Vendor Information
Thanks for Signing Up!
Thank you for participating in the Chicago Winter Bike Swap and helping make this a great event for the Chicagoland and Midwestern cycling communities. This will be the 16th year for this event. Dane, Eva, Julie and I are thrilled to present you with a well-run and successful Swap. Please let us know if there’s anything you need, or if there’s anything we can be doing better.
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Now let people know you're gonna be here!
More attendees means more sales for vendors, including you. Please take a minute or two to share the event, post to your socials, and get an email out to your customers. Let them know you'll be at the Chicago Winter Bike Swap and they should be too.
Our Facebook page, Instagram, and website are the best sources of information about the swap. Be sure to tag us in your stories! @chicagowinterbikeswap
We also have a new media page that will help you get the word out.
If you would like to generate interest in your merchandise, post some pictures of your most enticing gear to the Facebook Event so people know to look for you when they arrive.
Please read all these reminders
Vendor load-in on Sunday, Feb 9 begins at 7:00 am. Lobby will open at 8:30am to allow people in out of the cold. Swap doors will open to the public at 9:30 am and close at 2 pm. All vendors must be out of the facility by 5:00 pm. You can also load into your booths on Saturday evening from 4pm until 6pm. If you are bringing bikes, we advise that you bring cables to lock them up overnight Saturday. The facility is secure but there will be no one physically on-site overnight.
The unloading period is a very busy time for all of the vendors, and patience and courtesy are expected. Once all your merchandise is inside the building, please remove your vehicle from the unloading area ASAP so that another vendor can begin their unloading process. We hope to have plenty of volunteers to help you move your merchandise. The Prairie Event Center has 4 loading bays, one on each side of the building. Check in with us at the vendor table inside the southeast doors (there will be signs) of the Event Center and we’ll direct you to the loading dock that is closest to your booth. If you are checking in after 9:30 on Sunday, please check in at the Information booth in the lobby, entering through the public entrance doors. Vendor parking will be in the south lot behind the Event Center.
Please have any merchandise to be unloaded placed in boxes or something easily carried/stacked. Do not have loose items, such as 25 shoes or 70 inner tubes.
Keep all of your merchandise, displays, bikes, etc. within your vendor space. Do not assume any empty space is waiting to be claimed as yours. Do not use any aisle space for merchandise! You will need to remove any of your merchandise that is in the aisles or encroaching on another vendor's space. If you bring more stuff than will fit in your vendor space, then you will not have the room to display it. If you think you need a larger vendor space, please contact me asap.
Maps of the Venue:
Below is a draft of the new layout so you can familiarize your self. This layout is subject to change. We can not guarantee that we can fulfill special requests. Booths are assigned by size and date of sign-up. The final layout will be posted at vendor check-in during set up. It will remain at the information booth for late arrivals.
The Chicago Winter Bike Swap is a smoke-free event. Please do not smoke inside the Event Center or near any doorways.
You can collect your Vendor Passes and Corral Tags when you sign in at the vendor check-in table. Please wear your vendor passes at all times. If you arrive after doors open to the public let the person at admission know you are a vendor and you will be directed to the information booth.
If you have a person coming to help later in the day who needs a vendor pass, please give the vendor pass to the CWBS staff at the front door/registers and have that person come in through the general public entrance. If a vendor pass is not present for a person, they will need to pay the regular entry fee to enter.
Please be aware of how many vendor passes come with the vendor space you purchased. If your vendor space comes with 3 vendor passes, and you show up with 5 people, you will need to pay for 2 extra passes on the morning of the event. Likewise, the vendor unloading bays are not to be used as an alternate entrance to the bike swap by friends and acquaintances of registered vendors. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
The CWBS will have the ability to take credit and debit card payment for any extras you might discover you will need at load-in and during the event. Items include Vendor Passes, Bike Corral Tags and extra tables. Of course, you can also pay in cash.
For vendors placing bikes in the bike corral, you have the option of bringing your bikes on Saturday, February 8, during the event set-up from 4:00-6:00pm to place them in the bike corral. Please bring a long cable and lock to secure your bikes if you are leaving them overnight. Vendors can bring merchandise for your vendor space as well during this time Saturday. This should facilitate the unloading procedure for those individual vendors on Sunday morning, which in turn should facilitate the unloading for everyone else. If you are a retail vendor with a large booth space and a lot of merchandise, we HIGHLY encourage you to consider loading your merchandise in on Saturday. You can place your merchandise in your booth and unpack and “make pretty” on Sunday. Please note that we won’t have dedicated security overnight on Saturday. Any vendor placing bikes in the bike corral either on Sunday or on Saturday should leave enough time to fill out a Bike Corral Pass for each bike. Bikes will need to have a completed pass firmly attached before they can be brought into the corral.
Most customers will know to bring cash however you, as a vendor, can choose to accept credit and debit cards. Please be prepared to accept either credit cards and/or checks, depending on each vendor's preferences and capabilities. The ability to take credit card payments increases your sales. Card readers for smart phones and tablets are a great idea. There is no free WIFI at the Prairie Event Center. You can buy a WIFI Voucher for $20 in the Chicago Winter Bike Swap vendor shop or at the event (Some devices require a secure connection to process credit cards, if you get this error reach out to us day of and we will get you sorted). There are ATM machines conveniently located in the event center.
All vendors are encouraged to bring tents, signs or promotional material which can be placed in your vendor space. Don't forget pamphlets, business cards, etc. so that the customers can bring home contact information for your business. Any signs need to be free-standing or attached to your pop-up, etc. No signs will be allowed to be taped, tacked or propped up on any walls. Please do not damage any of the walls, floors or any property of the Kane County Prarie Event Center. Any damage caused by a vendor, their employees, members, volunteers or representatives will be solely the responsibility of the vendor to reimburse, repair or replace.
D & G Brewing will be on hand on Sunday with locally brewed beer. You are more than welcome to bring your own food or drink into the event also. Please remember to drink responsibly.
We will also have live music in the lobby of the Prairie Event Center. Jake Mack will be playing guitar and singing from 10am until 1pm.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
See you Saturday evening/Sunday morning!
