Vendor Hall FAQ
In an effort to help answer some of our most asked questions, here is an FAQ!
Q. What is the cheapest that I can get a booth for?
A. Good question! The MGC prides itself on making space as affordable as possible for vendors of all sizes! Space starts at just $178 and includes a single, two-day event pass. The $178 covers your application fee ($50) and an 8′ by 8′ plot of empty space in zone 3 ($128).
Q. Wait, application fee? What’s that and why are you doing it?
A. When we get official vendor applications, we ensure a suitable space exists and then save it and give the applicant a period to purchase the space. Before we had a vendor application fee, we would often get inundated with many vendor applications, often having the space appear full and giving truly interested vendors potentially a long wait while those initial applicant offers would expire before we could offer them the space.
Q. But, what if I have questions about vending that might not make me a fit?
A. Then please ask us first by scrolling down any page and typing in the Communicate section below! We’ll get back to you ASAP to help determine if we’re a fit for you!
Q. Is the application fee refundable?
A. The application fee will be refunded if we cannot offer you a place in the Vendor Hall.
Q. Okay, back to that first thing – space includes only a single two-day event pass?
A. For a single booth space, yes. If you have a larger booth, there will be additional badges. Each vendor booth space (8×8 or 10×10) includes one badge. If you need additional badges, we offer additional them for $60 per badge, which is the same price as a standard two-day event ticket. Doing the math on this, a booth spot in Zone 3 effectively only costs an additional $68 beyond what the vendor badge would cost.
Q. Does the event provide staff to watch my booth temporarily?
A. We don’t have personnel available to cover booths for food or potty breaks, unfortunately. We do strongly suggest all vendors have a second person who can help maintain your booth throughout the day.
Q. You’ve said that the vendor badges are two-day badges a few times, what about Friday?
A. On Friday, the Vendor Hall is not open! We call Friday “Preview Night” because we open up the Game Center for people to check out and play games with limits on how many people are there. Friday Preview Night is a separate purchasable ticket.
Q. Awesome! So… the vendor badge gets me into that all, right?
A. Unfortunately, no – we run a hard cap attendance on Friday events, and building it in would force us to raise vendor pricing across the board. We do allow, however, you to add benefits to your badge at their “bundled” price, including Friday Preview and our VIG bundle!
Q. Does being a vendor allow me to walk around the rest of the show on Saturday and Sunday if someone is covering my booth?
A. Absolutely, so long as it is during a time that area would be considered “open” for show reasons. This is generally 10 am close for most halls, although the Game Center opens early on Sunday.
Q. Do any other halls open early?
A. Yes, the Vendor Hall opens at 9 am on Saturday for those who received Very Important Gamer tickets, 9:30 am on Saturday for those who pre-ordered, and the Game Center opens at 9:30 am on Sunday for those who pre-ordered.
Q. This sounds great, how much money do you think I’ll make?!
A. We have NO idea, as it depends largely on your product mix, your pricing strategy, and what attendees are looking for in a given year!
Q. Okay, that’s fair. Do I need to be an official business?
A. You do not! We are happy to provide a place for collectors to sell their excess collections! You do have to fill out all of the same paperwork, however.
Q. Do I have to collect sales taxes on my sales?
A. The most important thing we can say about this is we cannot give tax advice and every situation is different. The best thing to do is to read the Wisconsin Department of Revenue Publication 228 (found here) to find which scenarios apply to you and if you will have to collect sales tax.
Q. I’m not quite sure yet, when do I need to submit a vendor application to get space?
A. Before it sells out! Honestly, it’s extremely difficult for us to know when exactly space will fill. In general, we start to sell out of specific types of space six months in advance, full zones four months in advance, and are generally mostly sold out two months in advance, however, we do our best to open up additional space if and when that occurs.
Q. Cool! This all sounds great. What if I have more questions?
A. Then scroll down just a bit and type them in that “Communicate” section, and we’ll get back to you ASAP!
Hope to see you at the show!