Booth Information

Dealer's Room Booths

The Dealers Room will be in the B/C Exhibit Hall of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (DCCC), with access from the loading docks via a roll up door during setup and breakdown. Dealers check-in and badging will be through the entrance located at the corner of 9th and L Streets during operating hours.

Each table in the Dealers Room is actually a 10’x10’ booth with a 6’ draped table and two chairs. Booths or blocks of booths reserved by a dealer will be marked off by 3’ high pipe-and-drape around the sides and back. 

Booths will be available along the walls of the Exhibit Hall, or in islands as shown on the Otakon website. Otakon, Inc. will also offer industry spaces in the Hall to accommodate larger, trade-show quality displays. Further information on industry spaces is available by contacting the Industry Liaison at industry@otakon.org.

Due to limited space and high interest Dealer space will be assigned based on random lottery. Once selected we will try our best to accommodate your location preference. However, it may be necessary to relocate dealers’ areas and we reserve the right to do so.

While Otakon, Inc. does not allow booth spaces to be sublet to another vendor, we do not have a policy barring one or more vendors from sharing a booth space. Should vendor(s) be inclined to do so, approval must be obtained from the Dealers Room Coordinators in writing or via email, and each individual vendor MUST register separately and MUST submit separate Trader’s Licenses upon check-in. Failure to do so may result in removal of all involved vendors from the convention and forfeiture of all registration fees.

Booth Rates The booth rate this year is $1,200 for all booths, with an additional charge $400 for the corner. Dealers may be in a maximum of 2 locations.

 

Booth Rates

Booth Registration

Vendor registration will begin in Feburary of 2020, as always vendor in person at Katsucon will have first pick at location in the Dealer’s Hall.  We will begin processing payments at Katsucon as well.

The booth rate this year is $1,200 for all booths, with an additional charge of $200 for corner booths or $400 for the entire end cap.  Booth limits have been removed, however there is still a maximum of two (2) separate locations per vendor.

Last-Minute Registration

Dealers who sign up after the normal registration deadline (May 31st, 2020) must be aware of the following changes:

• The booth rate will rise from $1,200 to $1,500 per space.
• The dealer must pay for their booth(s) with cash, VISA, MASTERCARD or DISCOVER. NO EXCEPTIONS.
• The dealer must complete District of Columbia Sales Tax ID online form before the convention begins.
• The dealer will be assigned space at the discretion of the Dealer's Room Sales Representative.

 

Updated Lottery Guidelines

The lottery will be conducted as a general pool. All dealer applicants are required to fill out the space request form before entering. The use of agents to apply for several booth assignments has been discontinued. Only dealers with an employee present can participate.

• Each dealer that applies and is accepted will have ONE ENTRY into the lottery pool. Any duplicates will be consolidated into one single entry.
• Any dealer found to be applying under multiple names will be immediately rejected from the lottery pool.
• Your application may be rejected from the lottery pool for the following:
  • No matching request form was submitted.
  • Provided contact information is invalid or out of date.
  • No person is on site to finalize a booth reservation.

 

Reservations/Payment/Contact

To reserve table space, you must fill out the request form on our website. Our Dealer's Room Sales Representative will then contact you with a confirmation or a request for additional information. Once we have confirmed your space is available, you will be sent an email with a link to pay for the space by credit card. Your payment must be made within fifteen (15) days. If payment is not made within that time, your tables may be released.

Payments: We accept VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER, and AMERICAN EXPRESS.

IMPORTANT: Do not attempt payment without receiving a confirmation message; it will not be accepted.

To contact the Dealer's Room Sales Representative, please use the contact form on our website.

 

Artist Alley

Due to increased demand for space in both the Artist Alley and Dealers Room we have had to make a major change concerning our registration process. Started in 2016, anyone who applies for Artist Alley space will have their Dealers Room application automatically rejected. This is regardless of whether or not you are accepted into the Artist Alley.

Double Booking

Exhibiting in both the Artist Alley and Dealer’s Room is strictly prohibited. If you are found exhibiting in both areas, at the same time, you will be evicted from both immediately and may be banned from exhibiting for future years.

• If you are an artist who has been contracted by an exhibitor in the Dealer’s Room, you may still exhibit in the Artist Alley so long as you are not an owner of the company vending or your work does not make up the majority of the items sold by said vendor.
• The resulting merchandise from your partnership may only be displayed and sold at either the vendor's booth in Dealer’s Room or your own Artist Alley booth, but any one piece may not be sold in both locations.

Moving To Dealers Room

If you are an artist who believes they have completely outgrown the Artist Alley, and are not interested in our Unlimited Booth spaces, you may apply to the Dealers Room as a normal exhibitor, providing you have not applied for a space in Artists Alley. Artists who choose to do this will not be allowed to reapply to Artist Alley in future years.

• If you are an artist who has previously attempted to vend in the Dealer’s Room and found you are not quite ready to be there you may be entitled reentry into Artist Alley. In this situation the following must occur.
• You must contact the Artist Alley or Dealer’s Room heads explaining your issue in applying for Dealers Room before the Artist Alley application opens.
• You must prove through sharing your financial information pertaining to the previous year's Otakon that you took a loss.
• The Artist Alley or Dealer’s Room Department Head will share this information with the other Department Head as well as the Head of exhibitions and will come to a decision on whether or not to allow you reentry into Artist Alley.
• If approved, you will be recategorized as an Artist and will be welcome to apply to the Artist Alley during the application process.

 

Dealers Room Hours

Attendees will be allowed access to the Exhibit Hall between opening and closing. We require that you or an associate be present at all times during these hours. These times are subject to change (any changes will be posted to the website). During Dealers only hours Dealers may only or exit through the loading dock doors accessible through public safety.

Convention Day Setup Time

Day	Open	Close	Note
Thursday	8 AM	8 PM	Set Up
Friday	8 AM	Noon	Set Up
	Noon	8 PM	OPEN TO MEMBERS
Saturday	8 AM	10 AM	Set Up
	10 AM	6 PM	OPEN TO MEMBERS
Sunday	8 AM	10 AM	Set Up
	10 AM	3 PM	OPEN TO MEMBERS
	3 PM	8 PM	Break Down

*VEHICLES WILL NOT BE ALLOWED ON THE FLOOR. This includes any set up or break down period.

Breakdown

Sunday 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM All loading to leave the WEWCC must be completed by 8:00 PM.

As a result of additional charges incurred during past conventions because of tardy participants, Otakorp, Inc. has had to institute an incentive for all dealers and industry representatives to vacate the WEWCC within time limits. If a dealer is not out of the WEWCC by 8:00 PM additional charges for cleanup will be incurred by the dealer.

 

Dealer's Room Setup

Before bringing vehicles around for unloading, dealers MUST check in with the Dealer's Room Registration and present their Trader's License and sales tax ID. At that time, badges will be issued and then dealers may unload.

We will be ready to receive incoming dealers starting at 8:00 AM Thursday morning. The loading dock area can be accessed from M Street. Once you are through the WEWCC gates, you will be given directions on how to proceed. The decorating company offers load-in and load-out services onsite to assist in the setup and teardown process for dealers who are shipping merchandise directly to the convention center or arriving in vehicles that must use a loading dock to unload. This service is not included in the exhibitor booth fees and dealers will be billed directly by the decorating company. For more information please consult the decorator's packet.

The loading docks will be open on Thursday and Friday for unloading of vehicles. Please note the time restrictions in the table above and plan to arrive in plenty of time to unload your merchandise. To expedite this process, you may wish to palletize your merchandise or use containers that are easily stackable.

Please note that during set-up hours, the WEWCC does NOT provide air conditioning or full lighting; please keep this in mind when planning your schedule.

Any dealer who can not make it to the convention center to set up promptly must contact the Dealers Room Coordinator before 9AM on FRIDAY. Failure to do this will result in the forfeiture of your booth(s) and all fees associated.

 

Tear Down

Hargrove will drop pallets in the hall after the dealers room closes. When you are packed and ready to load a pallet, please take as many as you need. Hargrove will move your merchandise to your vehicle.

You may also hand carry.

 

Dealer Memberships

Dealers will be supplied with two dealer badges for each booth purchased up to a maximum of 10 badges. Dealer badges will be honored as membership badges during all hours of the convention. Dealer badges must be worn at all times by any person working at a booth. Each person that will be wearing a dealers badge must provide their legal name and address to Dealers Room Staff by Sunday at 10AM. Badges may not be sold, loaned, or otherwise transferred to persons who are not working for you.

Dealer's Room badges may be shared among employees, but the practice of sharing one badge among multiple employees simultaneously is prohibited and could result in the confiscation of badges. Every individual working your booth(s) must wear a badge at all times. You may not under any circumstance resell or collect money for these badges, not even from the employees receiving them. The resale of an Otakon Dealers Badge may result in removal from the convention and forfeiture of all fees.

Because of repeated requests, we will be offering additional dealer badges for purchase at Otakon. If you need additional dealer badges (beyond the two-per-booth that are provided), contact the Dealer's Room Coordinators at the convention. Additional dealer badges are priced at the same rate as the pre-registered member rate.

If you are with a production house, animation/comic studio, or other part of the industry and wish to have more badges for your industry (i.e. non-retail) personnel, please contact our Industry Liaison through our contact form.

 

Booth Configuration

You may configure your booth or block of booths as you see fit, adding additional shelves, taller pipe & drape, kiosks, etc., as long as they do not interfere with other dealers' areas, hang from the ceiling of the room, or violate WEWCC requirements (listed later in this document). The decorating company offers a variety of services and furniture that you may find useful and convenient. Each dealer is responsible for all fees and other costs from the decorator or the WEWCC associated with any dealer special requests. Dealers are welcome and encouraged to bring their own tables and other furniture to save on expenses, but please be considerate of your fellow dealers and keep it within reason and within the restrictions set by the WEWCC.

Electrical and telecommunications hookups for a fee are available through the WEWCC, and other services can be obtained from the decorating company. For more information, please see the Convention Center's Services.

Requirements from the WEWCC

• Decorations, signs, banners, etc. may not be taped, nailed, tacked, stapled, or otherwise fastened to ceilings, walls, painted surfaces, or columns in the WEWCC
• No holes may be drilled, cored, or punched in the facility.
• No sample food and/or beverage products may be distributed by exhibitors except upon written authorization of the WEWCC's exclusive catering contractor, Centerplate.
• Parking in the loading dock, service drives, and the WEWCC's employees' parking area, except for loading and unloading, is prohibited. Violators will be towed at their own expense and risk.
• All freight and exhibit material must enter the facility through designated loading docks. In no case should passenger elevators, escalators, or public lobbies be used for this purpose.
• All fire, safety, and building regulations must be strictly followed. Particular attention should be paid to the prohibitions against propane, acetylene, and other flammable materials.
• Exhibitors are responsible for the removal of all materials at the conclusion of the show.
• The WEWCC prohibits the use of normal tape on their walls and floors. No tape may be used on painted or portable walls. They have listed all approved tapes for the surfaces in the WEWCC. It is the dealer's responsibility to remove any and all tape applied to any surface and pay any damages resulting from the application or removal to the WEWCC.

 

Refund/Cancellation Policy

Should a dealer find they cannot attend Otakon, or need to reduce the number of booths purchased, they may cancel booths by contacting the Dealer's Room Sales Representative at the email or postal address provided earlier in this document to make arrangements. Dealers should also cancel any services they have ordered through the WEWCC, the decorating company, and/or any other service providers.

Dealers will receive a full refund of booth fees for booths cancelled before May 15th, 2020, and a refund of half the booth fee for booths cancelled before July 1st, 2020. After that date, there will be no refund for cancelled booths. Please allow six to eight weeks for Otakorp, Inc. to process your refund.

Dealers who cancel give up any claim or reservation to the cancelled booths, which are returned to the pool of available space at the current booth price.