Last year’s Fair was very successful – our largest attendance ever at over 2000 visitors. Our Fair seems to have struck a chord with knitters and our feedback from you is to just keep on doing what we’re doing – stick to the knitting and a one day show! So, once again, the K-W Knitters’ Guild is pleased to invite you to participate in the Waterloo County Knitters’ Fair on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at Bingemans.
If you did not attend in the last couple of years, please note that Bingemans has a new and improved entrance which begins at the intersection of Lackner and Victoria. A new road was built extending Lackner and Bingemans’ address is now 425 Bingemans Centre Drive. It is much easier to find their entrance now. See our directions page for detailed directions and maps.
The Fair will be held in Marshall Hall and the Ballroom in the Bingemans Conference Centre. As in the past, spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis. You will have easy access through the back loading area, with plenty of parking behind the conference building. Everything is at street level – no stairs or ramps.
Set Up Friday Night
Unless you are located in the area, we strongly suggest you not leave your traveling and set-up until Saturday morning. The Kitchener Waterloo region is growing rapidly and traffic is quite heavy at times if you are coming from the Toronto area. If you need accommodation information, please reference the Kitchener or Waterloo City Web sites.
You may set up your booth on Friday evening, September 9th, 2011, between 6:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Again this year we will be requiring all vendors to leave the room sharply at 9:30 p.m., whether you have finished or not. We suggest you bring sheets to cover your materials as a deterrent against theft. The doors will open again early Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. for setting up, before opening for the public at 9:30. We ask that you please complete your set-up by 9:30 and we must insist that all aisles be completely free by 9:30 for safety reasons and so as not to violate our city permit.
Booth Size & Cost
The Fair is not a profit-making venture. However, we do attempt to balance our expenses with our door receipts and vendor revenue. Fees for booth spaces remain unchanged at $200 per space; but there is a new $25 fee for each additional table requested. (See details in the Welcome Letter). The entrance fee will be increasing to $6 this year.
Each space will be 10’x10’, maximum 3 spaces per vendor. Each space is draped at the back (8’ high) and sides (3’ high) and includes one 8’ table and one chair. The tables are either draped or skirted. We ask that signs not be displayed any higher than your draped backdrop. Electricity (for cash registers) is available at each space. The lighting is quite good but you may bring spotlights if you wish. We do not provide computer lines for direct debit or computers. Bingemans has wireless service, but we are not responsible for its quality or performance.
Fair Promotion
Based on surveys we have conducted of attendees, we have found our most successful marketing techniques include: postcard mailings, yarn store promotions, newsletters, radio advertising, local TV interviews, and Internet exposure. You may not be aware that our volunteers maintain a mailing list of our attendees (based on the ballots they complete) and each year we send prior attendees postcards reminding them of the upcoming Fair. This list has grown steadily to several thousand. We also advertise in several craft newspapers and magazines. However, our postcards (some 15,000 of them) have been an extremely successful and economical way of promoting the Fair. If you have a newsletter that could accommodate a stuffer or insert, please let us know your expected mailing date and the number of cards you would require. We will happily send you an additional supply.
Registration
To request a place at this year’s Fair, please read the Welcome Letter and complete the Vendor Request Form. Make your cheque payable to the K-W Knitters’ Fair, and send your form and payment to Denise Leschak at the address shown on the Request Form. The Welcome Letter and Request Form are in Portable Document File (PDF) format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to print and/or fill them out. You can download Acrobat Reader free here.
Please note that only requests with full payment will be accepted. Please do not post-date your cheque and do not send cash or a money order (as they cannot be easily traced). If you do not receive your confirmation before August 1st, it is very likely we did not receive your Request Form. If you are registered, but unable to attend, a full refund will be provided if we are notified prior to August 1st. No refunds will be issued after that date.
Insurance
If you can’t get affordable insurance this year, it’s not necessary. The KW Knitters’ Guild will provide a 1-day insurance which Vendors can buy into next year.
A Few More Items
- At the 2010 event, both attendees and participating vendors were surveyed for their opinions on spinning equipment and other related non-knitting supplies. Based on the results of the surveys held in 2010, and other feedback we have received, the Fair organizers have decided to allow vendors to have a small amount of spinning and crochet materials available for sale. This material should constitute no more than 25% of your booth space. As always, we welcome beading, buttons, crochet hooks, and other items that are, or can be used, during the knitting process. Since the Fair is organized by knitters, for knitters, with the purpose of promoting knitting within our extended community, the primary focus of your booth should be on knitting.
- We hope to have a Fashion Show again this year and further information will follow.
- If you have a website, please offer a link to us at “http://www.kwknittersguild.ca” and as we approve requests we will update our link for your website and/or email address on our vendors page.
- We also remind all vendors that the show is from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and vendors should not be packing up before 4:30 p.m.
If you have any questions regarding the Waterloo County Knitters’ Fair, please send e-mail to Denise Leschak, the Fair Coordinator, at ac.dliugsrettinkwknull@riafsrettink.