Dealers' Room Questions

• Why is Anthrocon not accepting applications for dealer tables until November 13?
• I am in Europe/Timbuktu/the Miliary in Iraq/etc. and I am not sure that my application will reach you if I mail it on November 13. Can I send it earlier?
• I am with a group of three other dealers and we always like to sit together in a group. Won't this sytem make that impossible to arrange since all of our applications will arrive at different times?
• If the room is sold out, can I just share a table with someone else?
• Can I just sell things out of my room?
• I notice that you have some dealers who have multiple tables, while there are other dealers who have none. Isn't that unfair?
• Will you have a wireless internet server in the dealer room?
• I want to ship some of my wares to the hotel. Do they charge to receive boxes?
• I read that we have to pay union Teamsters to carry our things in and out of the Dealers' Room. Is that true?
• Why are the tables so much more expensive this year than last?
• Can a dealer upgrade to a Sponsor or a Supersponsor membersip?
• I represent a nonprofit organization. Can we get a free table?
• Last year the sun was shining directly on my table. What are you going to do about it?
• I am a dealer. Can I leave my table during the day?
• Why is Anthrocon not accepting applications for dealer tables until November 13?

Even though we have a lot of tables this year, the demand for those tables is still so great that we can no longer offer tables to dealers at the convention itself. If we did, every dealer present would snap up the available tables, and dealers who did not get a table this year would be forced to wait for a current dealer to retire or die before even getting a chance of having a table. Out of fairness, the only thing we can think to do is to wait and offer tables to all dealers at the same time. The reason we wait until later in the year is because it gives us time both to recover from the prior year's convention and to prepare ourselves sufficiently for the next.

• I am in Europe/Timbuktu/the Miliary in Iraq/etc. and I am not sure that my application will reach you if I mail it on November 13. Can I send it earlier?

Please contact the Dealers' Room Director and inquire. We will handle all such requests on an individual basis and make allowances where we feel it is appropriate. This will not increase the chance of getting a table. It will simply make sure that you are given an even chance along with everyone else. Be advised that we will be paying attention to these requests. If an application comes in early from someone who claims to be in Timbuktu and it is postmarked Cleveland, OH, it will go on the bottom of the pile.

• I am with a group of three other dealers and we always like to sit together in a group. Won't this sytem make that impossible to arrange since all of our applications will arrive at different times?

We realize that a lot of our dealers like to be together. It is very simple to ensure that your applications arrive at the same time: put them in a single envelope. Remember, though, that the greater the number of people in your group, the more difficult it will be for us to be able to grant the request to be together.

• If the room is sold out, can I just share a table with someone else?

You may, but only if you inform Anthrocon's dealers' room director in advance and provide a Pennsylvania sales tax license for the additional dealer.

• Can I just sell things out of my room?

Merchandise can only be sold in designated areas. Both hotel policy and local tax regulations prevent sales from hotel guest rooms or in common areas of the hotel or convention center.

• I notice that you have some dealers who have multiple tables, while there are other dealers who have none. Isn't that unfair?

Dealers pay a considerable fee for the additional table. We feel that if a dealer has enough merchandise to make a second table economically feasible, then the additional space is warranted.

• Will you have a wireless internet server in the dealer room?

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that internet access will be available in the dealers' room. The contractor who provides this service to the Convention Center has been reluctant to negotiate with us, and hence it is not in our budget (or yours) to have access. If this changes, we will announce it on our front page.

• I want to ship some of my wares to the hotel. Do they charge to receive boxes?

There is a charge, which is detailed in the "Helpful information for dealers" page. If you are staying in the Westin, you should ship to:
(Your name)
Guest arriving on (date)
Westin Convention Center Hotel
1000 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412) 281-3700
Unless otherwise instructed, do not ship anything to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center!

• I read that we have to pay union Teamsters to carry our things in and out of the Dealers' Room. Is that true?

Only partly. Union regulations require that anything that cannot be brought in to the building by hand or in a standard piece of two-wheeled luggage, must be carried in by Teamsters. Anthrocon, however, will be footing the bill for this labor, provided the Dealer drops off his or her wares in the appointed time. We anticipate that only a few of our many dealers will need such assistance. For them, the inconvenience should be minimal. They need only drop off their things at the loading dock, or if they do not have a car, at the security desk just inside the West Lobby, and their wares will be carried in for them and delivered to their table(s).

• Why are the tables so much more expensive this year than last?

Anthrocon was caught unaware by the City of Pittsburgh's Mercantile Permit Fee (officially known as the "Emergency and Municipal Services Fee"), which is $52 per dealer, per year. We did not want to pass on that cost to our dealers last year, so we absorbed it ourselves. This year, we are offering to split that cost with our dealers, so as to reduce the financial burden on them. Dealer table rates have been increased $25 across the board, whereas Anthrocon will pay the remaining $27 per dealer out of its own budget.

• Can a dealer upgrade to a Sponsor or a Supersponsor membersip?

Of course! A dealer (or dealer assistant) can upgrade to a Sponsor for $55, or to a Supersponsor for $140. Contact registration if you wish to upgrade.

• I represent a nonprofit organization. Can we get a free table?

We have in the past made allowances for nonprofit organizations, but the sheer number who have been asking us for gratis tables has become overwhelming. We can no longer offer free tables to nonprofit organizations, as much as we would like to.

• Last year the sun was shining directly on my table. What are you going to do about it?

We have raised the issue with the Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau; sadly, they are unable to prevent the sun from shining during the course of our stay. We have assurances from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Carnegie-Mellon University, however, that the earth will be in continual motion during Anthrocon's weekend while the sun will remain relatively stationary, and thus any direct sunlight falling upon a given table will not linger there for longer than 15-20 minutes.

• I am a dealer. Can I leave my table during the day?

This answer is courtesy of The Foxish:
Oh defintely--you are more than entitled to leave your table at any time you see fit, for whatever reasons. We actually encourage dealers to spend some time wandering about, seeing panels, participating in events, and basically sampling the convention itself. The room is monitored by security during all operating hours; we suggest that if you're completely gone for any long period of time you at the very least cover your table with a sheet (which, please not, we cannot provide!) and note that you are gone for a spell.

If so inclined, you can also have someone monitor your table for you while you're gone; so long as they've been approved by you, we don't mind someone sitting about and minding the store, as it were. You can even continue selling your goods while not in, though taxes are still your personal responsibility.

We could certainly not tell our dealers to sit on their bums for three straight days, as we're putting on the convention for you blokes as well, and we want you to get out there and enjoy!

Additional information about the Dealers' Room can be found on our Dealers' Room page.