Artists’ Area

1. Artists' Area Information

The Artists' Area is a space provided for artists who wish to sell and promote their artwork, as well as draw new works on commission.

1.1. Location

The Artists' Area can be found in the Exhibition Hall (room 220DE), along with the Premium Artists' Area, Dealers' Area, and Exhibitors.

1.2. Operating Hours

1.3. Artist Table Pricing

*NEW* With Otakuthon 2012 tables now include ONE (1) membership (Exhibitor badge). Reservations can be made only for full weekend tables. You may have up to TWO (2) helpers; see below for more information.

2. Artists' Area Application

Artists' Area regular tables can be booked by 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 5 feet in height. If your presentation requires a backdrop, a freestanding structure and/or a structure that exceeds 5 feet in height above the table, please apply for a Premium Artist Table.

2.1. Application Conditions

A. You must be an artist.

B. You must be 14 years of age or older.

C. An exhibitor badge will be assigned with your table registration. Please do not preregister through the regular registration system.

2.2. Application Rules

A. Artists' Area Application Procedure

→ Applications are based on a first-come, first-served basis.

→ You must fulfill all conditions in Section 2.1 to apply for a table. If not, your application will be refused.

→ Tables must be booked directly by the person who will use the space. You may not apply in the place of another individual.

→ Up to one full table can be reserved.

→ The person booking the table will be responsible for the reserved area.

The Artists' Area online application will open on Thursday April 26, 2012 at exactly 9:00pm UTC-4/EST DST (Montreal, Quebec, Canada - Daylight Saving Time).

Any applications received prior to this date and time will be ignored.

*Please use the "Additional info" field to mention any added information or special requests such as being seated next to another artist in the Artists' Area. Only the first two real (full) names will be retained.

You will receive a reply from the Artists' Area Director within 48 hours with either the registration contract or a notice stating that you have been placed on a waiting list. Do not send repeat emails or messages asking if your registration was received; this will only slow down the process for everyone.

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 and will be given to the next applicant on the waiting list.

Giving a copy of the registration contract to anyone else will not give them a table 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
215-5139 DÉCARIE BLVD
MONTRÉAL QC
CANADA H3W 3C2

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 with their 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 the Otakuthon Office on April 28, 2012 or May 5, 2012. If you wish to pay in person, you must specify this during application or contact the Artists' Area Director to make changes to your payment method. Completed forms and payments will be accepted at the Otakuthon Office (5139 Decarie Boulevard, Suite 215, Montreal, Qc).

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 May 5, 2012 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' Area 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' Area Director. There will be a minimum penalty of 50% of the registration fees.

3. Artists' Area Setup

Artists may start setting up their table at 1:00 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 (including after the area has closed).

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 EXHIBITOR BADGE; this includes helpers. Only individuals with an Exhibitor Badge will be allowed inside the Artists' Area in order to limit traffic. Artists' Area 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.

The leader already has an Exhibitor badge included in the table reservation price. The helpers/members' Exhibitor badges can be purchased during the reservation request at a cost of $40 CAD each.

All group members must be 14 years or older. Full name and date of birth will be asked for each group member during the reservation request (online application form).

If you wish to add someone to your Artist Group after you have already registered for a table, please email the Artists' Area Director with the following information:

Full name:
Date of birth:
Group leader:
Badge number (if pre-registered*):

*Note: In this case, we will change the Regular badge to an Exhibitor badge in our system. No extra fee, but no refund of any difference if you paid a higher price.

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/her 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 Exhibitor 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.

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' Area 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.

Artists' Area - Rules and Regulations 2012

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 Artists, Dealers or Exhibitors.

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 of 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.

1.7. Any and all unsafe or dangerous setups or behaviour will be addressed by Artists' Area staff.

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. The artist who sell adult materials must also be of age 18 and above.

2.10. If you are uncertain if something is acceptable, ask.

The acceptability of materials is at the discretion of the Artists' Area 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, you may consider applying for a Premium Artist Table.

3.2. For regular artist tables, stands and structures fastened above tables must not exceed a height of 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.

4. Language of Agreement

4.1 All parties hereby acknowledge that they have required this agreement and all related documents to be drawn up in the English language. If there are any discrepancies between the French and English versions, the English version will prevail. Toutes les parties reconnaissent avoir demandé que le présent contrat ainsi que les documents qui s'y rattachent soient rédigés en langue anglaise. S'il existait toute incompatibilité entre les versions française et anglaise, la version anglaise prévaudrait.