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Regarding high demand shows that open sold-out and are difficult to book:
Recently in 2023 and 2024, vendor demand increased at many Repticon shows, most especially in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas (see the list below). This demand has made many shows very difficult for new vendors and even prior vendors to book, and certain shows are approaching a level of being mostly unavailable to new vendors.
Repticon as a company has always chosen to make booking shows favorable for returning vendors who have repeatedly supported specific shows. Repticon plans to continue these policies for any returning vendors without overdue balances and in good standing. Neither will Repticon force booked vendors to vacate tables specifically to make room for new vendors. These policies favoring returning vendors have long included offering the prior vendors an exclusive booking period. Additionally now for several years, based on many vendor requests to make guaranteed booking easier for returning vendors, Repticon offers an option for attending vendors at any show the opportunity during that current weekend to prepay in full to guarantee placement at the next show date in that same location. The majority of the returning vendors at these sold out shows are now opting for this prepay to guarantee their tables. This tendency to prepay fills shows before they open for any further booking. A few shows are to the point of 100% or near that of the vendors prepaying to return. This situation does make it difficult for new vendors to book those shows.
While waitlisting is advised, understand that no waitlist exists for any Repticon show until that show is open for booking in the system and has sold out. This means waitlists will not exist for shows beyond those running within the next 2-3 months. Also, two shows with different dates in the same location are never opened in the booking system at the same time, so waitlisting beyond the next scheduled show date is not possible.
For high demand shows, these are the recommendations from Bookings, depending on each vendor situation:
- For booked vendors, we highly recommend the prepaid preplacement option if you wish to guarantee your table numbers at the next show.
- While vendors may never pre-purchase more tables for the next show than they are currently vending, prepaid vendors may make requests for the next show that will be reviewed during the next show placement. These requests may also be sent to Bookings at [email protected] during the placement check phase.
- If you are a regular returning prepaid vendor at a show and expect to miss the next show date for any reason, please contact Bookings via email on how to potentially handle your specific situation.
- If you are a prior vendor of a specific show who has vended there in the past 2-3 years, you should receive the exclusive prior vendor link to the layout. If the show has sold out at that point, the waitlist feature on the layout will have been activated. Please waitlist as soon as possible when you receive that email. If it is has been more than 3 years since you vended that specific show, please inquire directly via email with Bookings to be added to the email list.
- For brand new vendors to any specific show who have never vended at that location before, please email Bookings to inquire for an estimated full opening date for the show, which at that time you may waitlist.
Waitlisting is the only option once a show is sold out, and may be done at one’s own convenience via the gray waitlist button above the sold-out layout, or by emailing Bookings. If self-adding, either be sure to be signed into the system, or be certain to list an email and vendor name. All waitlist entries must include desired table numbers, and you are welcome to note how many tables you want and also how few you’d accept if different. Vendors are also welcome to notate their willingness to opt for late booking in case of a “last minute” opening – as in the Friday of the show load in, should any late cancellations happen.
There are certain situations, which due to emergencies with contracted vendors, that a vendor who is booked from the waitlist cannot be offered the prepaid preplacement option. Such vendors will be notified of this when being booked from the waitlist, and this will also be noted in Bookings internal documentation for a review for possible placement at the next show once all obligated placements are fulfilled.
As of August 2024, the list of shows that are the most affected by this type of situation are:
- Greenville, SC (this show has had 100% full vendor return and no new vendors for a few years).
- Columbia, SC
- Charlotte, NC
- Raleigh, NC
- Atlanta, GA
- Tampa, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Ft. Myers, FL
- Sarasota, FL
- Dallas, TX (Grapevine)
Recommendations regarding Vendor Requests:
Bookings advises that all vendor requests be made via email to [email protected]. This gives Bookings the request in writing which then can be referenced later if needed. Also, email correspondence is more likely to be seen by multiple Repticon staff in a more timely way. If you are on-site at a show, while questions and concerns are always welcome and encouraged, relying solely on verbally making a future booking request of the on-site managers is not advised. The demands and distractions of running a Repticon event can reasonably result in the manager failing to notate your request. A quick email sent to Bookings ensures your request will be received.