providing that they are stable and do not exceed 4.5 feet in height. If your presentation requires a backdrop, a freestanding structure and/or a structure that exceeds 4.5 feet in height above the table, please apply to the Artisans' Space.
2.1. Conditions
A. You MUST be pre-registered with a valid badge number.*
B. You must be 14 years of age or older.
C. You must be an amateur artist.
*A valid badge number is obtained after a registration has been finalized, paid, and processed in the online registration system by the Registration Department. Please note that it may take up to 1-2 weeks for Registration to process payments. Contact registration@otakuthon.com if you are having difficulties.
CAUTION: Applicants who do not have a valid badge number will see their application refused. NO EXCEPTIONS will be made. Make sure that you have a VALID BADGE NUMBER on the registration site BEFORE THE ARTISTS' AREA APPLICATION PERIOD BEGINS.
2.2. Rules
A. Artists' Area Application Procedure
→ NEW SYSTEM: Applications are now web-based on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here for registration for the Artists Area!
→ You must fulfill all conditions in Section 2.1 to apply for a table. If not, your application will be refused. No exceptions will be made.
→ Tables must be booked directly by the person who will use the space. You may not apply in the place of another individual.
→ The person booking the space will be responsible for the reserved area.
Artists' Area applications will open on Thursday June 23, 2011 at exactly 9:00pm UTC-4/EST DST (Montreal, Quebec, Canada - Daylight Saving Time).
B. Conditional Acceptance, Registration, and Payment
a. Conditional Acceptance and Registration
NOTE: A Conditional Acceptance does not guarantee a table. You must complete the following steps in order to retain your space.
Once you receive your conditional acceptance email, you must send your COMPLETED REGISTRATION CONTRACT (unless stated otherwise) and PAYMENT to Otakuthon. Your required items must be received WITHIN TEN (10) BUSINESS DAYS or your registration will be considered void.
Giving a copy of the registration contract to anyone else will not give them a space in the Artists' Area. Only individuals who were sent the Artists' Area registration contract and have a conditional acceptance email will be allowed to register.
DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO SEND YOUR REGISTRATION CONTRACT AND PAYMENT. NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE PROVIDED.
b. Payment
We are offering three different modes of payment. Please read each section carefully as failure to follow the instructions may result in loss of table reservation.
IMPORTANT: Your registration contract (if paying by mail or in person) and payment must be RECEIVED within ten (10) business days starting from the conditional acceptance email date unless stated otherwise. If your required items are not received, you will lose your table reservation.
→ Sending form and payment via regular mail
Please send the completed registration contract and payment (cheque or money order made payable to "Otakuthon") to:
Otakuthon - Artists' Area
P.O Box 46529
Boulevard Saint-Jean
Pierrefonds, Québec
Canada H9H 5G9
Please write the address EXACTLY as indicated. Otakuthon will not be held responsible for lost or misdirected letter mail, and you will not get any extensions if your mail is returned to sender.
DO NOT SEND CASH. Otakuthon will not be held responsible for any lost or stolen cash sent via the postal system.
Any NSF cheque will be subject to a 30$ handling fee.
→ Payment via PayPal
Additional instructions on how to send your PayPal payment will be included with your conditional acceptance.
Artists paying through PayPal agree to the Rules & Regulations of the Artists' Area through acceptance of payment.
You will be asked to sign a printed copy of the registration contract on your arrival at the convention.
→ Cash payment in person at Otaku Anime (on Saturday, July 2, 2011 ONLY)
If you wish to pay in person, you must specify this during application or contact the Artists Director to make changes to your payment method. Completed forms and payments will be accepted at the Otaku Anime club office (2020 Mackay, Room P-106, Montreal, QC, Canada) on SATURDAY, July 2, 2011 ONLY.
Your payment must be RECEIVED ON JULY 2, 2011 at the Otaku Anime office. ARTISTS' AREA IN PERSON PAYMENT MAY ONLY BE MADE ON THIS DATE. NOTE THAT THERE WILL NOT BE OTHER OFFICE PAYMENT DATES. If you request to pay in person and fail to show up without making alternate arrangements, your reservation will be automatically cancelled. If you cannot be present on this date, request to modify your payment type before July 2, 2011 or make sure to arrange for someone to pay and drop off your form.
c. Cancellation
In the event that you cannot attend Otakuthon or do not wish to keep your table, please contact the Artists Director as soon as possible to make alternate arrangements. Refunds will be issued on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Artists Director. Please note that the longer it takes for you to inform us of your inability to attend, the less likely you are to get a refund.
3. Artists' Area Setup
Artists may start setting up their table(s) at 2:00 pm on Friday and 8:00 am on Saturday and Sunday. You will not be allowed inside the Exhibition Hall if you show up earlier than this time.
Please do not leave any valuables unattended on location (this includes closing time). Otakuthon will not be held responsible for any lost valuables or stock.
Please note that the Palais des congrès de Montréal's cleaning staff will be inside the Exhibition Hall after closing. Security guards will monitor the Exhibition Hall overnight during the cleaning on Friday and Saturday.
4. Artist Group & Helpers
IMPORTANT: All individuals operating behind a table in the Artists' Area MUST be registered with an ARTIST BADGE; this includes helpers. Only individuals with an Artist Badge will be allowed inside the Artists' Area in order to limit traffic. Exhibition Hall staff will not accommodate anyone else.
Artists who wish to sign up together may register as an Artist Group. An Artist Group is limited to a maximum of THREE (3) artists: one (1) leader and two (2) members.
All members of the Artist Group must be preregistered with a valid badge number. If the Group leader does not have a valid preregistration, his/her entire group will be refused. If a Group member does not have a valid preregistration, only his/her request will be refused.
If you wish to add someone to your Artist Group after you have already registered for a table, please email these fields to the Artists Director with the correct information (you will not be able to add an artist or helper if they did not preregister or failed to complete their preregistration once preregistration has ended):
Full name:
Badge number:
Date of birth:
The Artist Group leader is responsible for his/her group. If a group member commits an infraction, the Artist Group leader will be held accountable and may be removed from the Artists' Area with his group without compensation or refund.
If you wish to have someone watch your table (i.e. helpers), they must be signed up in your Artist Group. Only staff and members with an Artist Badge may operate behind a table in the Artists' Area. A group may not exceed three (3) members in total. A maximum of two people may operate a full table at any given time.
Artists' Area - Rules and Regulations 2011
The following lists the Rules & Regulations that will be enforced during the convention. Register only if you will abide by all rules.
Any Artist/participant found in violation of the Artists' Area rules may be removed from the Exhibition Hall without compensation or refund.
If you encounter anyone breaking the rules, we encourage you to report it to the Artists Director or Exhibition Hall staff immediately. Do not deal with it yourself; we will do our best to resolve the matter as soon as possible.
1. General Conduct
All Artists must follow the Artists' Area and Otakuthon policies. Please refer to the latter for more information. The following rules will be enforced during the convention.
1.1. Artists may not use or display artwork in areas not assigned to them.
1.2. Artists may not block or interfere with any other Artist, Artisan, Dealer, or Exhibitor.
1.3. A maximum of two persons are allowed behind a full table at all times even if the Artist Group contains more than two members.
1.4. Harassment or derogatory remarks towards Otakuthon staff members or volunteers will not be tolerated.
1.5. Artists are allowed to eat food within the Artists' Area as long as they keep their space clean.
1.6. Please keep your area clean. Any allocated spaces found to be excessively dirty at the end of the convention will have the cleaning charges billed back to the respective participants.
2. Merchandise
2.1. You must own the copyright for all artwork sold at your table.
2.2. All merchandise sold must be created entirely by the selling Artist.
2.3. Manipulated images and/or images copied from official artwork are not permitted.
2.4. Replicas of existing merchandise may not be sold in the Artists' Area. This includes but is not limited to Chobit ears, Naruto headbands, Mokona hats, etc.
2.5. Food may not be sold or distributed in the Artists' Area.
2.6. All materials displayed must be suitable for a general audience (within the guidelines of the PG film rating).
2.7. Materials depicting nudity or sexual acts or other forms of adult material are permitted but must not be displayed unless they are covered sufficiently or hidden from the view of minors. This includes but is not limited to prints, commissions, pins, buttons, and crafts.
2.8. Adult materials may only be shown and sold to individuals of age 18 and above who show proof of age through photo identification. IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE TO SHOW PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL TO MINORS.
2.9. If you are uncertain if something is acceptable, ask.
The acceptability of materials is at the discretion of the Artists Director who may request the removal of any offending pieces.
3. Displays
3.1. The use of backdrops and freestanding structures is not permitted. If your merchandise requires these stands, please register in the Artisans' Space: artisan@otakuthon.com.
3.2. Stands and structures fastened above tables may not exceed a height of 4.5 feet above the table.
3.3. You may only use the space assigned to you; you may not borrow other spaces or chairs which are not assigned to you even if they are not in use.
3.4. No article may be taped or otherwise posted on any walls anywhere in the Palais des congrès de Montréal.
If you have questions and/or concerns in regards to the Artists' Area, please email the Artists' Area director at artistsarea@otakuthon.com.