Exhibitor Frequently Asked Questions
Greetings and thank you for supporting the MAEDS organization! Each year, we get a number of questions from exhibitors. These questions vary greatly, but some get asked year after year. Hopefully this document will help alleviate some concerns and answer some questions.
April 15 - Application window opens
June 15 - Application window closes
July 1 - Successful exhibitors notified
July 31 - Exhibitor payment deadline
October 1 - Additional Exhibitor Badge purchase window closes
Becoming an exhibitor at the Fall MAEDS Conference is a simple process.
- Look for the application on MAEDS.org after April 15
- Fill out the application form by June 15
- Wait to be notified!
Exhibitor fees for the 2023 conference are as follows:
- Walking Exhibitor = $500
- No booth. Space on shared information tables (approximately 2’ x 2’ available per Walking Exhibitor) will be available for marketing materials outside the Exhibit Hall.
- Booth Exhibitor = $1,000
- 8’ wide x 8’ deep booth
- Exhibitor Rep Badges = $500 each
All payments will be made to MAEDS directly through the conference registration system or by check. Exhibitors who have not paid for their booth by July 31 may have their invitation rescinded. Checks must also be received by July 31.
The Exhibitor option selected during the application process does not guarantee that an Exhibitor will be accepted to the conference, nor that they will be granted that specific option.
MAEDS will make every effort to accommodate each Exhibitor’s first preference. Due to limited availability of booths, it may be necessary for MAEDS to award an Exhibitor with an alternate selection. The conference organizer will be contacted prior to awarding an alternate booth type to confirm selection.
Booth locations at the MAEDS Conference will be determined through a random draw conducted by the MAEDS Board during one of their meetings. In line with our objective of ensuring complete randomness, booth neighbor requests will no longer be entertained or accommodated. Additionally, requests for booth locations inside the exhibit hall or in the hallway will also not be accommodated.
Exhibitor passes will no longer be included with booth purchases. All exhibitor passes will be available for individual purchase. This adjustment enables us to accurately track pass distribution per booth, offering greater flexibility in payments and enhancing exhibitors' control over their attendees.
To purchase exhibitor passes, a unique link will be provided to the main contact for each exhibitor once applications have been approved in early-July. The provided link will allow either single purchase or group purchases of passes, and can be used up to 6 times to purchase a maximum of 6 exhibitor representative passes per booth. This 6 pass limit is firm and will not be negotiated.
See "What does it cost to attend the conference" for pricing details.
Exhibitor Passes must be purchased by October 1.
Each booth in the Exhibit Hall will include a choice of table options, which will be requested during the application process. Those three options are:
- No table
- 2’ x 6’ table with skirt
- 30” round by 42” high “cocktail” table with skirt
Applicants should not make travel plans or register a hotel room until they have been notified that their application has been accepted. Submitting an application does not constitute acceptance. MAEDS is not responsible for any travel or lodging fees incurred by Applicants, including those who make plans prior to being notified of acceptance.
There are many factors that can affect when you’ll hear from us. The board meets in June, at which time we make almost all of our Exhibitor selections. Those Exhibitors selected at the June meeting are notified by July 1.
The only sponsorship opportunity available at the MAEDS conference is to be accepted as a Exhibitor. There are no additional sponsorship opportunities for Exhibitors.
Only accepted Exhibitors and those reps registered by accepted Exhibitors are allowed to attend the conference. Please do not put us in the position to have to remove anyone from the conference
The following items are included with the booth:
- Exhibitor table choice
- Pipe and drape
- Two (2) chairs
- Wastebasket
- Shared electrical service
- High speed wireless access
Other items like setup assistance and wired network connection are available from Grand Traverse Resorts for an additional fee. A form will be provided at a later date to order these additional items.
Booth locations at the MAEDS Conference will be determined through a random draw conducted by the MAEDS Board during one of their meetings. In line with our objective of ensuring complete randomness, booth neighbor requests will no longer be entertained or accommodated. Additionally, requests for booth locations inside the exhibit hall or in the hallway will also not be accommodated.
The MAEDS Board has made changes to streamline the exhibitor check-in process to reduce congestion around the registration table and facilitate a smoother setup experience for all parties. Starting at 9:00 am, proceed directly to your booth to begin setup. If your Exhibitor Packet is not already on the table, a MAEDS Board member will be around to provide it to you. There is no need for additional check-in procedures.
Member registration begins at 12:00 pm on Wednesday. The installation of exhibits and removal of all boxes and crating must be completed by this time.
Members will begin entering the Exhibit Hall immediately after registering.
Exhibit hall hours for the conference are as follows:
- Wednesday: exhibits open 12:00 pm to 5:30 pm, reception 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
- Thursday: exhibits open 1:00 pm to 5:15 pm, reception 5:15 pm to 6:15 pm
Exhibitor setup for the 2024 conference will commence at 9:00 am on Wednesday morning. This timing is critical to allow Grand Traverse Resorts and the MAEDS Board to prepare the room, set up pipe and drape, ensure furniture arrangements, and provide electrical service to each booth.
Commencing setup at 9:00 am on Wednesday morning means the following:
- Booth assembly may commence only after this time.
- Access to the Exhibit Hall or Hallway is prohibited for exhibitors until this time.
- Unloading of equipment or materials into the Hallway or Exhibit Hall is not permitted until this time.
Failure to comply with the 9:00 am start time will be taken into consideration during the evaluation of future conference applications. Requests for exemptions to this policy will not be considered. This policy is set by the MAEDS Board, and as such, exemptions cannot be granted by third parties or Grand Traverse Resorts staff.
Exhibitors may not tear-down their booth or do any packing before 6:30 pm on Thursday of the conference without prior permission from MAEDS.
In the event that permission is granted for early tear-down, MAEDS is implementing a strict policy that prohibits the tear-down of booths between the hours of 5:00 pm and 6:30 pm without exception. This policy is in place to prevent any potential accidents or hazards that may arise from moving equipment or dismantling structures while members are present during the reception. Exhibitors are required to make arrangements to complete their tear-down procedures either before 5:00 pm or after 6:30 pm.
Shipments directly to the resort will no longer be permitted. The resort is not equipped to handle the size or quantity of equipment typically associated with the MAEDS conference.
All Exhibitor shipments for the Conference must be coordinated with our event service company, Art Craft Display. Please note that there is a charge for this service, which will be invoiced by and paid directly to Art Craft Display. Art Craft will manage the delivery of all equipment to the resort and ensure that your shipment is available at your booth prior to your arrival.
You can find the information about Art Craft Display in their notice here.
This documentation provides generic information and references ordering 'utilities' from Grand Traverse Resorts. Please note that power is included in your booth fees paid to MAEDS, and each booth is equipped with power by default. No additional services are available or required to be requested.
The only option left to attend the conference is to team up with an Exhibitor who was awarded a booth. Many times, resellers will bring up representatives from companies they work with to share their table. To attend the conference with another Exhibitor, a representative of the accepted Exhibitor should contact MAEDS to register any new Exhibitor Reps for the conference.
There are a few things to consider when deciding to present. Be sure you consider our audience, MAEDS members are very techie and expect technical content and not sales pitches. Sessions are only 1 hour in length. Sessions are selected based on the description given / timeliness of session. To start the process, just fill out a Call For Presenters form available on our website.
Yes. The space on the Exhibitor application is for us to use when selecting Exhibitors. We require much more information for the applications. Exhibitors should not complete a Call for Presenters (CFP) form until after being notified that they have been accepted as Exhibitors.
Exhibitors who present need to recognize that MAEDS members are true technology professionals. They expect technical content, instruction, and demonstrations. Sales pitches are not allowed. Exhibitors are welcome to be product specific to ensure the best possible content for our members.
We can only partially answer this question. Exhibitor sessions are generally limited to Wednesday or Thursday. We know that most Exhibitors like to get back to work on Friday since the Exhibitor area is closed. More specific times will not be available until very close to the conference date. The Conference chairperson will contact all presenters with specific information as soon as it is ready.
Cherry Capital Airport http://www.tvcairport.com is the closest at only a short drive from the resort. The Gerald R Ford Airport in Grand Rapids http://www.grr.org is the next closest, but is a 3 hour drive from the resort.
Cancellation of additional Exhibitor Passes will follow the same policy as the Exhibitor Cancellation policy in the Exhibitor Agreement.
Changes to the names tied to an Exhibitor Pass can be made only by the registered Conference Organizer for each exhibitor.
The MAEDS conference is jam packed, including the night-life. With the change in venue, we are not sure what entertainment options will be available and any plans are subject to change as we adapt to the new host. Stay tuned for the release of our conference agenda for more information.
Each year, we finish up the conference by drawing for door prizes on Friday just after lunch at our annual meeting. Due to state and/or federal school gifting rules, gifts from Exhibitors are not accepted by the MAEDS board for giveaway on Friday.
In short, no. We used to give away membership information to Exhibitors, but we kept getting complaints about unsolicited phone calls and mailings. To respect our member’s privacy, we no longer offer an attendee list.
Exhibitors are welcome to put out a “fish bowl” to collect member business cards and may draw for a prize from their table if they wish. Prizes drawn by vendors will not be publicized by or given out by the MAEDS board.
We expect 400-500 members on average. Some years are higher, but we generally stay right in that range.
As it says in the MAEDS tagline, networking is a huge part of the MAEDS conference experience. Much of the networking between members, and between members and Exhibitors takes place at our after-hours activities. Having outside events during this time splits up our members and Exhibitors into small pockets of people, which lessens the impact of that networking time. We ask that you consider this when planning outside events.
MAEDS defines “events” as outings, receptions, or any other functions hosted or sponsored by an exhibitor that might potentially detract from the planned activities at the conference.
During the application process, Exhibitors must accept the MAEDS Fall Conference Exhibitor Agreement. Item 2 on this agreement states that Exhibitors may not host any kind of event during official MAEDS event hours.
The following are the times that are considered “official MAEDS event hours” for the MAEDS Fall Conference.
- Wednesday official MAEDS event hours - 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm
- Thursday official MAEDS event hours - 8:00 am and 6:15 pm
- Friday official MAEDS event hours - 8:00 am and 2:00 pm
Failure to adhere to any part of the MAEDS Fall Conference Exhibitor Agreement will be documented and used to determine eligibility to attend future MAEDS conferences.
Each year, a new chairman is named for the conference. The board member responsible for working with vendors may also change from year to year. For the this year’s conference, any vendor-related questions can be directed to Merri Lynn Colligan.
The Exhibitor cancellation policy may change from year to year depending on many factors, including host facility policies. Please check the Exhibitor Agreement for the most updated information.
The 2024 MAEDS Exhibitor Agreement can be found here.