CA&CS
CABBAGETOWN ART & CRAFT SHOW 2023
EXHIBITOR HANDBOOK
To all our exhibitors, welcome to CA&CS 2023!
Thank you for joining us for the 34th Annual Cabbagetown Art & Craft Show. We’re excited to welcome you in September. You’ll have noticed that we’ve made changes and we’ve already heard from some of you that you like what we’re doing. Please be patient with us as we fine tune the details. Your continued feedback is very welcome, and we’ll use it to keep getting better: info@cabbagetownartandcraft.org.
The Cabbagetown Art & Craft Show is a well-established venue for sales, exposure, business development and community-building. CA&CS provides artists and artisans with a loyal audience to market and showcase their work. Our show visitors appreciate the importance of supporting local artisans and are always keen to meet and buy from artists like you. Plus, Cabbagetown is an awesome location for exhibiting!
About The Cabbagetown Art & Craft Show
We believe that art inspires the soul. We’re a community-based, not-for-profit corporation, presenting the annual Art & Craft Show in the beautiful neighbourhood of Cabbagetown.
Our commitment is to support art and craft creators, to encourage appreciation of the visual arts and to give artists a place to showcase and sell their work.
By promoting Canadian artists, this not-for-profit juried show generates funding that allows us to give back to our community and helps support BGC Toronto Kiwanis (formerly known as the Toronto Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club).
Show Guidelines
Here are some guidelines to help make your experience at CA&CS memorable and successful. If you’ve additional questions or concerns, please let us know at info@cabbagetownartandcraft.org.
Index
1. In Case of Emergency
2. Selling Guidelines
3. Show Dates & Hours
4. Introducing our Volunteers
5. Onsite Services
6. Pre-show Marketing
7. Exhibitor Insurance
8. Booth Space
9. Security
10. Registration
11. Move-in/Set-up Procedures
12. Move-out Procedures
13. Things to Know
14. Checklist
15. Artist Code of Conduct
1 In Case of Emergency
If there’s a security incident, fire, suspicious/unwelcome behaviour, an injury or any other issue of concern, we require that you report the information to the CA&CS Show Tent immediately, so we can launch appropriate procedures.
Emergency Plan
In case of impending thunderstorm activity or other emergency, you’ll receive further instructions from CA&CSonsite volunteers.
2 Selling Guidelines
Our primary focus is on showing original works – created by the artist, so we require that you don’t sell manufactured or commercially produced items, even if they are custom manufactured for you. We allow prints of artwork so long as the originals are prominently displayed.
We require you to be present for the duration of the show unless you have made alternative arrangements with us prior to the show.
We encourage you to demonstrate how you produce your artworks.
3 Show Dates & Hours
Friday, September 8 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 9 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 10 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Don’t forget, the show goes on, rain or shine!
4 Introducing our Volunteers
Our volunteers will be onsite at the show, and we’ll do our best to help you in any way we can. If you’ve any concerns in advance of the show, please contact us at: info@cabbagetownartandcraft.org
or…
Gerald FitzGerald
Artist Liaison
(T) (647) 684-4944
(E) contact@cabbagetownartandcraft.org
On show days, you can find us in the Show Tent. If you can’t leave your booth, look for volunteers in the green cabbage t-shirts. They’ll be happy to help. You can also call or text the Show Tent at 647-684-3797.
Volunteers can watch your booth for no more than 20 minutes at a time. We offer this service first-come, first-served. Volunteers aren’t liable for theft or damage that may occur while they watch your booth. Volunteers aren’t permitted to make sales or handle any monetary transactions when you’re gone. Keep in mind too that volunteers may not always be available at the time you request, especially during peak break times like lunch.
5 Onsite Services
There’ll be portable washrooms on the north, west and south sides of the park. These are flushable and cleaned before the start of each day’s show. Please do your best to leave them in good condition for the next user.
The Simpson House public washrooms at Riverdale Farm (open 9am to 5pm) are wheelchair accessible from the north entrance. Baby change tables are available in the farm’s Meeting House washrooms. Both washrooms are accessible through the Riverdale Farm entrance from the park.
Drinking water will be available from insulated water containers placed in five locations around the park.
A variety of hot food will be available from vendors located in the top loop on the north end of the park. Check our website closer to the show to see a list of prepared food vendors and their food specialities. www.cabbagetownartandcraft.org.
6 Pre-show Marketing
We’ve prepared a press release and will be marketing the CA&CS through media outlets in the weeks leading up to the show. Don’t forget to share your excitement that you’ve been juried in to the Cabbagetown Art & Craft Show by e.g.
· Adding the dates, times and venue to your website
· Adding the dates, times and venue to your email signature
· Posting regularly on social media (we’re providing you with jpegs to help you create permanent posts and stories )
· Tagging us in your posts about CA&CS so we can repost your awesome content
· Commenting on and reposting CA&CS social media posts/stories/reels
· Sharing CA&CS save-the-date information at summer art shows you’re attending/exhibiting
· Talking about the upcoming CA&CS in your newsletter
We’ll make print marketing materials available to those of you who would like them. These items will be available for pick-up:
· A limited number of postcards (we’re including a pdf of the postcard in the email with this handbook. You could e.g. include the digital postcard in your newsletter.)
· A limited number of posters (we’re including a pdf of the poster in the email with this handbook)
· A limited number of lawn signs.
Contact us at info@cabbagetownartandcraft.org to let us know if you’d like to pick up some printed materials.
The printing of our postcards and posters is courtesy of The Toro Group. We thank them for their generosity.
7 Exhibitor Insurance
Artists are responsible for securing adequate insurance coverage to protect themselves and all exhibit material from damage, theft and injury for the duration of the show, including set-up and move-out.
CA&CS is not responsible for any injury, damage or theft occurring on the way to or from the show, or while onsite.
8 Booth Space
This is our first year implementing new processes and ideas that we hope will make the show better for everyone. Please help us make everything run smoothly for all 165 artists, and forgive us a few inevitable kinks.
We understand that people can become upset or angry when things don’t go as planned, especially during move-in and move-out. However, aggressive or abusive behaviour is unacceptable.
We’ve done our best to implement all the requests for booth locations, but we can’t make any guarantees.
Although it’s unlikely, CA&CS may need to change your booth location for reasons we can’t yet anticipate. If we do need to do this, we’ll try to notify you before you arrive at the show. We reserve this right and appreciate your understanding.
Booth spaces are on marked, numbered frontages along the walkways through the park. It’s important to our show organizers, and to all the other artists, that you stick to the booth number that you’ve been assigned. It’s our first year assigning booth numbers and the logistics are challenging. What might seem like a small change to you could have a chaotic effect on everyone else’s booth allocations! If you have a problem, please contact us before the show or discuss it with a volunteer at the Show Tent. Your kindness and patience are appreciated.
Each space will accommodate a 10’ x 10’ tent. Please respect your neighbours and don’t extend your display sideways beyond your marked space. You are free to store extra materials in the space behind your tent.
If you’re providing your own tent, it must be self-sufficient and free-standing. It must have tent weights/secure mounting sufficient to deal with foreseeable weather and wind conditions. You’re responsible for providing your own chairs, platforms, stands, backdrops and whatever materials you may need to furnish your tent and displays.
If you plan to rent from Higgins Event Rentals, submit your order online as soon as possible (prices increase the longer you wait):
https://catalog.higginseventrentals.com/equipment.asp?action=category&category=114
…or call Victoria at 416-252-4050 Ext. 32. They can supply tents, chairs and other booth equipment. Higgins will deliver your order and set up your tent during the evening of September 7. Your tent will be ready for move-in when you arrive on the morning of September 8. If you place your order by phone, advise them that you’re in the Cabbagetown Art & Craft Show and you won’t be charged a delivery fee.
Final deadline to rent from Higgins is September 1st, 2023.
At registration, you will be provided with two zip ties to hang your CA&CS signage at the FRONT of your booth in the top left corner. This ensures our visitors and volunteers can find you easily.
The following are not permitted on your site:
· Flammable materials or power tools that are a safety hazard to the public
· Anything that alters the designed height or structural integrity of your tent
· Power generators
· Large displays that are a wind hazard
Electricity is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis at the north end of the park only. Should you need access, please email info@cabbagetownartandcraft.org with your request.
9 Security
The Cabbagetown Art & Craft Show is staffed by volunteers during show hours, including during move-in and move-out.
Please report suspicious behaviour to the Show Tent immediately.
Do not leave your booth unattended.
We strongly recommend that you secure your tent each night to help prevent anyone from entering it when you’re not there.
After hours, the show maintains overnight security guards to patrol the park site. This does not guarantee 100% safety of your materials, so we suggest taking caution with your valuables, day and night. Anything you leave in your booth overnight is at your own risk.
10 Registration:
We need you to register at the Show Tent at any time between 8am and 12:30pm on Friday September 8. The show starts at 1:00pm and all artists are expected to be ready to exhibit by that time.
Be prepared for a wait if many others want to register at the same time. Be patient and respectful to the CA&CS team, other artists and volunteers and refer to our Artist Code of Conduct so we’re all clear on what to expect from each other. Friday morning is one of the busiest and most stressful moments of the show for all of us, so let’s work together to manage it smoothly.
If your Higgins inventory was not delivered, or if your Higgins tent was damaged by weather overnight, let us know at the Show Tent. If you’re missing an item, or something is damaged, don’t be tempted to take items from another booth space.
· When you register, you’ll be able to pick up your badges. Please wear them while at the booth so that CA&CS Show personnel can identify you.
· We’ll provide you with your booth-number sign and two extra-long zip ties. Please use the zip ties to hang your booth number at the FRONT of your booth in the top left corner, where it’s visible to visitors and volunteers. Our Show Tent volunteers will direct customers using your booth number.
· If you provide your vehicle licence-plate, you’ll be able to get a parking pass for Sprucecourt School on Saturday and Sunday. Because the TDSB has significantly raised the cost of renting the school grounds for artist parking, we’ve had to introduce a parking charge to help offset these costs. You can purchase a Weekend Parking Pass in advance online for $25. To do this, send an e-transfer to payment@cabbagetownartandcraft.org. On your Interac e-transfer form there is a place for a MESSAGE. Please put the name on your Driver’s License and your car’s license-plate number in the MESSAGE section. We will send you a Parking Pass which you’ll need to print and place on your car’s dashboard. Don’t forget to bring the printed pass with you to the show as we won’t be able to reprint it for you.
You can also buy Day Parking Passes at the Show Tent at a cost of $15 per day. Cash only please. Please keep your parking pass on your dash, where it can be seen by parking authorities.
· When you register, you’ll also receive tickets for free coffee and carbs on Saturday and Sunday morning until noon.
11 Move-in and Set-up Procedures
· We’re sorry, but due to City regulations, vehicles CANNOT be driven into the park.
· On Friday, September 8, to unload your vehicle, you can park on the streets around the perimeter of Riverdale Park West – Carlton St., Sumach St. and Winchester St. As soon as you’ve unloaded your vehicle, please move it to a parking spot on an adjacent street. There’ll be another artist waiting to unload. When you move and park your vehicle, check signs for any parking restrictions. Also, please respect volunteer instructions while moving in. They’ll be trying to balance everyone’s best interests.
· There’ll be police officers and volunteers onsite to enforce/ticket unattended vehicles. CA&CS is not responsible for your parking tickets.
· Set-up begins at 8:00 am on Friday September 8, but you are free to load-in at any time convenient to you. Artists must complete set-up and be registered by 12:30pm. The show opens at 1:00pm, rain or shine.
If you need special assistance to move your materials or set up your booth, please think ahead and bring someone to help. Our volunteers will help you whenever possible, but we don’t have enough volunteers to assist with set-up. If you have heavy items for your tent, come to the Show Tent. We have a golf cart available to help.
12 Move-out Procedures
· You will be able to move out on Sunday, September 10, from show closing at 5:00 p.m.
· You can park your vehicle on the streets around the perimeter of the park – Carlton St., Sumach St. and Winchester St. – to load your vehicles. The same rules apply for move-out as for move-in. Please be considerate of other artists waiting to use the loading zones. CA&CS is not responsible for your parking tickets.
· We are only borrowing Riverdale Park for the weekend, so please leave it clean and tidy for park visitors. Please ensure that you take all your materials, including garbage, from your site.
13 Things to Know
The show is close to local B&B’s and reasonably priced hotels. The area is well served by the TTC (a block away on Carlton St.), and retail stores and restaurants (along Gerrard and Parliament streets).
· Royal Home Hardware (for emergency display/booth supplies)
Open 9:00am-6:00pm
485 Parliament Street
Toronto ON M5A3A3
(416) 924-3921
· Shoppers Drug Mart
467 Parliament St.
Toronto, Ontario M5A 3A3
(416) 925-4121
14 Checklist
Many of you are already familiar with our show, but some are new to exhibiting with us. Here are some of the things to consider when planning to attend.
Ö Make arrangements for your liability insurance coverage for the show.
Ö Arrange for children to be cared for offsite during move-in and move-out.
Ö Consider registering for a vendor permit from the city of Toronto, if you don’t already have one.
Ö Consider registering for a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) number if you don’t already have one.
Ö Design your booth to allow for efficient traffic flow, product visibility and storage.
Ö Make travel and hotel reservations as required.
Ö Update your website with new materials that you will be exhibiting at the show.
Ö Bring business cards/brochures/QR code.
Ö Promote your participation in the show by sending out mailings or e-newsletters to your customers.
Ö Make sure you have signage for your booth.
Ö Arrange for receiving Credit Card/Debit Card payment from your customers.
Ö Arrange for Furniture – seating, tables, chairs, cabinets, storage unit.
Ö Bring a Receipt book.
Ö Arrange for a way to capture customers and visitors contact information.
Ö Bring moving and packing materials – boxes, wrapping/hanging materials, bags for sold products.
Ö Bring office supplies – tape, pens, markers, etc.
Ö Bring a dolly or a cart if your materials are bulky/heavy.
Ö Notify us in advance if you need power.
Ö Whether your tent is your own or rented, make sure that you have weights to provide stability if it’s windy and make sure it’s waterproof in the event of rain.
Ö Remember to bring 4 or 5 pool noodles. In the event of rain these will prevent saggy areas of your tent roof from filling with water and collapsing your tent and/or soaking your materials. If you’re not sure, ask one of your neighbours, they’ll show you how to use them. Install them overnight if the forecast calls for rain.
15 Artist Code of Conduct
The Cabbagetown Art & Craft Show (CA&CS) values respectful behaviour and a sense of shared community. In all our relationships and communications with our stakeholders and artists, we endeavour to abide by these core principles, and we expect the same in return from you.
This is our first year implementing many new processes that we hope will make the show better for everyone. Please help us make everything go smoothly for all 165 artists, even when things may go less smoothly than planned.
We understand that people can become upset or angry when problems arise, especially during move-in and move-out. However, aggressive or abusive behaviour is unacceptable.
CA&CS has a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behaviour including, but not limited to, the use of foul or insulting language, racial slurs, physical violence, or verbal and written assault directed at volunteer staff, visitors or other artists. If this type of behaviour occurs, the artists will be removed from the show with no refunds of booth fees, or any other expenses or payments and future participation in CA&CS will be jeopardized.