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25 Years of Excellence!
Victoria's most prestigious artisan fair, the Out of Hand Fair celebrates 25 years of excellence! This show has a well deserved reputation for presenting the best in fine crafts, artisan food and one-of-a-kind fashions, continuously offering the finest original artisanal experience. As part of our celebration, we are looking for your stories. If you have been exhibiting with us since 1988 or even the early 90’s, we want to know! Also, we are looking for photos of you at work 25 years ago, as part of our “Then and Now” wall. If you haven’t exhibited with us for a while, we moved to the Crystal Garden four years ago; once a salt water pool under glass, this beautiful venue provides a spectacular backdrop for a truly professional show.
Location: The Crystal Garden – 713 Douglas St.
Hours:
Friday Nov. 29 10 am – 9 pm
Saturday Nov. 30 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday Dec. 1 10 am – 4:30 pm
Jury requirements: The Out of Hand Craft Fair is a professional show and work exhibited must be original, designed and made by the applicant. Kits, mold work, and "hobby crafts" are unacceptable and do not qualify. Limited edition prints, numbered and signed by the artist, are allowed. Also, note cards are acceptable as long as they are part of a larger body of work. All work must be juried and will be judged for quality, originality, and overall craftsmanship. Consideration will be given to the overall balance of craft categories at the Fair, and in some categories limits will be set. Please note, if you are not applying in the jewellery category, but make jewellery as part of your inventory, you must indicate this on your application and submit photos of the jewellery, separately.
Set up: Nov 28 - time TBA
Registration fee: $10.00 – separate cheque, non-refundable
Please note all fees are subject to GST of 5%. Table rental is also subject to PST
Floor plans: Please view a floor plan of the Crystal Garden on the website (HERE) to see layout and booth sizes. This is the 2012 floorplan, so is for your reference only. Out of Hand management will assign booth locations. Please note, the outer rows on the plan are up on a mezzanine overlooking the central courtyard.
Booths: While the most popular booth size is the standard 10 x 8 we offer a large selection of booth sizes to suit a variety of set-ups:
| BOOTH | SIZES | COST |
|---|---|---|
| A | 10' frontage x 8' deep* | $800 |
| B | 15' frontage x 8' deep * | $1200 |
| C | 15' frontage x 5' deep * | $900 |
| D | 10' frontage x 10' deep * | $1000 |
| E | 10' frontage x 6' deep | $720 |
| EA | Emerging Artist 10'x 6' | $650 | F | 10' frontage x 5' deep | $600 |
| FA | Emerging Artist 10'x 5' | $550 |
| G | 15' frontage x 3' deep | $675 |
| H | 20' frontage x 3' deep | $900 |
| Corners available. Add $150 * This size may be shared by two people - add $25 each. |
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All booths will be supplied with 650 watts of electricity, one chair, pipe and drape (walls), and are carpeted. Plan your lighting as if it will be dim. During the day there is ample daylight as it is a glass roofed building but at night we keep the lighting levels low so each exhibitor can create their own special ambiance. We do offer a lighting package, more information will be available on our website later.
Most booths have 8' high back walls, but a few are only 3’ high. Sidewalls are 8' or 3' high. Your display may go higher than 3', shelving works particularly well as work can be viewed from both sides. It's just the drape which will not exceed 3'. This is worth bearing in mind when designing your booth, as the side of your display may be visible. If an 8' back or side wall is essential to your display, please indicate this on your application form and we will place you accordingly. Sharing a booth with another craftsperson is allowed for some sizes (previous page), however there will be an additional $25 fee for each exhibitor sharing.
As a general rule, craftspeople are required to be present during the fair, in order that the public may meet and speak to the producer of the craft. If you are applying and willl be sending a representative, you must get clearance from the fair organizers. Failure to do so may result in your not being invited back in the future
New Artists: For those of you who are just embarking on your professional career in crafts and are interested in trying our fair, we offer less expensive space in the emerging artist area. These booths are 10' x 5' or 10' x 6' and are offered at a 10% discount off the regular price of those booths.
Application procedure: Print out the application form , complete and return it to us along with:
- 5 photos of your work - Digital or paper
- Detailed description of all the work you plan to sell at the fair
- A brief description of the process involved in producing your product
- Registration fee - cheque for $10.00 - use current date (non-refundable)
- Booth deposit - cheque for $250.00. This cheque will be returned to you if you are not accepted - Or fill in the credit card section
- If you send us photos you want returned, please include a self addressed envelope with sufficient postage
- A rough sketch of your proposed booth display, including approximate height of walls, shelving etc.
- Food & body care applicants - if you are new, you must include samples We will continue to accept applications after this date if the category
Application Deadline: We are still taking applications in many categories. Please call us if you need more information.
Digital photos: Photo Formats: almost any photo format: jpg, jpeg, tiff, psd, gif, pcd, sct, pict, etc. will do, but jpeg is probably best for the most people. Bear in mind that, pictures off websites are usually too low a resolution to be used for printed media . For example, 72 dots per inch is the most common web or e-mail resolution, 300 dot per inch is necessary for printing. Although we can change the resolution to the higher value, the picture becomes 1/4 the size and therefore, in most instances, unusable.
Exhibitor services: Discounted rates at three hotels all within a few blocks of the VCC, Exhibitor lounge with complimentary coffee & drinking water, complimentary tickets, on site storage, central credit card service, booth relief available, bank machine available on site, Exhibitor parking nearby (for a reduced fee). As part of our anniversary celebrations there will be an exhibitor party Saturday night.
Promotion: This show is heavily promoted in all media, despite the fact that Victorians “just know about it”. The Times Colonist (daily paper), radio, TV, Monday Magazine, flyers, posters, social media, $1 off coupons, & community papers, as well as Tourism Victoria, downtown hotels, highway signs and our web site. Your good quality photos, especially digital photos, are a very important part of our PR campaign. See section on digital photos, above. If you have an intersting story, please let us know and we will pass it on to our publicist. If you are a long time exhibitor at OOH please send us some pictures from your past for our wall.
Following your successful application:
May 15: This is the cancellation deadline. Booths cancelled after this date will forfeit all monies paid.
June 1: We need your signed contract, along with a p.d. cheque for the balance of your booth fee, dated Sept. 1.
Sept 30: Make your hotel reservations
Oct 15: Final exhibitor kits will be in the mail with everything you need for a successful fair, including floor plans.
Nov 28: Set-up time TBA.
Mailing address: 4077 Lanchaster Rd., Duncan, BC, V9L 6G2
Web Address: www.outofhand.ca E-mail: ramona@outofhand.ca
