APPLY TO BE AN EXHIBITOR
We are sold out of exhibitor spaces, however are still accepting applications for our waitlist.
Please read our information below as our selection process is different than most other events.
We welcomed 11,000 attendees at our 2019 event and hope to have even more in 2020 since we’ve added the Friday evening hours this time.
Please note: we only accept exhibitors who sell art or merchandise related to: comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, steampunk, horror, gaming or cosplaying.
For food vendors, as per the facility’s rules, we are only able to have vendors who sell homemade foods, and we are not able to have restaurants or food trucks represented at the event.
We do not accept MLM sellers of products like Scentsy, Tupperware, etc. as they don’t meet our requirements of being geek-themed.
What makes our events different?
The Ottawa Geek Market was founded by exhibitors, and is run by a team of managers who are exhibitors ourselves, so we understand what it’s like to be a vendor or artist at an event. It’s important to us that our exhibitors not only enjoy their experience at our event, but also have a successful sales experience, so we do everything we can to make that happen (which is one of the reasons we jury – too many people selling the same things isn’t good for anyone).
It’s important to us that you have all the information (and advice) that you need so we engage in regular communication leading up to, and during, each event. We even have a private Facebook group for exhibitors where you can ask for advice, sell off old fixtures, or ask our Exhibitor Coordinator questions.
During the event, we’ll check in on you regularly each day, and we not only ask for your feedback, we act on it.
Once you’re an exhibitor with us you become part of our family. We care, truly!
If you’re interested in learning about what our past events were like (and to see what our attendance was), be sure to check our Past Events page.
We are also different than other events because we fundraise for various charities. In 2020, and in line with our new mandate of going green, our event will be raising funds for the Ottawa Upcycling & Waste Diversion initiative.
HOURS OF OPERATION
The event will be taking place in the Curling Rink and Rink 3 of the Nepean Sportsplex and will be open at the following times:
- Friday March 27th from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
- Saturday March 28th from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
- Sunday March 29th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
BOOTH PRICES
- 6′ deep x 8′ wide: $275
- 6′ deep x 10′ wide booth: $315**
- 8′ x 8′ booth: $350
- 8′ deep x 10′ wide: $430**
- 10′ x 10′ booth: $475
- All these booths come with 8′ tall black draping at the back of the booth (the price of the draping is already included in the price)
- There is only one corner booth available.
** Almost all of these booths are are on a corner. If you need 2 together they will both be corner booths. The corner fee is NOT included in the price.
HOW OUR APPLICATION SYSTEM WORKS
Because of the high number of applications that we receive, and in order to make sure that we have a good mix of exhibitors, we will review all applications based on the following criteria:
- How geeky are the items? (e.g. a piece of jewellery that has Captain America’s colours would rate lower than a necklace with a Captain America shield as a pendant).
- How unique are the items compared to other exhibitors in this category?
- What is the quality of the product?
- How professional is the booth set up?
- How does this exhibitor plan on integrating our ‘Old School vs New School’ theme in to their booth?
- How green are the applicants practices?
- How good of a fit will this exhibitor be for our event?
- For returning exhibitors: Have they paid on time in the past? Have they packed up early? Have they followed our rules? etc.
Please note that we limit how many spaces we have available for exhibitors based on the category of what they sell (i.e. comic books, jewellery, accessories, action figures/collectibles, apparel/costumes, gaming, books, and art). It’s important to us that we a) have a good cross-section of items for our customers, and b) that we don’t have too many people selling the same items because too much competition isn’t good for our exhibitors’ bottom line.
HOW TO APPLY
There are 3 steps to applying for our event.
1. Read our Terms and Conditions and make sure you are familiar with the rules for our event and agree to abide by them.
2. Read our Tips for Exhibitors document that provides you with hints on how to submit a stronger application.
3. Fill out our Exhibitor Application Form.
4. Email [email protected] 1 photo of your booth set up, and 3 photos of the types of items that you propose to be selling at our event.
- Photos must be .jpg format and must not be more than 2MG in size.
- We ask for photos to help us assess your items to a) see if you’ll be a good fit at our event and b) make sure that we don’t have to many exhibitors selling the same items.
- Please send us the best quality photos you have as part of your application…we may use these photos to advertise which exhibitors will be at our event, and what kinds of awesome products they’ll be selling.
May the odds be ever in your favour! 
If you have any questions or would like more information on being an exhibitor, please contact us at [email protected].
Stay connected!
Not-for-profit corporation number: 1003703-6
Please help us make this a fragrance free event.
