Holy cow, people!
So today was supposed to be the Early Bird Deadline, after which table prices were to go up to their regular rates. However, the demand has been so amazingly high for tables for our upcoming Fest this April that we're going to have to actually close ALL exhibitor registrations at this point!
There has been a tremendous and unexpected surge of support from our exhibitor community in the last week, and I've been registering an average of about 8 tables per day all week. Eleven forms arrived in the mail today, and I still need to go through those, but I am positive that by the time I'm done I'll need to start a waiting list. I'm frankly flabbergasted. In our four years of putting on the Stumptown Comics Fest, we've never had to close the registrations before the Early Bird Deadline had passed, let alone selling out all our available tables within two months of opening registrations! This is truly a first.
I know a bunch of you probably mailed yours out in the last couple days, and so I haven't received them yet. Rest assured you'll automatically go on the waiting list, and as soon as something becomes available I'll let you know via email or phone.
For those of you who still hadn't gotten around to mailing your registrations in yet, don't be afraid to do so, just understand that you're not guaranteed a table. I'd even recommend not including payment with your form - if something opens up we'll work out an arrangement to collect the registration fee.
First thing Monday I'll contact the Doubletree Hotel and see if there's any space we might be able to expand into.
The lesson I take from this is that we must be doing something right.
UPDATE: I just finished going through today's registrations, and did indeed begin a waiting list. I've updated the Exhibitors Page with the latest names, so if you're not on that list I'm afraid you either do not have a table, or you asked that your name not be publicized. My apologies if you're not on the list, and as I say, I'll see if I can find some more exhibitor space at the hotel. Keep an eye out for updates!