Looking to promote your club, convention, organization, high school or university group, hobby community, dance troupe, non-profit cause or other social group? Ai-Kon loves to help out fellow anime, gaming, and Japanese/Asian culture influenced organizations. All those that fit our mandate of promoting Japanese and or geek culture are welcome.

Ai-Kon can provide a promotional table at our convention to help you get connected with our attendees!

Important : Outreach tables are strictly for promotional purposes. If your group is seeking to sell merchandise of any kind, we encourage you to check out our vendor or artist opportunities.

Outreach Guidelines and Policies

Registration Guidelines

Outreach tables for Ai-Kon are available for July 22-24, 2022 at the RBC Convention Centre.
Outreach table location is determined by Ai-Kon.

Promotional tables are provided for free on a first come first served basis and each organization is provided two complementary staff badges per organization. A maximum of three tables per organization may be requested. This is subject to review by Ai-Kon before approval.
- - Groups may request to purchase additional badges at a discounted rate (up to four per organization) which must be used to staff the tables. This is subject to review by Ai-Kon before approval.
  - Discounted outreach table staff pass rate is $15.00 (plus applicable taxes and fees).
  - Upon registration approval, groups will be e-mailed an invoice for any additional badges.
  - Payment for additional badges must be received no later than 2 weeks of receipt of invoice or prior to May 15th, 2022.
  - Payment options include paypal, credit card, cheque and money order. Payment address is
    Outreach Relations @ Ai-Kon,
    703-177 Lombard Avenue,
    7th Floor,
    Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
    R3B 0W5.
    All cheques and money orders must be made out to “Ai-Kon”
  - Cancellations after May 15th, 2022, are not entitled to a refund.

Convention Policies

Setup and Teardown

Marketplace hours are:
- - 12 – 8 on Friday, 10 – 8 Saturday, and 10 – 4 Sunday
Table setup occurs between the hours of 9:00 am and 11:30 am on Saturday and not during marketplace hours. Outreach relations staff will be on hand to answer questions and help you locate your table.
Failure to arrive at assigned space before marketplace hours may result in forfeit of the space and all associated badges.
All outreach exhibitors are required to sign in for their table and collect their badges upon arrival at the convention.
Ingress and egress instructions and unloading / loading locations will be e-mailed one week prior to the convention.
Table location maps will be e-mailed one week prior to the convention.
Vehicles are required to be removed from docking spaces as soon as they are loaded / unloaded.

Tables are permitted to close early but may close no sooner than 1 hour earlier than the posted closure of the marketplace. On Saturday, this would be 7:00 pm.
- - If a table wishes to close early they must do so in a non-disruptive manner to the convention and their neighbors.
Consult outreach@ai-kon.org to arrange for your electricity needs.

Table policies

Outreach staff are expected to interact, promote, recruit and share information with attendees from their table. They may also give away promotional items for free.
Groups may conduct a raffle at the event provided that it is free to enter and the winning ticket(s) are drawn on site. As this is a free-to-enter raffle, no permits are required by LGA Manitoba. More information can be found here.
Groups are not permitted to sell merchandise.
Outreach exhibitors may sell memberships / tickets to events run by their organization from their table.
Tables must be staffed at all times by a member of your specific outreach group.
No more than two staff members are permitted behind each table at a time.

The staff seated behind the table must display the appropriately assigned event wristbands/badges, which will be provided upon check-in.
Groups must treat all attendees, other outreach exhibitors, artists/vendors, Ai-Kon volunteers and staff with respect and courtesy. Groups who are found to be in any way verbally or physically abusive risk violating this agreement.
Staff manning the table are politely asked to restrict their mobile device usage.
All beverages must be in resealable containers.
Personal items are to be kept underneath tables (not behind) to ensure a safe walking space.
Ai-Kon is not responsible for materials left unattended.
Promotional materials are not permitted on the walls of the RBC Convention Centre; please utilize table space.

Hentai, sexually explicit or explicitly violent materials may not be displayed. Any video shown must have received screening permission; documentation of permission must be present. Music/audio may be played in a moderate volume so that it is not disruptive to surrounding tables. This will be at the discretion of Ai-Kon staff.

Promotions

Ai-Kon would like to promote your involvement at the upcoming convention, and we request the following information:

- - A 250 character description of your organization for use in social media promotions pushes. These promotional pushes will occur at least once within the two months leading up to the event.
  - Organization logos and promotional photographs to advertise your group. If not provided, Ai-Kon will make a best effort to acquire these materials on its own.
  - Preferred social media accounts will be tagged/linked within these promotions.
  - Ai-Kon reserves the right to modify the descriptions at its discretion.
  - Multiple groups may be promoted within the same social media post.
Help us grow the convention with cross promotions!
- - Groups are kindly requested to advertise their participation at Winterfest at least once via social media within the two months leading up to the event. #aikonwpg and tagging the official Ai-Kon accounts on the applicable platform
  - Ai-Kon promotional images for use in your social media will be made available on the press and media section of our website.
  - Groups are encouraged to tag / link to the Ai-Kon website / social media accounts within these promotions.
As a free service to all outreach exhibitors, they may contribute promotional materials to our registration bags which are provided to all attendees, increasing your exposure at the convention.
- - Consult corporate@ai-kon.org to arrange for promotional item drop off.

Dance Groups

All regular outreach exhibitor policies regarding prohibition of sales from tables also apply to dance groups.
Ai-Kon is a family friendly convention open to all ages, please refrain from any inappropriate dance club moves and keep performances suitable for the general public.
- - Dance groups are asked to promote a positive encouraging environment at the event. This is not a competitive space, and no “dance-offs” are permitted. Please be supportive of all members of the Winnipeg dance community and set a great example. Cheer loudly for all groups!

For more information on dance group registration and policies, please visit Ai-Kon’s Panels page.

Failure to follow guidelines or policies may result in outreach exhibitors risking not being invited to return to Ai-Kon events, or in serious cases being asked to leave during the event.

Space is extremely limited please fill out the application below and Corporate Relations will get back to you within 1 week of submission.

APPLICATION FORM

If you have any questions or concerns about having an outreach table at our event, please email outreach@ai-kon.org

Ai-Kon 2024

July 12-14, 2024

RBC Convention Centre, Winnipeg, MB