2025 Vendor Kit

SCAM ALERT FOR VENDORS

As per our privacy policy, Marketplace Events is a permission-based email sender. We do not share, rent, or sell any email lists. 

The 2025 Vendor Kit will be ready in Summer 2025! We will post information as it is available.  

Table of Contents

1. General Information
2. Facility & Utility Services
3. Decorator Services
4. Move In & Move Out
5. Food Sampling
6. Parking
7. Booth Guidelines 
8. Rules & Regulations
9. How to Set up your Exhibitor Listing
10. Sales Tax 
11. Social Media Tips
12. Ticket Information
13. Marketing Opportunities
14. Exhibitor Badges
15. Show Hotel
16. Show Insurance
17. Questions
18. Scam

General Information

SHOW MANAGEMENT 
The Southern Christmas Show is produced and managed by: 
Marketplace Events LLC
2000 Auburn Dr., Ste 200 
Beachwood, OH 44122 
484.854.9084
www.marketplaceevents.com | www.SouthernChristmasShow.com

MUST READ

CLICK HERE to review the Fire & Safety Regulations for the Southern Christmas Show.  These regulations are STRICTLY enforced.  

Click the links below for more information on each.

• General Electrical Do's & Don'ts
• Emergency Evacuation Points
• Merchandise Policies

----- Merchandise Policy -----
As we enter a highly volatile political environment in advance of the 2024 General Election, Marketplace Events (MPE) wants to make clear its position on what content will not be permitted on its exhibit floors in all its US consumer home and holiday shows effective January 1, 2024. MPE shows are welcoming environments built solely to encourage face-to-face commerce. Creating respectful, safe marketplaces where our attendees and exhibitors can come together to learn, shop, compare pricing and do business together is our highest priority.

MPE’s acceptability standards do not permit political candidates, parties or other groups promoting issues or ballot initiatives to participate as exhibitors. In addition, the display or sale of any products or services that are political/partisan in nature or that can be interpreted to promote, incite, or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual, or religious intolerance are prohibited. MPE’s judgment in applying these standards will be final.

MPE maintains these policies to ensure a welcoming environment for all attendees and exhibitors.

Facility Ordering and Information - Electricity, Wi-Fi, or Water

1. Order Wi-Fi.  (Recommend ordering by Oct. 21, 2025 to save time AND money!)
2. Once on show site, go to the building services desk to pick up your Wi-Fi code(s).
3. When picking up your Wi-Fi code, make sure to let them know that you will be using the Wi-Fi for a square device.  By doing this, they will provide a special version of the Wi-Fi code to make it compatible with both your device and your square.

**Please Note: You do not have to use Square as your POS system or purchase WiFi for the Southern Christmas Show at The Park Expo if your business does not require the use of it. This is merely a disclaimer for those who currently and already have the Square POS system in use for their company.

SHOW DECORATOR SERVICES

Southern Exhibition Services is the Show Decorator. Vendors use them for essential supplies and services such as, flooring/carpet, furniture, freight & shipping, signage and other booth decor items.

2025 Decorator Services Order Form - 

Download the form  above and email order in to place order

flooring/carpet, furniture, freight & shipping, signage and other booth decor items.**

** Order by October 21, 2025 for advance discount pricing

2025 MOVE-IN SCHEDULE

All exhibits must be fully setup by Wednesday, November 12 at 12:00 p.m.

Doors to the show open at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 12 and there is usually a crowd waiting at the door to start shopping!

Olde Towne Shops Only (shops #1 - #50)*:

*Tent vendors (booths #100-125) may begin setting up Monday, along with all vendors schedule.

ALL VENDORS:

2025 MOVE-OUT INFORMATION

Vendors should not begin to move-out or dismantle any part of their exhibit before 6:00 p.m, Sunday, November 23rd. Any vendor whose display is not intact at 6:00 p.m. will MARKED and not invited to return the following year. If you have an emergency, please come to the show office during the event to discuss. 

Tent Booths (Booths #100-125)

ALL REMAINING VENDORS

Dismantling your booth prior to show close at 6:00pm on Sunday is strictly prohibited.

FOOD & BEVERAGE POLICY

ALL food products and sales must receive prior authorization from both Show Operations Manager AND The Park Expo & Conference Center.  Pending review, an additional fee may be required.  

North Carolina requires foodservice operators at the Southern Christmas Show to obtain a permit from the local health department, to prepare and sell food to the public.  A permit is NOT required for sampling or food prepared off-site.

PARKING

WHERE DO I PARK DURING MOVE-IN?

Once you have unloaded your vehicle, you can park in the general parking lot outside of the entrance. Parking is free during move-in and move-out.

WHERE DO I PARK DURING THE SHOW?

You have multiple options for parking during the show.

• Discounted parking in 6-acre lot. Discounted parking passes will be available for pick-up at exhibitor check-in. The 6-acre lot is located beside Chantilly Montessori School on Briar Creek Road. Pick up your discount during move-in at the Exhibitor Check-In Desk. 
• General parking in the main lot. The cost for the general lot is $10 per day.
• You may purchase a designated parking space from The Park Expo for the show. Please note that there are limited spaces available, and they are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. You can find out more information and pricing on this option under Facility. 

Rules & Regulations

Booth Guidelines

Booth Planning 101 Video - Tips and Tricks about planning your booth space.

ENHANCE YOUR COMPANY'S ONLINE VENDOR LISTING

Your basic listing will be uploaded to the website when you book your booth. Within 24 hours you will receive an automated email to enhance your listing. This link can be used multiple times and you can make updates and changes to your listing. If you have any questions regarding the online vendor listing or do not receive the link, please email our digital support rep, JenK@mpeshows.com.

Need help with your listing?
View the tutorial video -  https://youtu.be/ecSxq1oKuYg and the FAQs.
To see some samples, visit the Interactive Exhibitor List section of the website. 

Learn more about the benefits of creating your enhanced listing.
Go from basic to ENHANCED!

Sales Tax

All Vendors are reminded that to sell "cash and carry" products during the show, you must comply with all rules and regulations as required by the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and State of North Carolina. 

• Vendors are responsible for obtaining any such permits as required. 
• Only merchandise approved by the show may be sold. 
• No food or drinks may be sold without the approval of the show and The Park Expo & Conference Center. 
• All Vendors making sales at the show are required to have a NC Retail Sales License and pay a NC and Mecklenburg County combined rate of 7.25%. To apply for a license, contact the NC Sales and Use License Office, PO Box 25000, Raleigh, NC 27640. Telephone 877.252.3052.

In order to be compliant with tax laws for the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and State of North Carolina, the Southern Christmas Show submits a Vendor list to the North Carolina Department of Revenue prior to the show opening.  

SOCIAL MEDIA

Share your show pics or your holiday décor and celebrations with us. Tag us in photos or videos with the products you will be bringing to the show!

Hashtags: #SouthernChristmasShow

In efforts to protect potential joint customers from fraudulent events and scammers, we request that you do not create your own Facebook Event. This helps us manage ticket sales for the event, and ensures that our team are available to support both exhibitors and potential attendees with any questions, comments, or concerns that they have. Please feel free to reach out to your show manager or show marketing manager with your companies’ Facebook page and we can add you as a co-host to the official event.

Click Here for the Social Media Marketing Kit

Click Here for a short video on the 4 C's of Social Media

COMING SOON - Click Here for the 2025 Facebook Event.

Ticket Information

Each Vendor will receive complimentary tickets when they check in at the show.* Use your tickets to invite potential customers to the show, as a thank you to good customers, and for friends and family.

100 sq. ft. receives: 5 complimentary tickets
200 sq. ft. receives: 10 complimentary tickets
300 or more sq. ft. receives: 5 complimentary tickets for every 100 sq. ft.

 If you’d like your complimentary tickets mailed, please contact show management by September 15, 2025.

 DISCOUNTED TICKETS – Need to purchase additional tickets?

Vendors can purchase tickets in advance of the show at a discounted price of $9.00 in increments of 10.  Please contact Hannah Lewis (hannahl@mpeshows.com or 704.969.6802 to place order).

WILL CALL

Will Call will be in the lobby of the show entrance at the front of Liberty Hall.  

Write the LAST NAME, FIRST NAME on INDIVIDUALLY marked envelopes.

COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS ARE NOT PERMITTED FOR DISTRIBUTION AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE SHOW. USE WILL CALL TO LEAVE TICKETS.   

Invite your customers to shop the show!

Images Coming Soon!

Upload the photos above to your social media, email blasts, and website to promote your company's participation at the SHOW NAME!

Click on the photos to enlarge picture. Right-click on the image and select save-as to save onto your computer.

VENDOR BADGES

Vendor badges are required to identify yourself as an authorized Vendor.  Vendors will not be allowed access during show days without a badge. Show vendors do not need an admissions ticket for the show, only a vendor badge.  Vendor badges are not required during move-in.

Vendor badges can be picked up at Vendor Check-In, which is located in the central lobby of The Park Expo and Conference Center (look for the purple awnings!)

100 sq. ft. receives: 5 badges
200 sq. ft. or more receives: 10 badges

If you have multiple employees changing shifts at the show, encourage them to leave their badge at Vendor Check-In before leaving for the day if they will not be returning. If you require more than 10 badges, please email Hannah Lewis, hannahl@mpeshows.com by October 1st.

HOTEL INFORMATION

SHOW DISCOUNT HOTEL OPTIONS COMING SOON!

INSURANCE

COMING SOON - Show Insurance Made Easy - A simple way to establish insurance for the show. Click HERE

A few things to be aware of:

• Vendors will have to pick the show from a drop-down list that includes shows other than just those run by MPE. 
• Marketplace Events is not selling this insurance and doesn’t profit from it in any way.  This is simply a resource for those vendors who don’t already have the required insurance coverage per their contracts. 

The Insurance clause is #5 on the Terms and Conditions page of all booth space contracts. You may use any insurance company for insurance but it must meet the following requirements: 

• Comprehensive General Liability and All Risk Property insurance
• Coverage must be from the start of move in to the end of move out
• Coverage of at least $1,000,000 for each separate occurrence
• Name Marketplace Events LLC and the venue as additional insured
• Provide a copy of the certificate of insurance (COI) to MPE if requested

QUESTIONS?

Click HERE to see contact information for the Show Team

SCAM WARNING

There have been a number of spam emails offering our attendee lists. These are scams and the senders are unauthorized to use the Marketplace Events’ name. These scammers are attempting to receive monies from exhibiting companies without providing anything in return. These emails are not approved by Marketplace Events, and Marketplace Events would never ask for bank information or other sensitive information over email.  

CLICK HERE for more information.