Exhibitor Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL EXHIBITOR QUESTIONS
August 2 - 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
August 3 - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
August 3 - 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
(1) 6-foot table, draped table
(1) 8-foot-high back drape,
(2) 3-foot-high side drape (if applicable)
(2) Side chairs
(1) Wastebasket
(1) Exhibitor ID sign
Exhibitors can check in starting August 1st from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM at the registration counter in the Grand Ballroom Foyer of the Hilton Minneapolis.
Exhibitors can register that booth staff through the exhibitor portal. Access instructions to the exhibitor portal have been emailed to you. If you have not recieved the access email, please contact Kim Tabor at ktabor@gie.net.
You can purchase extra exhibitor badges through the exhibitor portal. Once your allotted complimentary registrations have been used, the system will prompt you for payment for any additional registrations. Additional exhibitor badges can be purchased at a discounted rate of $99 per person.
Yes, the full Conference & Expo passes allotted with your exhibit package provide access to all general conference sessions and networking meetings. We encourage exhibitors and sponsors to explore all of the programming that Garden Center Conference & Expo has to offer.
Yes, there is a discounted room block set up at the Hilton Minneapolis at a rate of $209 per night. Information on how to reserve your room in the group room block can be found here.
A Certificate of Insurance, or COI, is a document used to provide information on specific insurance coverage. It includes important information from your insurance company, such as limits of coverage, policy number, certificate holder name, certificate holder address, effective dates, and additionally insured.
All Exhibitors are required to furnish a COI, at their own expense, of at least $1 million of comprehensive general liability insurance by June 30th, 2023. More information about the COI can be found here.
No, all exhibiting companies will recieve a full attendee list with contact details approximately 3-5 business days after the event.
We have created a promotional toolkit for exhibitors to use to promote their presence at Garden Center Conference & Expo. Here you will find ads that can be edited with your logo, recommended copy and other materials that you are free to use to help promote your company’s booth at Garden Center Conference & Expo. Click here to access to the toolkit.
An access link to the exhibitor portal has been sent to your email with a direct access link. If you did not receive this email, please contact Kim Tabor at ktabor@gie.net and she will resend your access email to you.
All company logos/descriptions on the exhibitor page have been provided to show management separately and have to be manually added to the website. If your logo is not appearing on the site, we have either not received it or it has just been sent to us and has not been added yet. While we aim to get all exhibitor logos added to the website as quickly as possible, logos can take up to 3 business days to be added to the conference website after they have been submitted to show management.
You can upload your company logo and description through the exhibitor portal.
Information on our suitcasing and outboarding policies can be found here.
Cancellation or reductions of exhibit space is required in writing or sent via email to conference@gie.net and the following cancellation fees apply.
Cancellations received prior to May 30, 2023, will receive a full refund minus a 10% administrative fee. Any cancellations made after May 30th will receive a 50% refund on the total amount of exhibit space and sponsorship funds paid. Cancellations received after June 15, 2023, are non-refundable.
We’d love to hear about it! Please contact us at conference@gie.net.
EXHIBITOR SERVICES QUESTIONS
Source One Events is the official show decorator for the Garden Center Conference & Expo. Source One Events can be contacted at 708.344.4111 or 877.763.3976 or exhibitorservices@sourceoneevents.com
The Exhibitor Services Manual (ESM) will be available April 2023.
Drayage is the handling of shipments and collateral materials upon their arrival at the exhibit hall. This includes:
- Labor and equipment to marshal the vehicles.
- Labor and equipment to unload and deliver the materials to the booth and check the shipment against the Bill of Lading.
- Labor and equipment to pick up the empty shipping containers and load them onto trucks for storage during the show.
- Trucks and drivers to haul the empty containers to an off-site storage facility if necessary.
- Rental of the off-site facility if necessary.
- Trucks and drivers to return the empty containers from the off-site storage facility to the exhibit hall at the end of the show.
- Labor and equipment to unload the empty containers from the trucks and redeliver them to the proper booths.
- Labor and equipment to pick up the re-packed materials, check them against the shipping papers, and re-load them into trucks for outbound shipment.
- Labor and equipment to marshal the vehicles during the outbound movement.
Furniture, utilities and services can all be ordered through the Exhibitor Services Manual (ESM).
No, electricity requests must be ordered through Encore, the exclusive electrical provider at the Hilton Minneapolis.
The exhibit hall itself is fully carpeted with a multi-colored carpeting. If you are interested in adding padding or ordering a different style/color of carpet, you can do so through the Exhibitors Services Manual (ESM).
Only Island Booths are able to use hanging signs and banners. Hanging signs cannot exceed a maximum height of 4’. Maximum hanging height from the top of the sign to the floor, for all signs is 20’ unless further restricted by the venue. Hanging signs must be placed above contracted exhibit space only. Signs should be centered within the exhibit space and cannot encroach on the aisle or any neighboring company’s exhibit space. Rigging request must be made 3 weeks prior to the show through official exhibitor services company that can be found in the Exhibitor Service Manual (ESM).
Wi-Fi is not provided by show management and must be ordered separately by the exhibitor through Encore Global Services. Information on how to order Wi-Fi for your booth can be found in the exhibitor services manual.
The deadline for advanced shipments will be available soon.
Your shipped materials will be delivered to your booth space at the start of your designated exhibitor set-up hours.
Exhibitor Services will come collect your boxes before the start of the Networking Reception on August 2nd. They will then redistribute your boxes back to you starting at 6:00 PM on August 3rd.
Information on how to ship your materials back after the show has ended can be found in the Exhibitor Services Manual (ESM).