The Wine Festival at The Plains

semi-final layout (NEW as of 9/8 - supercedes what is in the printable)

(i have already changed it slightly but this is close to what we think will happen).

Space	EXHIBITOR
B5	ADT
C1	Affinity Woodworks
C	Aspen Dale Winery
C	Athena Vineyards
D2	Beadin Beads
B17	Beijo Bags
C6	Bling Doctor
C8	BoxeDesigns
B7	Cape Seasonings
A	Castle Gruen Vineyards
B14-16	Castle Hill Cider
A	Chateau Morrisette Winery
B1	Cigar Volante
B	Cooper Vineyards
D	Davis Valley Winery
C24	Delfosse Vineyards
B6	Dog is Good
A8	Elizabeth Newton
A1	Equestrian Wireworks
B	Fabbioli Cellars
B3	Flavor Magazine
C7	Furnace Mountain Alpacas
Food	Get Fired-Up Pizza
D1	GoldKey Resorts
A2 electric	Heartland Home Foods
D17	ING Financial Partners
C13	Joryel Vera
A11,12	Kimberlee Forney
A14,15,16	Laconiko ExTra Virgina Olive Oil
A17	Linda Blackbourn Jewelry
D14,15,16	Little Black Dress Line
A13	Maria's Silver Gallery
D	Marterella Vineyards
B	Mattaponi Winery
C	Meditteranean Cellars
A7	Mermaids Dream
C2	Miche Bag
B11	Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing
B	Miracle Valley Vineyards
C	Molon Lave Winery
A9,10	Moore Cadillac
D	Mountain Rose Vineyards
A18	Nature Scripts
C14,15,16	Nihal Art
C18	Oil & Vinegar
A	Potomac Point Vineyards
A	Prince Michel Vineyard
B9	Refined Creations
B2	Rings and Necklaces.com
B12	Sequoia Springs
Food	Sherri's Crabcakes
B13	Silpada
D13	Silverbird
Food	Strudel and More
D3,4,5	Sunshine Promotions
B18	Sweets By Greeks
Food	The Nut Lady
B8	Travel Cruise and Tour
C	Trump Estate Vineyards
A	Unicorn Winery
D18	Vacation Village
c17	Vallie's Vintage jewelry
D	Vincent's Vineyard
B10	Virginia Sportsman Magazine
D6	WD Designs
B	Williamsburg Winery
C11,12	Wishful Thinking Studio

THE WINE FESTIVAL AT THE PLAINS

AT GREAT MEADOW EQUESTRIAN CENTER

September 10-11, 2011

SATURDAY 11:00am – 6:00pm - SUNDAY - 11:00am-5:00pm

Thank you so much for joining us to put on a spectacular wine, art and polo event, featuring Virginia Wines paired with gourmet cuisine, fine art, fancy foods, our wildly popular seminar stage and polo - the sport of kings - in the gorgeous upscale venue of Great Meadow.

The Wine Festival at The Plains & 26th annual Commonwealth Cup of Polo is a new & improved version of a vintage tradition ... this event has grown up just like the Virginia wine industry has! We're upgrading the experience of discovering Virginia's world-class wine with this BETTER festival experience set in Virginia's premier event venue to appeal to today's sophisticated wine enthusiast crowd.

The festival is set on the 3000 foot berm of the Great Meadow Grass Polo field. Great Meadow is the BEST wine country event venue in the Washington DC region.
MASSIVE tents are our hallmark for creating a classy upscale layout that allows guests and exhibitors alike to enjoy the event without worries about weather.
BETTER edutainment is featured in the seminar tent, including our exclusive varietal tastings and Virginia Versus The World™ Smackdown.
A new mix of entertainment draws thousands looking for a BETTER WINE EVENT. This event is paired with world-class polo all day both days, including the 26th annual Commonwealth Cup US military team against the British military team. This is the oldest and most well attended international polo match in the US.

The layout and amenities included in this event set the tone for a distinguished experience that appeals to today's sophisticated wine and sporting enthusiasts alike. We hope you like the concept and have a great show!

You're gonna love this BETTER destination event!

Setup Hours:

Friday Sep 9 (10am – 5pm)

Show Hours

Saturday Sep 10 (11am – 6 pm)

exhibitors enter between 8am & 10:30am

Sunday Sep 11 (11am – 5pm)

exhibitors enter between 8am & 10:30am

Exhibit Removal:

Sunday Sep 11 (5pm – 9pm)

Click here for HOTELS IN THE AREA

Comfort Inn Warrenton is offering vendors a group rate of 85.99. It is the closest hotel approximately 6 miles from the site.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FLOOR PLAN

WINERIES CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR REMOTE LICENSE

WINERIES CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL WINE EXHIBIT NOTES

CLICK HERE FOR DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO GREAT MEADOW

5089 Old Tavern Road
The Plains, Virginia 20198

Click here for MapQuest Directions

BEFORE THE EVENT

WINERY AND FOOD EXHIBITORS - You must contact your liability insurance provider and obtain a rider naming the following as additionally insured for the dates of September 10-11, 2011: Farm Wineries Council Inc., 72 Christmas Tree Lane, Washington VA 22747 and Great Meadow Foundation, 5089 Old Tavern Road, The Plains, Virginia 20198 . This should be a free service of your insurance provider.
WINERIES - you will need to order your ABC remote license for this event. CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR REMOTE LICENSE.
FOOD SAMPLING AND SERVING - Restaurants and gourmet food vendors conducting sampling must obtain a temporary event health permit. We will provide hand washing mechanism for restaurant vendors. Please coordinate with the health Department directly.

Fauquier County Environmental Health

320 Hospital Dr. Suite 21, Warrenton, VA 20186

Phone (540)347-6363 Fax (540)347-6373

click here for Temporary Health Permit

click here for Health Inspection Guidelines

WINERY AND FOOD EXHIBITORS - Please fax a copy of your ABC remote or health license and liability insurance rider to us at 661-451-5491.

Sales Tax / State Dept. of Taxation - Click here to download the Virginia sales tax Form. Exhibitors are responsible for the collection and payments of all sales tax. The current tax rate, County and State combined, is 5% for Fauquier County, Virginia.
VIRAL MARKETING OF THE EVENT - The best marketing of an event like this happens in a viral marketing manner .... you tell two friends and they tell two friends and so on and so on and so on! Please help make this a successful event for us all by letting your fans know you will be there and posting the event on your website. Here is a note you can use to send all of your fans. They'll love you for getting them a $10 discount. Please hyperlink to the show in your website http://www.winefestivalattheplains.com

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Here's a blurb you can post on your website:

Meet us at The Wine Festival at The Plains, September 10 & 11 for the ultimate picnic in the meadow - Great Wine, Great Art, Great Food, & Great Polo at Great Meadow in The Plains! Click here for details and tickets - www.winefestivalattheplains.com

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Here's an EMAIL NOTE you can send to your customers

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Here's a TWEET you can send to your followers

Meet us in The Plains Sep10-11 for the ultimate Spring Picnic. Check it out at www.winefestivalattheplains.com

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If you have a place where you can distribute postcards for the event, please let us know and we will send you a batch.

STAFF ENTRY FOR THE SHOW

We do not need a list of the staffers who will be coming to help you at the show. We will have a sign in roster where everyone who is coming through to help you will sign in under your company name as they enter the event. We do not want to limit the number of people you think you need to run your business, but please keep your staff to a reasonable number. If an overly large number of people sign in under your company name claiming to be working in your booth, we will come to see how you are getting them all in there ... and, if they are not there working the booth, we'll have you pay for their entry.

Here is a note you can copy and pass to your staff about getting into the event.

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Thanks so much for helping us out at The Wine Festival at The Plains September 10 & 11 at Great Meadow Equestrian Center. The facility is located at 5089 Old Tavern Road, The Plains, Virginia 20198. Click here for - Directions to Great Meadow Equestrian Center.

Please arrive by 10:15am so that you do not get stuck in a traffic jam or guest line. After you park, you will enter through the far right gate. Sign in on the staff roster under our company name. You will be given a vendor badge that allows you to come and go through the show as you need to and shown where to find us. You must sign in at the front gate each day you are working as you arrive. Check out the event here - www.winefestivalattheplains.com

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SET-UP

SPACE ASSIGNMENTS - Placement on the festival grounds is being assigned by management selection to ensure a good mix across the field. You may tell us your preferred spots and we will try to get you close to that area, but WE DO NOT GUARANTEE PLACEMENT in any particular spot on the field. We have tried our best to provide everyone with high visibility on the field. We'll let you know where you will be as we get closer to the dates.
ARRIVAL LOCATION - Please enter through GATE 2 on Old Tavern Road at Great Meadow across from the country store. The Exhibitor registration desk will be located just inside that gate. Don't worry we will have signage out.
SET-UP TIME - Move in and set-up must be completed on Friday, Sep 9, between the hours of 10:00am and 5:00pm.
CREATE YOUR OWN GALLERY - Space provided for exhibitors consists only of empty grass space assigned by space number. The parameters of your designated space will be clearly marked on the ground. Exhibitors must create a professional appearance with their own tables and display equipment. All tables must be skirted to the floor. Use your creativity to build an attractive boutique that will look professional, attract the attention of customers and draw people to your boutique.
MOVE-IN - Driving on grass to get to exhibit space will not be allowed under any circumstance at this event. The farm road is very close to every space. Exhibitors will be guided to the spot closest to their space on the road on a first-come basis. All exhibitors must unload from the road and return to the parking area without driving on grass. Forklifts will be available for winery use on a first come basis. A crew will be available to help you move in if you reserve assistance ahead of time at a cost of approximately $50.
BANNERS, DECORATIONS - Nothing may be taped, nailed or other wise affixed to provided tents, including but not limited to: decorations, banners, signs, adhesive-backed (stick-on) or any other material. Banners must be attached to your own exhibit material in a professional manner. We reserve the right to require removal of unsightly decor. Here are a few examples of branding banner contraptions we've had exhibitors do that we thought worked particularly well ...

Making a freestanding banner contraption is easy - you will need 2 long PVC Pipes to create the vertical height of your banner, 1 PVC Pipe cut the same length as your banner to be the horizontal piece and 2 PVC corners. You will also need 2 tall (2 ft) stakes which you will hammer into the ground to hold the banner up, and several large twist ties to attach your banner to the contraption. You can get all of these items very inexpensively ($20 or so) at Home Depot.

WHAT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE

Here's an example of how our festival WILL NOT LOOK. This is me, doing a tasting at one of Virginia's wine festivals. This is what all guests faced while they were tasting Virginia's fine wine at this event. Do you think this set-up strategy affected the guest impression of Virginia wine? This "decorative look???" will not be allowed at The Plains or any other Farm Wineries Council event.

CANOPIES - all exhibitors will be placed in our large provided tents. If you would like to put your 10x10 pop-up tent inside the big tent that is perfect for securing your booth space at night. Your canopy may not be larger than your designated 10x10 footprint. All structures must be flame retardant and shall have the proper documents and certification attached and available on site at all times.
FLAME RETARDANT MATERIALS ONLY - All decorative materials must be flame retardant in accordance with the Public Safety and Fire Regulations and County Fire Safety Code. This includes drapes, banners, all decorative fabrics, poster paper, foam cores board as well as hangings, curtains and drops, projection screens, plastics and all other decorative materials. No flammable material such as bunting, tissue paper, crepe paper, straw, hay, etc. may be used as decorations.
DAMAGES - No holes may be drilled, cored or punched on the property. Damage fees will be assessed for all replacements and /or repairs to any one who damages provided tents, furniture, fences, grass or the road on the field grounds.
Set-up must be completed between the hours of 10:00am and 7:00pm on Friday, Sep 9th. An additional VIP set-up fee of $400 will be charged to exhibitors who find it necessary to set up exhibits outside the hours of the allocated set-up time.

DURING THE SHOW

By signing your contract to exhibit at this event you have made a contractual committment to be there the entire run of the show, Saturday Sep 10, 2011 from 11am to 6pm and Sunday Sep 11 from 11am to 5pm. Tear down may not be started before 5:15 PM on Sunday, Sep 11 unless show management cancels the event prior to that time. Why? Because guests expect a full show when they pay to come to the event.
Your signature on our contract specifically authorizes us to charge you a penalty fee of $1000 if your exhibit is not open or if you dismantle your exhibit prior to close of the show on Sep 11, 2011 at 5:00pm. Our contract has proven to be easily processable through small claims court and we do hold exhibitors to this contractual obligation. You may not vacate your space because you are not selling well, because you have sold out, because you don't feel well or for any other circumstance. If you don't feel well, please come to the gate to let us know and we can help. Please bring some extra marketing materials to pass out in case you sell out of product and please plan to keep your shop open and mann your exhibit for the entire duration of the event.

Aisles and walkways must remain clear throughout the entire show.
All exhibits must be staffed and open during all hours of the event.
Sound equipment is not permitted at exhibitor booths except with management permission.
Exhibitors may only display and sell items approved and specified in their show application.
Proper exhibitor identification credentials must be worn at all times while staffing the booth.
Food items may not be part of your offering unless you have been officially approved to do so.
All Emergency exits and required aisles shall be kept clear of obstructions at all times.
NO OPEN FLAME allowed in tents. Candles shall not be lit at any time.
No live animals, reptiles, fish or birds are permitted to enter the grounds unless a written permission has been obtained in advance. Only a properly muzzled “guide dog” accompanying a person in need of assistance is allowed in the festival venue.
Written permission is required for any collections, donations, whether for charity, business or personal.
Exhibitors are responsible for the securing of their own booth space. The field will go into lock down at 7:00pm Friday and 6:30 Saturday nights. Overnight security will be on site. However, festival producers, venues, sponsors, and partners will not be held liable for any lost, stolen or damaged items so whatever you would like to leave there must be secured under your own tarp or zippered tent structure.
All exhibitor cars will be parked in a desugnated exhibitor parking area that is not close or accessible to the festival grounds. No exhibitor vehicles will be allowed to stay on the festival grounds during the event. All vehicles must be off of the festival grounds and parked in the designated exhibitor parking area by 10:00am both days. Sorry to sound mean but ... a tow truck will be brought in to help us enforce this. If your vehicle is towed it will be available for you at the tow truck lot in Warrenton at your own expense. We pride ourselves on having pristine car-free festival grounds.
SOFT PACK IN/OUT SUNDAY MORNING - We will have an opportunity Sunday morning from 6:30am to 10:00am to allow you to do a soft pack in/out if you need to bring in extra inventory or would like to reduce your inventory on the field. You will need to request this Saturday evening before you leave if you foresee a need to do it as we will obviously not have time to allow everyone to bring cars in. The ability to drive onto the farm road Sunday morning will be available on a first come basis. You must obtain a SOFT PACK tag from the Vendor desk after the show closes on Saturday if you would like to bring your vehicle onto the festival road Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Tags will be available only to the first 30 exhibitors who ask for them Saturday evening. All others will be placed on a waiting list and may be able to service their tent after all tagged vehicles have been removed from the road.

Clean-up is the responsibility of each exhibitor. All trash (empty boxes, bottles, etc.) must be properly flattened and discarded in designated recycle bins throughout the day so that on-site staff can keep up with clean-up as it happens. Any items needing disposal Saturday evening must be flattened and placed beside the road or inside designated recycle bins nearest your booth space Saturday night for removal.
Large items brought in by exhibitors must be taken out by exhibitors. If you need to discard items that do not fit inside a recycle bin, please place them beside the road nearest your booth Saturday evening or Sunday evening after the crowd has left the event.
Exhibitors who trash the field at the end of the day, making it impossible to clean in the dark, or leave large items such as pallets on the field which are not removable, will be charged a $500 cleaning fee and will not be allowed to exhibit in any future Farm Winery Council events.
We do not allow exhibitors to bring other people's products or materials, including magazines, to distribute from their booth. A few magazines we know are notorious for asking exhibitors to bring in a stack of their products to pass to our guests so that they don't have to purchase booth space. If a magazine or any other company would like to reach the audience we have spent tons of money on bringing to our event, they can purchase a booth and help share the costs like the rest of us.

MOVE OUT

Clean-up is the responsibility of each exhibitor. All trash (empty boxes, bottles, etc.) must be properly flattened and discarded in designated recycle bins throughout the day so that on-site staff can keep up with clean-up as it happens. Any items needing disposal Sunday evening must be flattened and placed inside designated recycle bins nearest your booth space, or at the side of the road nearest your booth space or inside the stakebed truck that will move onto the field each evening.
Large items brought in by exhibitors must be taken out by exhibitors. If you need to discard items that do not fit inside a recycle bin, it is your responsibility to take it home or get it to the stakebed truck. We do not have the staff or facilities to handle your large pallets and other garbage for you.
All exhibitors will be required to move out of the field Sunday evening. There is a road that runs the length of all exhibit spaces and there will be no driving allowed on grass in the exhibit areas at any time.
All exhibitors must check-out at the vendor desk prior to departure to ensure items that belong to the rental company are properly returned.
Exhibitors who leave large items such as pallets on the field which are not removable, will be charged a $500 cleaning fee and will not be allowed to exhibit in any future Farm Winery Council events.
IN THE CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER exhibitors will not be allowed to roll inventory or vehicles anywhere on the festival grounds without a management permission tag. We will be enforcing contingency move in and move out plans to protect the field. Please be patient while we conduct a responsible entrance and exit. Exhibitors who do not comply will be charged a $500 penalty fee at the minimum and the entire cost of damage caused.

REFUND POLICY

In accordance with our signed contract, No full refunds will be given after we receive your application to exhibit at the event. Partial refunds will be given based on number of days before the opening day of the show we receive your cancellation:

150 days or more notice - 80% 120-149 days notice - 60%

90-119 days notice - 40% 60-89 days notice - 20%

30-59 days notice - 10% under 30 days notice - 0

No refunds will be given for bad weather, for booth location on the show floor, for less than desirable sales of your product, for feuds with neighboring exhibitors, for last minute booth location changes, for show cancellation due to weather, for acts of nature or for any other unforeseen circumstance.

Although we encourage exhibitors to look at the show floor plan and suggest to us their preferred placement, your location on the show floor is made solely by the show manager. We reserve the right to place all exhibitors where we envision the best fit based solely on our subjective opinion. And, we do reserve the right to move exhibitors, even as late as onsite when you arrive. We never know when a tent will hit a slopey spot, when a tent tractor tread will render a space unusable or other circumstances that may require us to move you to a different location. We will try to get you exactly where you would most like to be but please do not get too excited about your pre-show placement on the show floor.

NEW RULE - IF YOU NEED TO SET UP LATER THAN 5PM ON FRIDAY YOU MUST NOTIFY US ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE.

In our last event we had two prime locations that were not filled and 2 extra exhibitors who we had no time to move in there Saturday morning because we were not communicated with properly. In an effort to ensure the show looks nice and complete, we will release prime spots that are NOT IN THE PROCESS OF BEING SET-UP to be filled by exhibitors who are already there at 5:00pm Friday evening.

If you have not come to set up your boutique by 5pm Friday and we have not had prior communication with you that you need to arrive later than 5pm on Friday, you will most likely be moved to a not-so-high profile position. Sorry to sound mean but we need to ensure the show looks the best it possibly can. This should be easy ... just be sure to let us know one week in advance if you have a need to arrive later than 5pm on Friday Sep 9th for set-up.

Please try to think of questions you may have regarding participation early so we can make sure that you are comfortable with everything well in advance. Please do not try to call or email us to notify us of special needs the week of the event. We will not be in the office to help you with things that week as we will already be out on the field setting up tents.

I am hoping I have anticipated all of your questions and addressed them in this exhibit kit. Please give us a call or email if you think of something I missed.

See you at the show!

~ CONTACT US ~

donna@farmwineriescouncil.org | carl@farmwineriescouncil.org

Tel: 540-987-8265 | Fax: 661-451-5491