BAY AREA DIVERS

Annual Scuba Divers Market and Expo  Exhibitors Information

Dear Exhibitor:                                                                                                       

BAY AREA DIVERS is completing plans for their 36th Annual Scuba Divers Market and Expo.  Date for the Market is set for Saturday, October 8th, 2011.  This is the LARGEST Scuba Diver Market in Texas with divers shopping for NEW and USED equipment and other diving accessories at YOUR table. Exhibitors at the Market include dive shops, individuals, clubs, conservation organizations and others. This provides an opportunity for dive shops to move inventory prior to the winter months, for dive clubs to promote themselves and to sell members' used equipment, for conservation organizations to provide information to the public and others, such as travel agents and artists, to offer their services and products. Vendors, dive clubs, naturalists, marine conservationists and divers come from all over the southwest region to take advantage of this unique gathering of the dive community.

The Market will again be held at CD "CAP" Landolt Pavilion (see enclosed flyer with map).

** The Market hours are 10am until 4pm.

** Set up time for exhibitors are from ~8 AM to 10 AM **

BAD appreciates your interest and we will do everything possible to make your day fun and profitable. A group of our members will be available at ~8 AM to help you unload your vehicle and another group will help you reload at 4 PM. Our members will furnish: tables, two-wheel hand trucks, ladders for signs, some extension cords, and electricity. If you have any special needs, please contact our Chairperson. As vendors reserve their space at the Market, they will be listed on our website www.bayareadivers.org.  If you would like to have a link from our website to yours, please include it on your application. The Bay Area Divers website is very active and has a lot of divers checking it regularly for new information. This is a good marketing opportunity for your company or organization.

As in the past, we will hold door prize drawings every hour. You may make your contributions to the speaker's table (located on the stage) and your organization will be recognized over the PA. In addition, we will be giving special recognition to those companies or organizations that contribute to door prizes on our website at www.bayareadivers.org. 

Also, any coupons provided by you for specials at your table will be handed out at the gate. These coupons can be any size, shape or color with or without time restrictions good for specific items at your table on that day only. Or if you don't have time to create your own coupons, but would like to run specials, we will be announcing "dive flag specials" throughout the day. BAD has a flashing “specials” light that will be moved from vendor to vendor over the course of the day. These announced specials were especially effective to stimulate sales. Please make a list of your specials with description details and schedule the time with the coordinator at the main BAD table at the front of the stage or you can turn each special in to the announcer at any time during the day. The flashing light is available on a first come basis.

A deposit (see application enclosed) will hold your table selection until 9:45 AM on the day of the event.  In the past, we have had vendors ask us to hold a table and then not show or call. This year we will release your table at 9:45 AM if you are a "no show". Also, there will be no "sublet" of tables or space to other vendors. One of our BAD officers will collect the balance of your table rental by 10 AM.

Table rental fees will be the same as last year.

Floor spaces are available for rental. Floor space is available to commercial vendors only and the number of floor spaces cannot exceed the number of tables purchased. These are intended to supplement commercial vendor tables and will allow space for racks, etc. On the attached layout they are marked SE1-SE6 and SW1-SW6.

The entry fee for the public will be $6. To aid in control of access to exhibitors' tables, we will allow two free salespersons per table. These individuals will have their hands stamped prior to 10 AM. After the initial stamping, all other salespersons will pay the entry fee. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

We will also offer a consignment table setup and run by BAD for those individuals that have 1-3 items to sell and cannot be available to man an individual table all day.

A list of commonly asked questions (with answers) is attached for your information. Please contact us for clarification of these questions or additional questions you may have. Also, we welcome any suggestions or ideas you have to make this market better.

As in years past, this application is being mailed to everyone on the same day - FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE! Your cancelled check will be your receipt. If you have any additional questions, call our Chairperson at the phone number listed below (when not available, this number is answered by voice mail). We look forward to seeing all of you again for the Annual BAD Scuba Divers Market and Expo.

All information enclosed in this packet can also be found on our website at www.bayareadivers.org.

For more information contact Doreen Wells at 409-622-3022 or DiversMarket@BayAreaDivers.org