2019 Anchorage Market Vendor News

Hello & Welcome 2019 Anchorage Market Vendor!! This news letter contains important information regarding your Anchorage Market booth space. For us, summer doesn't start until the   Anchorage Market  does, which is May 11th this year! Part of our countdown is making sure that everything is in order for the start of the season. Which is right around the corner! We want to take a moment to remind you of some policy and procedural changes that happened in 2018, as well as keeping you up to date on the tourism industry and what we've been up to.

We hope you are just as excited as us for opening weekend! Opening weekend is May 11th and 12th - Mother's Day weekend. Saturday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Sunday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Be sure to let everyone know where to find you at the Anchorage Market this season!!

2019 Cruise Line Forecast & Our Economy We continue to hear good things about the tourism forecast for 2019 and beyond. According to an article published by the Cruise Lines International Association Alaska (CLIA), they are anticipating 15% growth in 2019 and another increase in 2020. Growth is also anticipated in consumer spending. Not a bad time to be in the tourism industry, eh? The full article can be found  here. The Alaska economy is finally turning around. In 2019 our economy is expected to show positive growth in the job market for the first time since the recession began in 2015! Economists project that employers will add about 1,400 jobs in 2019. With the projected increase in tourism and the local economy, 2019 should be a great year for all Alaskan businesses! Find our more here .

Anchorage Events are Smoke Free! If you follow us on Facebook ( @AnchorageMarket ), you may already be aware that we updated our smoking policies in 2018. Due to an updated interpretation of the Anchorage Muni fire ordinance, both of our outdoor shows ( Anchorage Market  and the  Bear Paw Festival Vendor Court ) are NO SMOKING events. This includes all forms of E-cigarettes (which have caused over 2035 explosions and burn injuries ). We appreciate and expect our vendors' compliance with this policy, and would like you to help us make market-goers aware of it. Vendors are required to post a NO SMOKING sign in their tent or on their trailer while at the Anchorage Market and the Bear Paw Festival Vendor Court.

Anchorage Market Shopping Bags We will again be selling our plastic Anchorage Market bags this summer. Small plastic bags are : $6.00 per bundle (about 100 bags per bundle) Medium plastic bags are : $7.00 per bundle (about 100 bags per bundle) Large plastic bags are also available. -OR-  You can receive $FREE$ bags when placing a boosted post on Facebook with our Market Video<--Click link to view & tagging us ( @AnchorageMarket ) " Find us at the AnchorageMarket ". Not sure how, ask us how!! Show us your boosted post and paid receipt for $FREE$ shopping bags!

Anchorage Fire Code is in full force this season All vendor tent canopy's must be compliant with fire codes NFP701 and/or CPAI-84; this can be found on the manufacturers tag which must be visible on your canopy. The Anchorage Market also requires that ALL vendors have a current and properly tagged 2A10BC fire extinguisher in their booth space at all times. As of 2018, vendors were informed that fire regulation related to cooking in and around tents has changed in the Anchorage Municipality. From our understanding, absolutely NO cooking is permitted under a tent canopy, unless the canopy is constructed of non-combustible materials. It is of the utmost importance that food vendors are in compliance with all Anchorage fire regulations to avoid the potential of the food vendor booth space being shut down until the vendor is in compliance. Food Vendors must ensure they have leased enough space to keep their booth in compliance - to include required fire breaks, at all times. Your separate food vendor newsletter covers this and much more, in greater detail! - Please review it carefully. If you are unsure about how fire regulations impact your ability to cook; we urge you review your food vendor newsletter and/or to contact the Anchorage Fire Department to verify your cooking situation.The AFD contact page is  here . We will keep you updated as we we are made aware of changes. Are you using a surge protector or extension cord to power equipment in your booth? Ensure your extension cord and and surge protectors are clearly tagged or marked for outdoor use by the manufacturer! Vendors are permitted to use electric space heaters so long as the heater remains a minimum of 3' from combustible materials at all times.

Tent set-up, storage and weights We offer daily and weekend tent rentals. These rentals include a single 10' by 10' tent, side walls, tent weights, 2 - 6' tables, 2 chairs, our staff will set-up and take down the tent. Tent rentals are usually available for vendor move-in by 8am each Market day and are $65/day or $85/weekend. Participating in another event? We offer tent rentals at all events from Girdwood-Wasilla. We will beat any competitors advertised price for the same service. Have your own tent but tired of setting it up? We can help! We are now offering vendor tent set-ups for as low as $50 per tent/weekend. Don't like transporting your tent back and forth? We will store your tent onsite at the Market for as low as $5 per 10' by 10' or 10' x 15' tent/weekend. We will begin offering concrete tent weights for sale this season. Each concrete weight has 2 eye-bolts rated for 160lbs. Each weight is approximately 100lbs.

Because we know you are wondering, yes, the Buses are (Still) Back! Like last year and the year prior, tour buses will drop off passengers in our 3rd Avenue loading zone. Please help us facilitate this by using the 15 minute loading zone for it’s intended purpose (hint: 15 minute loading).

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"Market Tokens" We at Alaska Markets & Events know how much vendors look forward to a large tour bus presence at the  Anchorage Market . Over the years, we have taken steps to ensure that our tour bus traffic reaches desired levels. One of those steps was returning the bus loading zone to 3rd Avenue; another is implementing incentives to encourage bus drivers and tour guides to bring their passengers to our market. This is where we need YOUR help! Introducing: Market Tokens, tokens that can be exchanged for goods inside the market area. Do you have a coupon to offer for the buses? Let us know and we will be glad to provide it to the buses along with our tokens and get them to your booth!

Each bus driver and tour guide will receive Market Tokens (pictured above), to spend in your booth. We ask that you accept these tokens at face value($1 each), you are not required to accept these tokens. Simply bring the tokens up to our Headquarters building, where they will be credited to your account; IF you don't have an open balance with us, we will reimburse you the amount via check after the end of the Anchorage Market season . Tokens must be returned to us by September 8, 2019 in order to receive credit. Thank you for supporting our efforts to increase your business!

Want Your 15 Seconds of Fame? Anchorage Market   vendors: if you are interested in being featured on our Facebook and in our Market newsletter (and have not already contacted Michelle), please fill out this  form  to begin the process. This is a free form of advertising for YOU, courtesy of Alaska Markets (AKA Michelle)!

Alaska Waste and Anchorage Market Recycling Program Alaska Waste  is now the Recycling Partner of choice for the Anchorage Market all summer long! Alaska Waste  allows all forms of accepted materials for recycling; this includes paper, cardboard, plastics, used cooking oils and much more! All Anchorage Market vendors and their employees are  required  to do their part by recycling all accepted materials in the correct  Alaska Waste   recycling container at the Anchorage Market. Our Anchorage Market staff will routinely collect trash and recycling throughout the weekend.

Advertising We have increased our advertising footprint this year to be either seen or heard throughout the entire Market season! We have partnered with Ohana Media Group and Alaska Integrated Media in Anchorage. This will maximize our advertising dollars for you and we are now on a whopping 7 radio stations servicing Girdwood to Wasilla! We are also continuing our partnership with KTUU to increase advertising to your customers! You will find us on KTUU Channel 2, almost 3x as often this Anchorage Market Season! Never in the history of the Anchorage Market has there been continuous advertising every day, every week, all summer long, until NOW ! Why the change? Because you asked for it!

You will also find our advertising dollars hard at work with... Alaska Channel - In room(hotel) television advertising for Alaska hotels Visit Anchorage Anchorage Guide Book Anchorage Activity Map Alaska.org website Anchorage Channel Alaska Travel Industry Association Anchorage Bed & Breakfast Association Visit Anchorage Fun*Dex - Hotel rack cards Anchorage Daily News Alaska Airlines Social Media Anchorage Chamber of Commerce How can you help with our advertising efforts and increase your ROI? Simply share our social media posts, videos, photos or create your own post and tag the Anchorage Market pages! This will help to remind your customers of where they can find you all summer long! This is also a great opportunity to earn free shopping bags!

Invoices Your invoices are something you will want to keep around, because they: Update in real time. Allow you to pay online, as many times as you need. Instructions for paying your invoice online are included with the email you receive. Instantly reflect your payments. Immediately reflect any changes or edits we make and when we make them. This means that we don't need to clog your email with multiple invoices every time we update them (although we are happy to resend invoices, upon request). Allow you to "chat" with us through your invoice. Let you upload those pesky Bear Paw insurance forms directly to your invoice. Provide you with special information about your account, including your market dates! Have copies of your lease agreement available upon request. We have also begun attaching documents & forms that you send us to your invoices, so you always have access to your important documents. Pretty cool, huh? Well, we think so anyway!

Vendor Restrooms  Each market day, we place portable restrooms in the northeast corner of the market area. There is a sink and three(3) “cans.” We place combination locks on the “cans” to prevent the public from using them. Only our vendors know the super-secret combination: 1992 .   When this system works, it works well and these restrooms offer a quick solution to vendor’s needs. However, this system depends on EVERY VENDOR CARING and re-locking the restroom when finished.  The restroom rental and cleaning will cost us about $8,500 this season. Help keep your costs and ours down, clean up after yourself and put the lock back on when you're finished. We have another restroom by the Spirit of Alaska pole. Let’s make this work this season. If you can’t keep the combination number to yourself and re-lock the restrooms for any reason, please use the public restrooms.

Need to Make Changes to your leased dates? If you feel the need to change any dates or add any days to your lease, please let us know as soon as you know, so we can ensure the change is entered. If you would like to change your booth location to another available booth location or make any other changes, please contact Michelle or Mike by phone or text at 907-272-5634 or by emailing info@anchoragemarkets.com.

Anchorage Market Courtesies Each year we provide this article for friendly reminders, helpful hints and common courtesies that need to be upheld throughout the market season. All Vendors and their employees are expected to be aware of and adhere to these simple but important courtesies so we may all enjoy our summer at the market:   Stay within your leased space. Most booths are 20’ in depth counting the sidewalk or curb and all are 10’ wide unless extra space has been purchased. Keep all items affiliated with your booth behind the 20’ mark at all times…including booth employees. Make sure that you have purchased the appropriate width to accommodate your tent. Since this is our 17th year of making extra footage available, we will not allow any vendor to infringe on their neighbor’s leased space and you will be required to move your tent, displays and merchandise if you do so. If you did not buy enough width, contact Michelle or Mike immediately to see how this problem can be resolved before the market opens.   Unload your vehicle as quickly as possible in the mornings and then remove it from the market area immediately. Driving instructions can be found HERE . Extra vehicles in the market jam up the aisles, delay others and create a safety hazard. Likewise, in the evenings DO NOT bring your vehicle into the market area until your merchandise and tent are packed and ready to go. Load as quickly and as safely as possible; leave the market area post haste. Turn your vehicle off when loading and unloading to help keep the fumes in the market area as low of a level as possible, this helps the environment too! Park as close to your booth’s boundary as possible and allow room for vehicles to pass. DO NOT speed, be careful and safe at all times.   Have your booth open by opening bell at 10 AM and keep it open until closing bell at 6PM (5PM Sundays). A full and functioning Market is vital for all to achieve maximum sales. It is your contractual responsibility to be open all Market hours. Should a problem arise that may require a late opening or early closing of your booth, contact the Market manager for permission prior to closing.   Make sure that people and things in your booth are not interfering with your fellow vendors or market customers. Dogs or other pets must be restrained and not able to move outside of your booth area at any time. Any messes your pet makes should be cleaned up, by you, immediately and disposed of properly. Music should be played at a volume level low enough that your neighboring vendors cannot hear it…or it’s too loud. Vendor’s children are welcome at the Market; we treasure our family atmosphere and values. It is your responsibility to ensure that children affiliated with your booth adhere to Market rules and respect the rights of other vendors at all times. Scooters, roller blades, bicycles and skateboards are prohibited from the Market area.   Watch out for your neighbors and our customers. Help when needed. Keep a good attitude towards one another. It all helps make the Market one of life’s more enjoyable events. Watch each other’s booths for meal or bathroom breaks. Lend a hand in expanding your neighbor’s tent. Have fun, life is short.

Vendor Parking Vendors are often wondering where to park their truck and/or trailers at a reasonable rate. Here are a few options: 1. Easy Park provides a $75-per-season parking pass in the Chinook and Sockeye lots (Market lot & lot directly in front of the Aviator Hotel.) This works out to about $2 per day if you use all 18 weekends of the season. It just won’t get cheaper. Even if you use less than the full 18 weekends you will find this rate almost unbeatable anywhere. The only exception is when the amusement ride provider is using the Sockeye lot. Yes, we will have amusements at the Anchorage Market for at least 2 weekends this summer. When the amusements are in the Sockeye lot, you are NOT permitted to use the lot, if you chose to park in the Sockeye lot while amusements are set-up, your vehicle will be removed at your expense. When the amusement rides are set-up in the Sockeye lot, vendors will be able to park in the parking garage located at 5th & B, at available paid meters or pay to park in another available lot. As a reminder, over-height parking(8'6") at the 5 th & B parking garage is on the 4 th Avenue side. You can find the vendor parking agreement HERE .   2. Diamond parking provides a $200-per-season ($50 a month) parking pass for their lot that is immediately East of the Anchorage Market lot. Parking is allowed in this lot 24/7. This lot does accommodate larger size vehicles, including RVs, but each vehicle is charged separately. A trailer and a tow vehicle are considered two vehicles that must each be paid for. At $200 a season, that works out to about $5.56 per vehicle, per day. It would be hard to beat these rates anywhere downtown. 3. Vendors who do not take advantage of either of these options will have to pay for parking at city lots or the Diamond lot at a rate of $1.25 per hour.   Easy Park permit applications must be completed and submitted directly to Easy Park. You can find the Easy Park office at: 440 B St, Anchorage, AK 99501. Diamond parking applications may be obtained from their street-level office in the Hotel Captain Cook Garage.

Our other events:

Bear Paw Festival Vendor Court:   July 12, 13, & 14. This show is SELLS OUT ! We are now accepting new vendors!  Arts & Crafts Emporium : November 16 & 17. Booths are $475; double booths are $875. Only products handcrafted in Alaska are allowed in the show. THIS SHOW SELLS OUT!    Online registration available HERE .

Holiday Food & Gift Festival : November 2nd & 3rd. Booths are $475; double booths are $875. Products from around the world are accepted. THIS SHOW WILL SELL OUT! Online registration available HERE . Christmas Village : December 14. Booths are $325; double booths are $600. Products from around the world are accepted. THIS SHOW SELLS OUT!  Online registration available HERE . 

Important dates!  May 11, 2019: Opening day of Anchorage Market May 11, 2019: First Weekly Pay Plan Payment Due June 1, 2018: Anchorage Market - Next Quarterly Payment Due   Several downtown events may cause slight disruption to vendor’s drive to Anchorage Market at their normal times. Below are several that may impact our vendors and we suggest you adjust your schedule when needed, i.e. get up and leave earlier.   June 8: Alaska Run for Women   June 22: Mayor’s Marathon   TBD: Color Run   August 17 & 18: RunFest

We would like to specially thank our 2019 Sponsors of the Anchorage Market.

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Mike Fox - President Michelle Victory - COO James Brown - Manager www.anchoragemarkets.com   info@anchoragemarkets.com Call or Text 907-272-5634