Check out the list of current Dealers, Artist and Authors with tables here: MarsCon 2025 Dealers, Artists, and Authors

Mars Con 2025 will begin accepting applications on March 15, 2024.

MarsCon has a large and diverse Dealers’ Room and we’re committed to filling it with the most exciting vendors we can find. We’re looking for those who have unusual, unique, and interesting wares, along with familiar and fun things for our collectors, and youngest attendees. We are committed to balancing the vendors in the room to ensure that we have a variety of item types, and price ranges that benefit both the vendors and our attendees. We’d especially love to see products supporting this year’s theme “Galactic Empires and Interstellar Legends”.

So, do you want to be a vendor?

The Dealers’ Room is not filled on a “first-come-first-served” basis. Vending one year does not guarantee a table the next. All vendors have a chance to get into our room!  We will review all submitted applications on a monthly basis beginning on June 1, 2023. Vendors will be notified via email if they are accepted or waitlisted. Once invoiced, vendors have 15 days to pay via our Square Invoice. Your space is not confirmed until we receive your payment in full.

Tables: Each space comes with either one (1) 6ft x 30-inch table or two (2) 6ft x 18-inch tables. Each vendor may opt to bring their own tables, shelving, or displays as long as the items fit within the marked space. As a reminder each space is 6ft by 6ft. Due to the overall size of the Dealers Room, the 6 by 6 space will be strictly enforced. 

Additional Badges: Vendors may purchase one additional Dealers Membership at $35.00 for each space purchased. For example, if a vendor purchases two (2) spaces, the vendor may purchase up to two additional Dealers Memberships to bring their total Dealers badge count to four (4). NOTE: Dealers Memberships are for those individuals working in the Dealers’ Room only. Each purchased badge must have a name associated with the badge at the time of purchase.

Additional Advertising: Vendors may purchase a business card sized advertisement to be placed in the printed program and in a flip slider on the front cover of the Mars Con Webpage (during the convention) for $15. Vendors can indicate their desire to purchase this extra advertising on their application. Larger advertising is available. If interested in purchasing larger advertising, please reach out to the Dealers’ Room Coordinator.

Electrical Access: Mars Con staff will run extension cords to various locations around the room. Please indicate on your applications if you need access to electricity.

Wi-Fi: The hotel provides wi-fi throughout the hotel and convention space. Vendors are welcome to use the hotel provided wi-fi. Access and wi-fi strength are not guaranteed. You are encouraged to bring your own hotspot. 

Wall spaces: Vendors may request wall spaces on their application; however, due to the limited number available wall spaces are not guaranteed.

Load-In/ Set-up: Load-in to the Dealers’ Room begins at 9 am on Friday, January 17, 2025. Vendors are expected to be able to load-in their merchandise and booth materials on their own. The convention cannot guarantee that volunteers will be available to assist. Vendors should make their own arrangements for load-in/out assistance. Vendors should pull around to the back right side of the convention space to load-in via the double glass doors just outside of the Dealers Room.

Early load-in is available from 5pm to 7pm on Thursday, January 16, 2025. Vendors who wish to take advantages of early load-in, must contact the Dealers’ Room Coordinator by 9pm on Monday, January 13, 2025.

All vendors must be present at least an hour prior to the opening of the dealers’ room (1pm), and their booth must be complete prior to the room opening at 2pm. Loading-in and setting up when the dealers’ room is open causes disruptions and may impact sales for other vendors. Unless prior arrangements are made, load-in when the room is open will not be permitted.

Vendors who arrive after 1pm on Friday will not be permitted to load-in/set up until after the Dealers room closes at 8pm. Vendors who have not arrived by 1pm on Friday and reached out to the Dealers’ Room Coordinator by 1pm on Friday will forfeit their space and will not be given a refund. The Dealers’ Room Coordinator has the option to offer the forfeited space to a vendor on the waitlist for Saturday/Sunday.

Security:

To ensure everyone’s safety, and the security of merchandise and cash boxes, only those with a Dealers Room or Staff badges will be allowed in the Dealer’s Room during Load In, Load Out, or before/after our posted open hours.

The Dealers Room will be locked by hotel staff each evening.

Vendors who opt to locate outside of the secured Dealers’ Room are responsible for the security of their merchandise. If merchants opt to leave their merchandise unsecured, they do so at their own risk.

Room Operations/ Rules:

• The convention will follow all guidelines established by the CDC and the Governor of Virginia regarding COVID and convention safety.
• There will be no hawking of wares, music that expands beyond your booth, or generally adding to the already normally noisy environment.
• Do not expand beyond your marked space, which includes access areas, aisles and your neighbor’s space.
• Do not sit in or store your belongings in the access aisle. If you need to walk in the access aisle, please be careful of the electrical wires and plugs.
• Be prepared to leave the dealers’ room within thirty minutes of closing time on Friday and Saturday evenings. The doors will be locked 30 minutes after the posted close times.
• On Saturday and Sunday, vendors will have access to the room one hour prior to the posted hours.
• Breakdown and load-out through from the dealers’ room can begin 3:00pm on Sunday. The Con-Chair or the Dealers Room Coordinator may authorize the room to close early based on emergency or weather-related issues.
• If you need to be out of the room prior to 3pm on Sunday, please arrange with the Dealers Room Coordinator to break-down/pack-out Saturday evening after 6pm.
• Dealers must plan for their own load in/out assistance. The convention cannot guarantee that volunteers will be available to assist.
• Please put all trash in the cans provided.

Load Out:

Vendors may begin packing at 2pm and loading out when the Dealers’ Room closes at 3pm on Sunday.

Vendors must be out of the Dealers’ Room by no later than 6pm on Sunday (1/19/25).

Vendors are asked to please pick up their trash (including zip ties) and place it in or near the trash cans provided.

Vendors are expected to be able to load-out their merchandise/ booth materials on their own and in the specified time frame. The convention cannot guarantee that volunteers will be available to assist. Vendors can make their own arrangements for load-out assistance.

Refunds:

Please let the Mars Con Dealers’ Room Coordinator as soon as possible if you need to cancel your space. If we are able to fill your cancelled space, then you will be issued a refund. If we are unable to fill your space, then you will not be issued a refund. Please refrain from purchasing un-needed tickets, as extra dealers’ tickets are available at the convention. However, if tickets are purchased and then not needed, they can be refunded until Friday of the convention. Advertising can be refunded if the program has not already printed. Refunds will not be issued because a vendor does not like the Mars Con staff, attendees, other venders, or did not make a profit.

Dealers’ Room Coordinator Contact Information:

Please refer questions, complaints, and comments to the Dealers’ Room Coordinator at dealers@marscon.net.

Click here to go to the Dealers’ Room Application.

NOTE: Any applications submitted prior to March 1, 2024, will be rejected by the review committee.