Regular Artists’ Area (Exhibitors)

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

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• Tables include ONE (1) 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).
• Otakuthon has compiled a list of frequently asked questions regarding the Artists' Area and its application process. Click here to access the Artists' Area FAQ.
  

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WHAT'S NEW THIS YEAR?

- Thursday setup from 4:00pm - 9:00pm

- 12,000 sq. ft. expansion to the Exhibition Hall for the Artists' Area

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

1.2. Operating Hours

	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Setup	4:00pm - 9:00pm	8:00 am - 11:00 am	9:00 am - 10:00 am	9:00 am - 10:00 am
Open	-	11:00 am - 8:00 pm	10:00 am - 7:00 pm	10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tear Down	-	8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	7:00 pm - 8:00 pm	5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

1.3. Regular Artist Table Pricing

	Weekend (Fri,Sat,Sun)
Full table (6'x2.5')	$180 CAD

ONE (1) Exhibitor badge is included in the price. Please do not pre-register through the pre-registration system for regular attendees. See below for more information about helpers' or group members' registration. Reservations can be made for a full weekend only.

2. Regular Artists' Area Application

A table includes 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 if 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. (Amateur, professional, student, etc. and you must create your own work.)

B. You must be 18 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. Regular Artists' Area Application Procedure

→ 2/3 of the applications are based on a first-come, first-served basis. The remaining 1/3 will be selected based upon a lottery. This decision has been made due to the increasing number of artist applications.

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

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

→ Only one full table can be reserved

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

The Regular Artists' Area online applications will open on Friday April 21, 2017 at exactly 9:00pm to 11:00pm 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 Regular Artists' Area. Only the first two real (full) names will be retained. Special requests are not guaranteed as we try our best to satisfy everyone.

You will receive a reply from the Artists' Area staff within 48-72 hours with either information on completing the reservation, 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 reservation.

Once you receive your conditional acceptance email, you must send the signed Artist contract (unless stated otherwise), completed registration form 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 Artist contract, registration to someone else will not give him/her a table in the Artists' Area. Only individuals who were sent the Regular Artists' Area Artist contract and have a conditional acceptance email will be allowed to register.

Do not wait until the last minute to send your Artist contract, registration form and payment. No extensions will be provided.

b. Payment

We are offering two different methods of payment. Please read each section carefully as failure to follow the instructions may result in loss of table reservation.

Important: The signed Artist contract, completed registration form 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.

→  Payment via PayPal

Additional instructions on how to send your PayPal payment will be included within your conditional acceptance e-mail.

Artists paying through PayPal agree to the Rules & Regulations of the Artists' Area with their payment.

→ Cash payment in person at the Otakuthon Office 

If you wish to pay in person, you must specify this during application or contact the Artists' Area staff to make changes to your payment method. Completed forms and payments will be accepted on May 20, 2017 from 1pm to 5pm at the Otakuthon Office (5115, avenue Trans Island suite 205, Montreal, Quebec). 

If you request to pay in person and fail to show up without making alternative arrangements, your reservation will be automatically cancelled. If you cannot be present on this date, request to modify your payment type before  May 20, 2017 or make sure to arrange for someone to pay and drop off your form.

c. Cancellation

If you cannot attend Otakuthon or do not wish to keep your table, please contact the Artists' Area staff as soon as possible to make alternative arrangements. Refunds will be issued on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Artists' Area Director. Please note that badges are not refundable and there will be a minimum penalty of 50% of the table's reservation fees. Please be advised that there is an administrative delay for the processing of refunds.

3. Artists' Area Setup

Artists may start setting up their table at 4:00pm on Thursday, 8:00am on Friday and 9:00 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 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 $50 CAD each.

All Artist Group leaders must be 18 years or older. All helpers must be 16 years or older. Full name and date of birth will be asked for each group member during the reservation process (online application form). If any Artist sells mature content, all group members must be 18 years or older.

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:
Badge number (if pre-registered*):
Is the helper a staff member of Otakuthon?
If so, in which department and position?

*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 subject to the Three Strike Rule (see section 2), 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.

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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 2017

1. Allocation of Artist tables

1.1 The Artists' Area staff reserve the right to sell an Artists' table to another Artist on the waitlist should the former Artist fail to claim their table by a certain time deadline on the days of the convention. No-show Artists will have a lesser likelihood of being selected for future years at the Artists' Area.

2. 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.

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

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

2.5. 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.

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

Three Strike Rule

During the convention, all tables must follow the rules and regulations of the exhibition hall. Failure to follow such policies may result in an Artist being removed from the convention premises with no compensation or refund of any fees.

If an Artist or their helpers commit an offense, they will receive a written warning, and will be given a period of time to correct the issue. A second offense will be treated in the same fashion. A third offense will result in the expulsion of the Artist for the following years. An Artists' strikes will be considered for future applications depending on the severity of the offenses.

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. If you are selling on behalf of another artist, signed proof of your agency must be provided to the Artists’ Area staff..

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

3.4. 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.

3.5. Food may not be sold or distributed in the 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. Artists selling 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. 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.

4.2. For regular artist tables, stands and structures fastened above tables must not exceed a height of 5 feet above the table.

4.3. 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.

4.4. 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.

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If you have any questions or feedback about Artists' Area, contact us at artistsarea@otakuthon.com.