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PRIVATE MSOS VENDOR INFORMATION AND SHOW DETAILS
Here you will find important details regarding the upcoming Mat-Su Outdoorsman Show.
Note that you cannot access this page from the main public menu of the Outdoorsman Show website. Bookmark this page to return easily, or manually type the address in your browser window (matsuoutdoorsmanshow.com/vendorstuff/), or click the link you received by email.
Check back often, as show details and information will be updated as we get closer to the show dates.
SETUP INFO
The booth pipe, drape, and electric setup will be finished by mid-afternoon on Thursday. If your booth is on the main floor of the Menard Center, you may begin booth setup starting at 3:00 Thursday afternoon. For those in the upper bleacher area of the ice rink, setup begins at 4:00. You will have access to the building up until 9:00 Thursday evening, and it will be open again at 7:30 Friday morning. When you arrive for setup, before doing anything else, please stop at the ticket counter, located between the ice rink and the turf field to sign in and to pick up your vendor packet and vendor badges.
There will be some handcarts available, and MATSU Events staff will be on hand if you need assistance bringing your items into the building and moving them to your booth. There are large overhead freight doors into each of the two arenas for bring in larger items such as vehicles and boats. Please minimize use of these doors, as the large openings can create a cross wind that affects inside booths and displays. If you are hanging signs or banners at your booth, please do not use tape or pins on the booth fabric. Hooks that fit over the booth pipes are available at the ticket counter. Please let us know in advance if you need special setup accommodations.
We will work directly with RVs and outside vendors to coordinate your setup schedules. Food trucks may begin setting up anytime after 8am Friday morning, and staff will be available to assist with food truck locations.
Plan to have your booth or display set up and ready to go by no later than 11:30 on Friday morning. As a reminder, the show times are:
Friday: Noon – 6:00
Saturday: 10:00 – 6:00
Sunday: 10:00 – 5:00
The show closes to the public at 5:00 Sunday evening. Even though the visitor crowd begins thinning that last hour, please be courteous to other vendors and visitors by waiting until the close of show to begin disassembling your booth. Our staff will be available if you need help moving items to your vehicle. Everything
must be cleared out of the Menard Center by no later than 10:00 Sunday Evening.
Vendor Break Room
The vendor break room is located down the long hallway adjacent to the ice rink, and it will be open and at your disposal throughout the weekend. We keep it stocked with snacks, drinks, and coffee, and there is a refrigerator if you want to keep your lunch cold. That room serves as our office, and there will always be staff available.
Saturday Vendor Dinner
The vendor dinner has become a tradition at the Outdoorsman Show, and we look forward to having you and your staff join us Saturday evening right after the show. Like last year, it will be in the batting practice area overlooking the ice rink, a taco bar is provided by Tacos Cancun, and there will be drinks and adult beverages. If you would like to donate an item to be given away to one of your lucky fellow vendors during the dinner drawing, please drop it off with our staff in the break room sometime before Saturday evening.
Parking
Please leave parking spaces closer to the building open and available for our show visitors. During show hours, plan on parking at the far reaches of the Menard Center parking lots.
Wasilla Business License
Because the Menard Center is owned by the City of Wasilla and is located within the city boundaries, all vendors are required to have a Wasilla Business License in order to participate in the show. For those of you who do not regularly do business in Wasilla, the city offers a temporary 7-day Special Event License. Details are at https://www.cityofwasilla.com/business/business-licensing-sales-tax-information. Stay ahead of the curve and make sure your business license is up to date prior to the show.
—> Wasilla officials will be checking and cross referencing the vendor list for compliance, and they will not allow you to set up at the show if not properly licensed.
Contact the Wasilla business licensing department at 907-373-9080 if you have questions!
Drawings and Raffles
Don’t underestimate the value of giving away free stuff at your booth! Many vendors like to have visitors drop names, phone numbers, and email addresses in a bucket for a chance to win something. Of course, this provides you with customer contact information to use for your own marketing, and it helps raise public awareness of your business, products, and services. And people love to win free stuff!
New this year, we will be announcing door prize winners of vendor-donated items during the show, one drawing each hour. (Limited to 18 drawings total over the course of the weekend). Drawings will be held every hour on the hour, from entrance tickets of visitors who have arrived within that previous hour.
MATSU Events is excited to partner 50/50 with you to help offset the cost of your donation! For example, if you wish to donate an item with a RETAIL value of $300, (could be a gift certificate, adventure trip, lodging, sports gear… or whatever), we will reimburse you half of that amount — $150, either credited towards your booth fee, or back to you in cash. The maximum 50% amount we will cover towards any single donation is $250. Call or email to discuss.
Raffles (where a limited number of numbered tickets are sold for a chance to win – commonly used for fundraising by nonprofit organizations) are also encouraged, but keep in mind that you must have the appropriate State gaming license to sell raffle tickets.
Seminars
There are two classrooms available at the Menard Center throughout the show for your use if you wish to present a seminar or class away from the noise and commotion on the display floor. Rooms include an LCD projector and seating for 25-30 people. Time slots are still available, first come first serve.
Go to https://matsuoutdoorsmanshow.com/vendor_seminar/ to reserve one of the rooms. Sign up sooner rather than later, as we would like to begin promoting your seminar to the public well in advance of the show. March 6th is the deadline to get your seminar time and description published in the Show Guide.
Extra Booth Items
Do you need extra items such as tables, chairs, table linen or skirting, stands, plants, or other furnishings for your booth? Well don’t worry, because we have you covered! Special Events Alaska has been selected as the show service contractor for the 2023 Mat-Su Outdoorsman Show.
Note that your vendor booth consists of a 10’ x 10’ pipe and drape display area, with an 8’ high back drape and 3’ side drapes. Please note that the exhibit space is not carpeted and does not include tables or chairs.
Should you wish to rent additional items such as tables, table linen or skirting, chairs, or other items, please refer to this Special Events Order Form or contact Special Events directly at 907-357-RENT(7368).
Vendor Break Room
The Vendor Break Room will, of course, be open to you and your staff throughout the show. This room will also serve as the Outdoorsman Show management office. Located down the hall next to the seminar rooms, consider it your private sanctuary if you need a break to sit down, eat your lunch, or just get away from all the commotion out on the display floor. Complimentary coffee, soda, and snacks will be available.
Vendor Dinner
You and your staff working the show are cordially invited to the Vendor Dinner, held Saturday evening after the doors close to the public. Dinner will be a TACO BAR BUFFET, provided by our friends from Tacos Cancun, along with a selection of sodas and adult beverages. This is your chance to relax after a long day on the floor, to kick back, and to get to know some of your fellow vendors.
And of course, there will be the highly anticipated donation drawing. You are invited to donate an item, big or small, to be given away to one of your lucky fellow vendors during the dinner. Your donated item can be dropped off with staff manning the Vendor Break Room any time on Friday or Saturday. No donation? No problem!, so don’t feel any pressure. Come enjoy the dinner anyway!
Advertising
Radio advertising will be happening on KOOL97.3, Classic Country 100.9, KBEAR 104.1, MIX 103.1, KWHL, KFQD, BOB 92.1, Q99.7, 96.3 The Moose, and 95.5 The Pass. The People’s Paper and Make A Scene Magazine is printing the official multi-page Outdoorsman Show vendor guide and schedule. 12,000 copies are being included as an insert in the edition to be distributed to over 200 public locations throughout the valley two weeks before the show. The guide will also be provided to show visitors as they arrive. The People’s Paper is offering great advertising rates for vendors if you wish to have a display ad included in the guide. With a paid print ad, you also get free radio advertising on 95.5 The Pass. Contact Bryce at 373-2698 to get hooked up.
The following ad will be running on KTUU Channel 2 and KYES Channel 5 beginning on February 28th:
Posters
The11x17 posters have arrived and are going up on bulletin boards and store windows all over southcentral. Let us know if you would like any of these posters to hang up at your place of business, or if you would like to help distribute them throughout the community.
Social Media
We have been placing regular posts and announcements on the MATSU Events Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/matsueventsllc) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/matsuevents/) pages, highlighting individual show vendors. Between now and the show, these posts are being boosted on Facebook and Instagram to a targeted audience throughout the valley and Anchorage. In the past, we have found this type of social media advertising to be a very effective use of our marketing budget to attract more visitors to the show.
Fire Safety
We have been having ongoing discussions with the Borough Fire Marshall. Please make note of the following safety requirement changes:
Fire extinguishers are NO LONGER REQUIRED for individual booths, as you have access to fire extinguishers already provided throughout both the ice rink and the turf field. When you arrive for setup, make sure you familiarize yourself with the locations of these extinguishers.
Covered booths ARE allowed. For example, some vendors may wish to use a pop-up canopy that contains their name, logo, or advertising as a part of their booth display. The only requirement if you have a covering over your booth area (that could obstruct overhead sprinklers) is that you ARE REQUIRED to have a fire extinguisher at your booth with a minimum rating of 2A:10B:C and with current inspection date.
Onsite Financing
We are happy to welcome Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union to the Outdoorsman Show. For those of you selling big ticket items, these folks will be there to offer your customers on-the-spot financing. You can find MVFCU in spaces G8 & G9 in the ice rink.
Vehicle Displays
If you are planning to display any type of motorized vehicle inside the Menard Center, please contact us regarding Menard vehicle display requirements.
