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Regarding Vendor Bulk Booking Contracts:
For vendors with questions about pursuing a bulk booking contract with Repticon, please review the following to understand the current situation and issues.
- A misconception had grown among some vendors regarding how and why bulk booking contracts are offered by Repticon. It is not intended to be a casual alternative to normal vendor booking.
- A primary reason Repticon agrees to bulk booking contracts with vendors is to help develop shows with less vendor demand and fill space. The advantage to Repticon (and ultimately to vendors) is to grow these “smaller” shows, make them better and push them to fully develop. The immediate advantage to vendors who are willing to vend these lower demand shows is being guaranteed placement at the high demand shows that they do vend, as well as not needing to prepay in full or place a 10% deposit to hold tables. Vendor contracts do present more work for Repticon staff than if vendors self-book or prepay in full, but the work on contracts is pursued to bolster all shows. Any vendor who is wishing to contract only for high demand shows that immediately sell out, that vendor should be using the prepay in full preplacement option to book and not the bulk booking contract process.
Recent issues
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An increase in vendor demand in 2023 and 2024 affected the bulk booking processes by the demand rising above availability at many shows, which has made layout placement more challenging. Also an increase in 2024 contract requests became more than what the limited staff could easily process according to the usual methods, so a more formalized and multi-staff approach was developed for 2025, which has been completed at this time.
- For some shows, the increase in contracts almost filled more than layout space permitted. Some contracts had to be limited or not offered at all.
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Given there were too many contracts, some continuing contracts where eliminated for 2025 where feasible. Bookings does not expect to be offering any new bulk booking contracts at this time. However, Bookings will review any vendor requests in case there is a strategic advantage for the few shows that might benefit from contracting, and if the shows the vendor is requesting have availability.
For vendors who would like to submit a new contract inquiries.
- Any vendor interested in a contract is welcome to review the current list of confirmed shows at this link: https://repticon.com/calendar/ then to email [email protected] with a list of shows they are interested in as part of a potential contract, including how many tables at each show, and what exactly they would expect to have at their tables.
- Any such list should include shows that less frequently sell out and not include only high demand shows (see the first bullet points above).
- Repticon is no longer able to offer a contract for many shows due to those shows already being at their maximum limits. You can read more about the general high demand trend of the past two years and what shows are affected at this link: https://repticon.com/vendor-information-high-demand-shows/ Shows listed there likely are not available as a part of any new contract unless the vendor is already a regularly returning vendor who has been prepaying in full for preplacement.
A reminder: Contracted vendors must keep their show payments up to date in 2025 in order to continue to be placed. This requirement has been included on all 2025 contracts. You can learn more about the process regarding overdue payments for contracted vendors at this link: https://repticon.com/vendor-information-overdue-balances-bulk-bookers/