Frequently Asked Questions
About The Fair
- What is unique about this fair?
- What happens to proceeds?
- How many attendees do you expect?
- Will there be food available?
- Where will demonstrations be held?
- Where there be an Author’s Table?
- 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 brew tea at our booth?
- 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 and summer programs, summer employment for youths, 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. This is our twelvth fair so we have a good idea of where our advertising is most effective. We have experimented with different times of the year and late March or early April (depending on when Easter falls) seems to work the best as spring sports have not really started, and the likelihood of a snow storm is low. At our 2013 fair we were delighted to have about 800 attendees each day or 1,700 for the weekend including our exhibitors.
We typically feature Monet’s Table, who will be set up in the “small gym” room at the back of the large gym. There is plenty of room for tables and a place to rest and relax. The location also helps draw attendees to the gym.
Where will workshops and demonstrations be held?
The workshops this year will be on the stage in the auditorium.
How will you advertise?
For the last fair our 7 large 8’x10′ signs at key sites around Vernon drew the most attention, followed by email campaigns. We advertised in The Door Opener and Natural Nutmeg as well as area Reminders covering Vernon, Manchester and Tolland and which are delivered to every household. This year we’ll add small street signs as they have become popular and seem to be effective. We also have a Facebook Page and will be utilizing the Town of Vernon’s Facebook page as well.
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?
This year wi-fi should be available.
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 and access to town property for advertising signs. This helps us keep our expenses low which we can pass on to exhibitors and attendees.
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 education.
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.
The Vernon Health Department requires that you have a license to serve tea or any other food or beverage prepared at your booth. Wrapped food items are acceptable. For information contact Alan Slobodien.
Can we request a certain booth?
Only if you are a Sponsor. Otherwise 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?
The deadline for our 2025 Fest is March 1, 2025, unless we have sold out. You can get onto a waiting list, but we make no guarantees that someone will drop off and a space will become available.
