EXHIBITOR FAQ'S - AUTUMN 2024

Show Dates & Times
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 | 10am - 5pm

Wednesday, September 11, 2024 | 10am - 5pm

 

Do I have to stay set up for the entire show?

Yes. Early breakdown is not permitted!

 

Can I break down earlier than 5 pm on the final day?

No. Early breakdown is not permitted!

 

​​

​

Travel & Lodging

Please visit the show information page for directions, show hours, and lodging information: Autumn Show

​

​​

​

​

 

Load-In
Autumn: Monday, September 9, 2024 | 8 am - 6 pm

​

What do I do when I arrive? Do I have to check-in?

You can go straight to your booth. Look for NEM staff members if you're unsure of where to go. Your exhibitor pack (which contains important materials you need for the show, including your name badges) will be waiting for you at your booth. You do not need to check in with anyone.

Do I have to load-in on the designated load-in day?

Yes. You must load-in on the designated loading day. There is too much happening on the morning of the first show day – we are welcoming buyers, managing parking, answering last minute questions and needs of the exhibitors. You must load-in on the designated loading in day, during the designated hours. You can get into the show at 7am on the show morning so you have a couple of additional hours then to do final touches, if needed. 

 

Where do I park during load-in?

You're welcome to park near the entrance in a designated parking spot while you unload. Please, move your vehicle to the outside perimeter of the lot after unloading to make room for others to load-in.

 

What do I do if I have a trailer?

You may park while you unload your trailer but you must move your trailer to the furthest edge of the parking lot as soon as you're finished unloading.

 

Do you have carts available for use at load-in?

We have a limited number of carts for use.  However, you should plan on being self sufficient in the case that carts and/or staff are occupied with other tasks.

 

Do I need to bring my own tools for load-in?

Yes.  You should bring anything you need to build your booth, including tools, extension cords, ladders, etc. 

​

Can I ship my booth/items to the hotel prior to the show?

You can arrange shipment with Capital Conventions by downloading the manual here.

 

Is there any food or refreshment provided during load-in?

There is a restaurant onsite at the Boxboro Regency Hotel. Please contact the hotel for operating hours.

​

PRO-TIP:

Practice setting up your booth at home, or in your garage. This will help you streamline the process, making you faster and less stressed during load-in. This also helps you identify tools or other supplies you might need for load-in, that you hadn't thought about before.

​

​​

​

​

Booth Set-Up

• Size:  Please refer to your booth confirmation email for your booth size. All booths are 8' high and you must stay within your booth parameters (including 8’ height). You are not allowed to place displays, furniture or other promotional materials in the aisle.

• Set-up: 8’ high back and side walls, constructed of pipe and cream-colored drape.  Be mindful of how you hang items such as banners, artwork or other framed items - you will need to hang from the pipe at the top of the drape or bring free-standing frames of your own.

• Colors: Booth draping is cream. 

• Furniture:  Furniture is not included with your booth, with the exception of (1) folding chair, a wastebasket and a 44” x 7” ID sign.  The ID sign is white with black lettering (company name & booth #).  Most exhibitors remove the sign and replace it with their own banner/signage but if you do this, be sure to also hang a sign with your booth # prominently displayed so buyers can find you. We cannot stress enough the importance of having your booth # visible for buyers to find you.

• Power:  Your booth includes 5amps of power, in the form of one outlet at the back of your booth.  Bring your own power-strips and extension cords.  If you require more power, you may order it through Giraffe Events.

• Lighting: Lighting is required at all NEM shows! There are no exceptions to this, all booths must have lighting. You’re welcome to bring your own lighting as long as it does not exceed your power limit (see “Power” above) or you may order lighting through Giraffe Events on our Special Orders page. 

​​

​

​

​

Name Badges

How do I get my name badges?

If you pre-ordered name badges by the deadline, your badges will be waiting for you at your booth. If you missed the deadline, please visit Exhibitor Services during load-in to request badges. 

 

How do I get additional name tags if I forgot to register someone for my booth?

Visit the exhibitor services desk onsite and we can print you any badges you need.

​

How do I register someone as a buyer?

Please contact us at 207-781-5756 x106 or email sandie@nemadeshows.com and we’ll be happy to take care of that for you.

 

Can my family and/or friends come visit me at the show?

Unless they are registered to work your booth, visitors are not allowed.  This is a closed show and only open to wholesale buyers.  Your fellow exhibitors have invested quite a bit of money to do this show and write business.  Visitors are distracting.  No one under 16 is admitted at any time, for any reason.

​

What happens if I forget or lose my name badge?

We're happy to print you another one at registration. Badges are required to be worn at all times on the show floor so if you need a new one, just come see us at registration.

 

​

​

​

Parking

Where do I park during show hours?

Parking for the Autumn show is allowed onsite at the hotel, though we ask that exhibitors park as far away from the show entrances as possible. Please leave the best parking spaces for the attending buyers.

 

 

 

 

Exhibitor Services

The Exhibitor Services desk will be available onsite for any questions you may have. 

​

How do I eat/use the restrooms/take a break if I’m working my booth alone?

The nature of the show is fairly neighborly.  We suggest you make friends with your neighbors and ask them to watch your booth for a minute if you need to get away.  We also suggest you pack water and snacks to tide you over during the day.

​​

​

​

​

​

​

About the Buyers

What kind of buyers attend and how many?

The Autumn show typically has around 1,000 registered buyers and about 500-600 attend over the two days. The Spring show typically has about 4,000 registered buyers and about 2,000 – 2,500 attend over the three days.  Buyers come from around New England and around the country.  Many are from gift shops, specialty stores, seasonal shops and museum/galleries. However, the show also attracts corporate buyers from companies like LL Bean, Whole Foods, etc.  

 

How many sales sheets/order forms/catalogs should I bring to the show?

This is a tough question because it really depends on how much interest is in your product.  We recommend bring about 100 for the Autumn show and 300-400 for the Spring show.  

 

PRO-TIP: We recommend that you bring a flash drive with your materials loaded onto it.  That way, if you’re running out, you can run out to a Staples or Copy Center to print more.  There are no printing or Xeroxing services onsite at either show.

 

What if a buyer wants to pick up their order at the show, or take their order with them at the time of ordering?

This is not permitted within the show. NEM is an order-writing show, not a cash & carry. If you would like to make arrangements with your buyer, outside the show area (parking lot, hotel room, etc), we cannot control that. But there is to be absolutely no product leaving the show floor with the exception of the cash & carry hour which is the last hour, on the last day of the show.

​

​​

​

​

Cash & Carry

What is cash & carry?

NEM's cash & carry hour is more of a show sample sale. It's not a traditional cash & carry, Typically exhibitors (and show staff!) are buying (or trading) with each other, and some buyers will come back just to be able to shop for themselves, maybe pick up orders, or shop for samples for their stores. Cash & carry takes place during the last hour of the show, on the last day from 4-5pm.  During this time, exhibitors are permitted to sell the product in their booths.

​

Do I have to participate in cash & carry?

Participation in cash & carry is entirely up to you. Approximately 85% of exhibitors usually participate in cash & carry. 

 

What kind of pricing do exhibitors usually offer during cash & carry?

Pricing is entirely up to you.  Some exhibitors sell at wholesale prices, others at retail and others strike a balance. Do whatever works best for your business.

 

Can I bring additional product to sell at cash & carry?

If you bring extra product to sell at cash & carry you must be able to store it in your booth.  There is no storage available onsite.

​

Should I charge sales tax if I'm selling at retail pricing for cash & carry?

That is up to you. The cash & carry hour is a little bit of a wild-west scenario. We don't regulate it, other than ensuring cash & carry sales only happen during that hour.

​

PRO-TIP: 

We recommend you have plenty of small change on hand, so that you can make change for people paying with cash. You are also welcome to take credit cards - totally up to you (or trade!).  Additionally, if you have the type of product that is easier carried in a bag, it's nice to make those available for people. 

​

​

​​

​

​

​​

​

​

​

Best New Product Contest

The Best New Product (BNP) Contest is an optional promotional opportunity for exhibitors. Every exhibitor is allowed to enter one product (one product vs. a collection of products – for example, “Peach Body Lotion” is ok, “Fruit Body Lotion Collection” is not).  The contest entries are displayed on tables at the front of the show.  Buyers vote on their favorites (please note: exhibitors and show staff are not eligible to vote – only buyers).  Winners will receive prizes of cash, credit or honorable mention are awarded and given online recognition. Check out previous winners here.

​

​​

​

​

​

​

​

Load-Out
Can I breakdown earlier than 5pm on Wednesday?

No. Early breakdown is not permitted - and we are very strict about this. Besides being a safety issue, breaking down early changes the tone on the show floor. Buyers might still be conducting business and when exhibitors start to break down, they feel they need to leave. Please respect them, and your fellow exhibitors, by waiting until 5pm to start breaking down your booth.

 

Where do I park during load-out/can I go get my car before the show closes?

Please breakdown your booth and pack up as much as possible before going to get your car. It doesn't help anyone to have cars just sitting in the loading zone, taking up space, when other people are ready to load-out.

​

What do I do with trash or extra packing materials?

We prefer you take your trash with you. However, if you are unable to do so, please leave your trash bagged (we have extra bags at registration) and in a neat pile at your booth. Excessive trash or mess will incur a clean-up fee of $75/hour.

 

How long do I have to load-out? Can I come back to pick up items the next day?

You must be fully loaded out by 8pm on Wednesday. NEM and venue staff are not responsible for any items left behind.

​

PRO-TIP:

Instead of rushing to breakdown right after the show closes, go enjoy a beverage or a snack! By the time your done with your break, many of the exhibitors will have cleared out, making it easier for you to pack-up and load-out.

 

​

​

​

​

Show Rules

Please refer to the Exhibitor Terms of Service for show rules. As far as buyers, show policies are as follows:

• Buyer must be a qualified buyer of wholesale giftware, specialty food or home furnishings.

• Open to the trade only.

• No one under age 16 admitted.

• No cameras or video equipment, except for show staff.

• No photography permitted, except for show staff.

• No strollers or rolling carts on exhibit floor.

• No pets allowed, excluding service dogs.

• 2 forms of business ID required at entry (business cards, business checks, resale #, business invoice, payroll check, business credit card, logo'd clothing)

• At this time, masks are optional and we are are not requiring proof of vaccination. This policy Is subject to change at any time.

• Please stay home if you do not feel well.