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INFORMATION FOR VENDORS

MPE Homeschool Conference – March 31-April 1, 2023

Exhibit Hall Hours

Thursday, March 30. The Exhibit Hall will be open for exhibitors to set up from 5.00 – 9.00 p.m.  Friday, March 31. The Exhibit Hall will be open for exhibitors to set up at 7.00 a.m. It will open to registered conference attendees at 9.00 a.m. and will close at 6:00 p.m.  Saturday, April 1. The Exhibit Hall will open at 9.00 a.m. and close by 5.00 p.m. Exhibitors must be completely packed and cleared out by 6.00 p.m.

 Booth Services and Shipping Information

Liberty Exposition Services (www.libertyexpo.com) will receive and deliver boxes of display materials and other materials for your booth. Freight shipments must be sent prepaid. COD shipments will be refused. Your freight will be accepted at: LIBERTY EXPOSITION SERVICES, 1821 Bedford Avenue, North Kansas City, MO 64116. This company will also provide additional tables, chairs and floor coverings (the Exhibit Hall floor is bare concrete). You can also contact this company if you have other physical needs for your booth. Electricity and internet can be requested with the form at the top of the page.

Taxes

All vendors are responsible for their own collection and payment of sales taxes. The sales tax  is 4.225% (state: Missouri) + 1.25% (county: Platte) + 3% (city: Kansas City) + 0.125% (special) = 8.6%. All vendors who are Sole Owners or Partners have to fill out Form 2643S at http://dor.mo.gov/forms/2643S.pdf All vendors who are LLC or Corp. have to fill out Form 2643A at http://dor.mo.gov/forms/2643A.pdf More information, if required, can be found at http://dor.mo.gov/faq/business/special.php The forms need to be submitted 10 – 15 days after the special event. MPE does not have a sales tax ID for the convention that all vendors can utilize.

Lighting

Lighting in the Exhibitor Hall should be adequate for most uses. However, if bright lighting is important to you, order electricity from the KCI Expo Center and bring lights.

Exclusive Representation

MPE will NOT guarantee that you will be the exclusive exhibitor of your particular product(s) at the conference. It is the responsibility of each company and its exhibitors to coordinate representation of a product line. Shared Booth Space.  Exhibitors shall NOT share booth space with any other company or organization or display materials for another company or organization without the written permission of the Exhibitor Committee.

Meals

NO OUTSIDE FOOD is allowed to be brought into the KCI Expo Center. Thank you for respecting this policy of the KCI Expo Center. Food purchased inside the KCI Expo Center (from the vending machines or Cafeteria or Coffee Bar) is allowed. The Cafeteria is located off the main lobby and is open 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. both days. The Coffee Bar in the Lobby is open 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. They will have coffee, juices, bottled water and muffins available. (Pricing does not include sales taxes) In addition to the usual café fare,  daily lunch specials in the Cafeteria are available from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. or until sold out on the Friday and Saturday of the conference.

Use of the Convention Center Loading Dock

Exhibitors using the Convention Center loading dock shall focus on unloading their material first, then on moving their material from the loading dock to the Exhibit Hall, and finally on arranging their displays within their booth(s). On Saturday, exhibitors shall focus on packing up their displays and materials, then on moving their boxes and display cases to the loading dock area, and then on loading their vehicle. An exhibitor may NOT move its vehicle(s) into the loading dock area until ALL its display materials have been removed from the Exhibit Hall. This approach will allow the most efficient use of the loading dock area by all exhibitors.

Rules and Regulations

Distribution of printed materials, souvenirs, or other articles must be restricted to the space within the exhibitor’s booth. Any part of an exhibitor’s display that is over 8 feet tall must have prior written approval from the MPE Conference Committee. Smoking is not permitted except in designated areas. An individual public address system is NOT permitted. Music or audiovisual sound must not be audible more than 8 feet from the exhibitor’s booth. Use of highly flammable material shall NOT be permitted. Live flames are NOT permitted within an exhibitor’s booth. An adult must accompany exhibitor’s children under the age of 13 at all times. Drawings for prizes are permissible; however, the drawings must occur before the end of the conference. Exhibitors are liable for any damage caused to the building floors, walls, curtains, and drapes as well as to standard booth equipment or to other property of the facility or other exhibitors. Exhibitors must not apply any adhesive to the building floors, walls, or any standard booth equipment. No exhibitor may attach anything to anything outside his booth. Helium-filled balloons may be attached to the exhibitor’s booth, but the exhibitor is responsible for any loose balloons not removed from the facility at the close of the conference. Helium-filled balloons shall NOT be given to attendees.

Recommendations

“I want to thank all of you for being awesome to work with.  As someone who considers 25 conventions a year or so, we see everything on the spectrum of customer service, courtesy to exhibitors and so on, and you’re at the top of the list.” Jeff Cox, American School

Exhibitor Contact

Please direct all inquiries concerning exhibitor or vendor booths or demonstrations to: The MPE Exhibitor Coordinator, PO Box 14391, Lenexa, KS 66285 or email Exhibitors [at] MidwestHomeschoolers.org (not linked to prevent spam)
Updated 5/10/2022