Premium Artists' Area

About Otakuthon

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For general inquiries, please contact the Information Desk at info@otakuthon.com.

For all registration questions, please contact registration@otakuthon.com.

Premium Artists' Area registration is closed as all spaces have been filled.

• *NEW* With Otakuthon 2012 tables now include ONE (1) membership (Exhibitor badge). PLEASE DO NOT PREREGISTER IF YOU WANT TO RESERVE AN ARTIST TABLE!
• Do not preregister if you're an artist helper (see below).

1. Premium Artists' Area Information

The Premium Artists' Area is a space provided for artists who wish to sell and promote their artwork. The area is designed to accomodate artists who are further along in their career. The Premium Artists' Area is separate from the Regular Artists' Area.

1.1. Location

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

1.2. Operating Hours

1.3. Premium 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. Premium Artists' Area Application

Only full tables may be booked in the Premium Artists' Area. A table includes TWO (2) chairs. No additional chairs will be provided or permitted. The use of backdrops or other freestanding structures is allowed as long as they do not interfere with neighbouring areas or traffic in the area and are constructed and presented in a safe manner.

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. Premium 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.

→ You may request any number of tables. One table will be initially granted for each successful application. Additional tables may be granted at a later date, space permitting. Details - including payment information - will be provided at that time. 

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

The Premium Artists' Area online application will open on Thursday April 19, 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 Premium 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 Premium Artists' Area. Only individuals who were sent the Premium 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 - Premium 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 Premium 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. 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 April 28, 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. Premium Artists' Area Setup

Artists may start setting up their table at 11:00 am 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 Helpers

IMPORTANT: All individuals operating behind a table in the Premium 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.

One Exhibitor badge is included in the table reservation price. The helpers' Exhibitor badges can be purchased during the reservation request at a cost of $40 CAD each.

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

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

Full name:
Date of birth:
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 helpers. 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.

Premium Artists' Area - Rules and Regulations 2012

1. Allocation of Premium Artist tables

1.1 Artists' skill level might be evaluated to determine the allocation of premium artists tables in case of high demand.

1.2 Artists must provide visual references of his/her works on demand (eg website, DeviantART, etc.).

2. General Conduct

All Artists must follow the Premium Artists' Area and Otakuthon policies. Please refer to the latter for more information. The following rules will be enforced during the convention.

2.1. Artists may not use or display artwork in areas not assigned to them.

2.2. Artists may not block or interfere with any other Artists, Dealers or Exhibitors.

2.3. A maximum of two persons are allowed behind a full table at all times even if the Artist Group contains more than two members.

2.4. Harassment of or derogatory remarks towards Otakuthon staff members or volunteers will not be tolerated.

2.5. Artists are allowed to eat food within the Premium Artists' Area as long as they keep their space clean.

2.6. 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.

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

3. Merchandise

3.1. You must own the copyright for all artwork sold at your table.

3.2. All merchandise sold must be created entirely by the selling artist or one they represent. If you are selling on behalf of another artist, signed proof of your agency must be presented.

3.3. Manipulated images and/or images copied from official artwork are not permitted.

3.4. Replicas of existing merchandise may not be sold in the Premium Artists' Area. This includes but is not limited to Chobit ears, Naruto headbands, Mokona hats, etc.

3.5. Food may not be sold or distributed in the Premium Artists' Area.

3.6. All materials displayed must be suitable for a general audience (within the guidelines of the PG film rating).

3.7. 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.

3.8. 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.

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

3.10. 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.

4. Displays

4.1. Backdrops and freestanding structures are permitted as long as they do not interfere with neighbouring areas or the traffic inside the Artists' Area. These must be constructed and presented in a safe manner.

4.2. 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.

4.3. No article may be taped or otherwise posted on any walls anywhere in the Palais des congrès de Montréal.

5. Language of Agreement

5.1 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.