Dealer and Sponsor Information

• What is OwlCon (To a Dealer)?
• OwlCon XXVIII Dealers
• General Dealer Info
• Advertising at OwlCon
• Weapons Policy
• Dealer Booth Request Form
• Dealer Info Packet (PDF Download)
• General Attendee Information Packet
  
  

What is OwlCon (To a Dealer)?

OwlCon is a dedicated gaming convention that features board and card games, miniatures (historical, fantasy, and sci-fi), role-playing games (tabletop and live action), and related events (e.g., painting competition, movies).

About 600 people came to our last OwlCon. The attendees are a mixed bunch, ranging from teenagers to seniors. The median household income for an attendee is above average, most of them have attended college, and many of them have college degrees.

OwlCon occurs on the Rice University Campus, primarily in their student center. We only allow 24 dealer tables in our convention because we want to emphasize the gaming. Our dealer tables share space with our larger events in a large ballroom; we make a point to put our more visually appealing and spectacular events in this hall, increasing traffic in the room.

OwlCon does not charge for spectating, so anyone can come and watch OwlCon and visit the dealers without paying a fee.

Confirmed OwlCon XXVIII Dealers (listed alphabetically)

NOTE: We do NOT charge for people to visit our Dealer Room. If you just want to roam around and check out our dealers' tables, or the convention for that matter, you do not have to buy a badge. You only need to buy a badge to play in registered games, use gaming space, etc. Spectating and spending money is free.

Note: Information for becoming an OwlCon Dealer follows the entries below.

Dealer Information

Note: Our profit is not the goal of having dealers. We want to run games and offer some dealers for our attendees to see. As such, we have strictly limited our dealer space to 24 tables every year. Our Dealer tables have sold out as early as two months in advance, so please sign up early. We have also had as many as six tables' worth of dealer space canceled at the last minute and filled by alternates, so please consider being an alternate if we have sold out the tables when you sign up.

If you wish to be a dealer/exhibitor at OwlCon, please read the information below and then go to our Dealer Form and electronically submit your request.

• Please make checks payable to "FAST WARP".
• Deadline for receipt of "early bird" submission & payment is 5:00 PM, Friday, November 7, 2008.
• Deadline for receipt of regular dealer submissions & payment (check or money order) is 5:00 PM, Wednesday, January 9, 2008.
• Deadline for receipt of ad copy (and payment) is 5:00 PM Wednesday, January 9, 2008.
• Here's a link to our shipping and mailing addresses.
• Here's a link to our refund policy .

Steps to Success

• Look at the events being run and bring products that would appeal to the participants
• Bring a targeted selection of products
• Show up early to make sure your unloading goes smoothly
• Have enough people to allow you to take bathroom breaks :)

Incentives

• High Traffic: We run gaming events in the center of the Dealers' room to increase traffic. This draws spectators and customers alike.

• High Visibility: the Dealers' room is located in the spacious Grand Hall, a large room that is readily visible from the main entrance of the Student Center.

Booths

Tables: A table is defined as a rectangular area 6' wide and 8.5 feet from the back wall. You will be expected to setup WITHIN this space. We will provide a single table for this space that is a 30" x 72" rectangle. There will be an approximately 36"-wide gap between adjacent dealer areas; this is a required space for safety and access and dealers will not be allowed to encroach into this space.

Wall space: Booths are generally positioned against a wall to facilitate the hanging of banners and advertisements. Dealers should bring heavy duty tape or a stand/pole to support banners. Nails/hooks cannot be used and are not available.

Cost: $60 per table for regular registration. Early bird registration reduces this to $55 per table if payment is received by 5:00 PM Friday, November 7, 2008. Dealers receive one free badge per table.

Dressing: A tablecloth will be provided to cover each table, but skirting must be provided by the dealer if it is so desired. An additional black tablecloth will be provided for dealers to cover their wares with when they shut down their tables for the night.

 

Advertising at OwlCon

Bags: Attending dealers will be given the first opportunity to provide bags for the convention with their store logos on it. Such bags should be about 15" x 15", made of sturdy plastic, and have a handhold or handles. There is no fee for this service; however, the dealer is expected to cover the cost of the bags. Bags that meet the prerequisites will be given priority over those that do not. If you would like to secure exclusive rights to have your bags be the only bags distributed at the convention, please contact the Dealer Coordinator.

Inserts: We are considering having advertising inserts for the convention bags. An interested dealer would provide the insert material in the form of a single item no larger than a contemporary magazine, and for a flat fee of $90, the insert will be included in every bag handed out to convention attendees when they register. If the inserts are valuable, the fee can be mitigated or even waived. Insert requests should be addressed by contacting the Dealer Coordinator.

Program advertisement rates: The most direct way to get your advertisement in the hands of our customers. Our programs are printed on high quality 70-pound paper stock and provided to all attendees of OwlCon. All advertisements are B/W.

Advertisement Specifications

• Color choices: ads must be either black & white or grayscale.
• Minimum quality: ads must be at least 600 dpi.
• Ad copy must be PC compatible format.
• Ads must be Adobe Illustrator file or a PC format .tif file.
• Files must be smaller than 5 Megabytes to receive via e-mail.
• Files larger than 5 Megabytes can be provided by postal mail or by posting the file on the internet for download by our staff.
• Please include 0.125 bleed past trim for all ad

Make your check or money order payable to: FAST WARP.

The deadline for submission of ad copy and payment is 5:00 PM Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Here's a link to our shipping and mailing addresses.

Here's a link to our refund policy .

Specific advertising requests should be addressed by contacting the Dealer Coordinator. If you plan to be a dealer at OwlCon, the Dealer Booth Request Form below will address this topic as well.

Weapons Policy

There is a zero tolerance no-weapons policy at Rice University and OwlCon strongly supports this. As such, dealers should be aware that they will not be allowed to brings weapons on campus, even if they are products to be sold. In the past, we were able to gain an exception on a case-by-case basis from the police chief, but that is not the case anymore. We do apologize, as we would love to have swords and such for sale at OwlCon. Alas, we cannot and will not violate the security policy of Rice to do so.