Dealer’s may not adopt or annex any tables or chairs that have been abandoned. Violators will be charged by Shepard for the at show rate for all items they did not pay for.
Items that MAY NOT be sold in the Dealers Room include:
Any violation will come with a warning, at which time you will be asked to remove the offending merchandise from the Dealer's Room. The Dealer's Room Coordinators reserves the right to request the removal of any item that he/she believes to be of questionable nature from the dealer's table until its authenticity can be verified.
AI Generated Artwork (artwork generated via the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning or similar algorithms) is strictly prohibited at Otakon and will be considered a form of bootleg/counterfeit merchandise. Anyone found selling or promoting AI Generated art will be removed from the Dealers Room and may be banned from future Otakorp events.
Otakon Dealers Room's goal is to foster creativity in all forms and media. In recent years we have noticed an increase in 3rd party resource accessibility through the forms of digital pattern making, embroidery files (such as In The Hoop plush patterns), silicone molds for casting and 3D printing files. While we are happy to see this increased accessibility we must also work to encourage artists and creators to use these resources to enhance their own creative designs and not solely reproduce the original creator’s designs.
Failure to comply, or a subsequent violation, is cause for removal from the convention and forfeiture of all fees.
Items that MAY be sold in the Dealers Room include:
* We remind you that it is your responsibility to determine whether you are in compliance with various intellectual property laws and statutes.
Otakon is a family event; therefore we ask that exhibitors, particularly those with adult merchandise, please keep this in mind when setting up. The acceptability of displays of adult material is at the sole discretion of the Dealer's Room Coordinators; failure to comply with warnings may result in removal from the Dealer's Room and forfeiture of all fees.
Any materials that are sexually explicit, extremely graphically violent, or otherwise unsuitable for children MUST be displayed in a manner that keeps kids from seeing them. If we see it out in the open, or receive complaints, we will remind you about our adult materials policy ONCE. If you sell inappropriate materials to minors, we will evict you.
Otakorp, Inc. neither condones nor prohibits sales of weapons. However, attendees must comply with the weapons policy posted on our website, which prohibits them from carrying live steel, functional guns, or other dangerous items including nunchaku. If it is illegal in the state of Virginia, the state of Maryland and/or the District of Columbia it is illegal inside the WEWCC. Illegal weapons will be reported to the appropriate authorities. We do ask that dealers selling permitted weapons take extra care in the design and positioning of their displays to ensure there is no mishandling of merchandise. The Dealer's Room Coordinators may require items be removed from sale if there is an apparent danger to attendees, dealers, or merchandise.
Dealers selling ANY type of weaponry must have liability insurance in amounts acceptable to Otakon, Inc. Please be prepared to provide proof of insurance at dealers check in. Failure to provide proof of insurance may result in forfeiture of booth reservations and any and all fees.
Upon selling any weapon, dealers are required to package it securely and advise the purchaser that opening the package within the WEWCC is prohibited and advise individual purchasers at the time of purchase to deposit their purchase in their hotel room or other secure location off the convention premises as soon as possible. Any violation of this rule will be followed by a SINGLE warning.
Upon selling any weapon, dealers are required to package it securely and deliver it to room 158A. Attendees can retrieve their purchase during Dealer’s Room public hours. After retrieving their purchase attendees will be escorted from the building to deposit their purchases in their hotel room or other secure location off the convention premises as soon as possible. Vendors are required to take all purchased items to Room 158A themselves. Otakon staff will not any under any circumstance take of transport any merchandise on behalf of a vendor or attendee. Any violations of this rule will be followed by a SINGLE warning.
Any dealer selling weapons is required to print out and post these rules in no less than three visible locations in the booth:
Airsoft guns may not be sold in the Dealer's Room.
Otakorp, Inc. does not allow the sale of bootleg merchandise such as fansubs, Son May CDs, unlicensed wall scrolls or similar items. Some dealers have made it a practice to distribute flyers promoting the sale of such bootleg merchandise at their stores, so that attendees could purchase items not carried at the convention. Others have offered "shuttle" service to their stores for this purpose.
Otakorp, Inc. disallows the advertising of bootleg or knockoff products/services, and "shuttle" service to other locations for the purchase of such products or services. Any violation will come with a single warning, at which time the exhibitor will be asked to remove the offending advertising and/or merchandise. Failure to comply or a subsequent violation may result in removal from the convention and forfeiture of all fees. Conversely, advertising legitimate products and services is both allowed and encouraged.
Any event which attracts large crowds or involves audience participation—such as a t-shirt toss, autograph line, the sale of limited-edition tickets, or a giveaway of free items—has special requirements. We request that you notify us well in advance of any plans for such audience participation events. The Dealer's Room Coordinators must be notified at least 12 HOURS before any such event to ensure the coordination of event attendees; we may request that you reschedule for safety reasons. Events may be moved or stopped if there is significant crowding or safety issues.
Furthermore, wholesale distribution of any promotional materials (including but not limited to leaflets, DVD sample disks, catalogs, and coupons) must take place at least twenty feet from the entrances and exits of the Dealer's Room.
District of Columbia Law requires that all dealers charge 6.00% District of Columbia sales tax separate from the amount of the sale. Dealers are required to register and receive a Sales and Use Tax Certificate from the DC Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) before Otakon. Registration can be done through their website MyTaxDC.gov. On completion you will be mailed a certificate that you must print out and display at Otakon. Dealers with current District of Columbia Tax IDs may use their current numbers. There is no fee associated with this application.
Otakorp is required to provide the DC OTR's Collection Division with a list of all vendors and exhibitors along with their addresses, federal employer identification numbers or Social Security numbers, representatives’ names, and telephone numbers.
Collected sales taxes are due to the DC OTR by the 20th day of the month following Otakon.
If you have any questions about the District of Columbia's special events tax filing requirements, please contact:
Revenue Officers:
Patricia Richey at (202) 442-6824 or Vincent Flythe at (202) 442-6868
Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:15 am and 4:30 pm.
You may also visit the Office of Tax and Revenue Customer Service Center at:
1101 4th Street, SW
Suite W270
Washington, DC 20024
Out of state vendors who do business three times or less per calendar year in the District of Columbia are not required to obtain a Trader's License. Vendors who fall under this category will need to fill out a copy of the Exhibitor's Affidavit found on the next to last page of the Exhibitor's packet or it can be downloaded separately as pdf following the link below.
(DOCUMENT COMING)
Dealers that exhibit more than 3 times a year in the District of Columbia are required to apply for a District of Columbia Trader's License in order to do business at the WEWCC. Trader's Licenses are issued beginning in May of each year and are valid until the end of April of the following year.
Along with the District of Columbia Trader's License application, there is a District of Columbia License Fee based on the projected dollar amount of inventory brought to the convention. Please contact the District of Columbia's Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (dcra.dc.gov) for the latest License Fee table.
District of Columbia dealers may use a photocopy of their present Trader's Licenses and do not need to apply for another one just for Otakon. The Clerk of Courts office does not send out renewal notices, so dealers must reapply each year for a new Trader's License.
Either a Trader's License or Exhibitor's Affidavit must be presented to the Dealer's Room Coordinators upon your arrival at the WEWCC. These licenses must be displayed at your booth(s) during the convention. NO DEALER WILL BE PERMITTED TO SET UP WITHOUT A District of Columbia TRADER'S LICENSE OR AN EXHIBITOR'S AFFADAVIT.
THIS IS A WEWCC REQUIREMENT
Dealers with an Exhibitor's Affidavit are required to forward the affidavit back to the Comptroller of the Treasury office within 7 days after conclusion of the event. Please send the affidavit to the following address:
(ADDRESS TO COME)
If you have any questions about District of Columbia Trader's Licenses, contact:
DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
1100 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024
Phone: (202) 442-4400
Fax: (202) 442-9445
TTY: (202) 123-4567
Email: dcra@dc.gov
The WEWCC does not receive packages before the convention. Dealers may wish to ship merchandise ahead of time to the hotels where they are staying or to the decorating company. You must contact the decorating company directly for more information and a schedule of fees. You will be responsible for any and all fees if you take advantage of this service.
Many hotels will accept advance shipments. Contact individual hotels to determine if a hotel accepts advance shipments, and what special instructions must be followed in order for the hotel to receive advance shipments.
You will be responsible for any and all fees if your hotel charges for this service.
Otakorp, Inc. will continue its tradition of providing as secure a Dealer's Room as possible. The number of attendees and the venue make it impossible for us to offer bag check in the Dealer's Room, but convention staff will continue to monitor the room during all public hours and provide paid security overnight. Please take extra precautions in the placement of your merchandise and cash to guard against the possibility of theft. Dealers are responsible for their own property, merchandise and money. Otakorp, Inc. and its personnel assume no liability for loss or damage including but not limited to merchandise, equipment, or revenue.
If there's anything else we can help you with, before or during the con, please let us know. We will do our best to honor all reasonable requests and we hope to meet or exceed all of your expectations. Any concerns should be taken up with the Dealer's Room Coordinator: Michael Porter.