Frequently Asked Questions
About The Fair
- What is unique about this fair?
- What happens to any profits?
- How many attendees do you expect?
- Will there be food available to exhibitors?
- Where will demonstrations be held?
- How will you advertise?
- Why don't you do this fair every year?
- Will there be a way to get an Internet connection?
About Participating
- How does the town's involvement affect the fair?
- Can we sign up for just one day?
- Are groups that teach meditation or Eastern philosophy permitted if they are not a religion?
- How about the sale of products?
- Why do you exclude MLM products, many have health benefits?
- Why the extra fee for those selling products?
- Can we charge for giving massages or doing energy work?
- Can we request a certain booth?
- How late can we wait to sign up for a booth?
- If you get more requests than you have booths how will you determine who gets spots?
- How will you determine who gets workshops?
About The Fair
What is unique about this fair?
This fair is a partnership between the Town of Vernon and the holistic health community to educate the general public about the benefits of alternative and complementary options, what the different modalities offer and where to find them in our region. From the practitioners viewpoint it is an opportunity to reach a fresh audience.
Proceeds go to the Vernon Youth Services Bureau, an agency of the town, for its programs. In the past this has included tuition for after school programs and summer programs, providing food baskets for needy families, supporting tuition for summer school, and supporting case management services for middle school aged youth.
How many attendees do you expect?
This is the one variable we can't control. As this is our fifth fair we have a good idea of where our advertising is most effective. We have experimented with different times of the year and late March seems to work the best as spring sports have not really started, and the likelihood of a snow storm is low. We're also a few weeks before the Easter and Passover holidays. At the last fair we were delighted to have about 1,000 attendees including our exhibitors. This year we have added a second day to the fair so expect an overall larger turnout.
Will there be food available to exhibitors?
This year food vendors will be located in trucks outside the school. They can provide hot food as well as sandwiches and beverages. Exhibitors in the school may provide wrapped food. There should also be free water available inside the buildings.
Where will demonstrations be held?
Most demonstrations will be held in the classrooms. Drum circles will be held in the auditorium.
For the last fair our 10 large 8'x10' signs at key sites around Vernon drew the most attention, followed by email campaigns. We advertised in The Door Opener, Natural Nutmeg and Natural Awakenings as well as area Reminders covering Vernon, Manchester and Tolland and which are delivered to every household. We also have Conscious CT available.
Why don't you do this fair every year?
Since all money raised goes to the Vernon Youth Services Bureau those of us putting it on are all volunteers. A fair of this size takes a lot of work. We need a year off to recover.
Will there be a way to get an Internet connection?
No Internet service available in the cafeteria or gym.
About Participating
How does the town's involvement affect the fair?
The town asks us to keep our focus on health; thus no readers or church groups. In return we have free use of the school, access to town property for advertising signs, and the school helps us publicize the event to parents of students. This helps us keep our expenses low which we can pass on to exhibitors and attendees.
Can we sign up for just one day?
Yes, you can request a booth for either Saturday or Sunday. Preference will be given to those taking both days, but we expect to have a number of one day requests.
Are groups that teach meditation or Eastern philosophy permitted if they are not a religion?
Generally no if there is any appearance of a religious connection.
How about the sale of products?
We include a number of vendors and artists to add interest and many practitioners also sell products associated with their work. The only prohibitions are items that are religious in nature or include religious icons or are multi-level marketing (MLM)/network marketing products.
Why do you exclude MLM products; many of these have health benefits?
At our first fair we had a bad experience with a practitioner who brought along people from a MLM product. They were extremely aggressive annoying attendees. We want our attendees to have a pleasant experience and be comfortable exploring things that may be new to them. Our priority is to our guests, not those who are marketing products and most problems come from people more interested in building their down lines than in than in education.
Why the extra fee for those selling products?
Again the focus is on educating the public about health options so we want to encourage practitioners to participate and offer them a lower fee.
Can we charge for giving massages or doing energy work?
Yes, you have the option to charge for these services. If you do please post the costs clearly so there is no misunderstanding as some practitioners will be offering free demonstrations.
Can we request a certain booth?
Only if you are a Sponsor. We'll consider your request, but placement will depend on electricity needs and balancing types of exhibits. Preference will be given those attending for both days.
How late can we wait to sign up for a booth?
At our last fair we sold out by the end of January and had a lengthy waiting list after that. Some exhibitors dropped out and we found a few more spaces, so we could accommodate many on the waiting list. Because the last fair was so well attended and there seem to be fewer large events there has already been a lot of interest in reserving spots. We expect we'll be sold out by the end of January, so don't put it off if you are interested.
If you get more requests than you have booths how will you determine who gets spots?
Preference will be given to regional practitioners and vendors, 2 day exhibitors and we'll look for a balance of practitioners, vendors and artists.
How will you determine who gets workshops?
There are always more requests than we have spots so do get your request in by January 14. The focus is on education, so promotion of products will not be favored. Again we'll look for a balance of interesting topics and will show some preference to regional practitioners.
