Commerce

This page will initially capture notes about our planning process, but in the long run will provide information for hardware and food vendors. Martind 16:47, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Open Questions

• Where do we draw the line between makers selling their own kits (very much encouraged) and businesses who need to pay for the privilege?
• Centralised vs self-organising commerce -- should vendors need to register?
• Would we charge per tent, per stall, fixed sum, revenue share?
  • food vendors expect to pay rent. However, they load the food price up to pay it. So effectively, we're taking attendees food requirements as revenue. It might be better to negotiate low stall rent AND low food prices.
    • For such a small event I have some doubts that decent food vendors will attend for free (especially since we will probably be tying their stalls up for 3 days). I absolutely agree that if we can get decent food concessions then we let them in for free. --Russ 21:42, 22 March 2012 (UTC)
• Do we need separate kinds of agreements with food stalls? (Caused by statutory requirements, waste disposal concerns, etc.)

Let's check out precedents (HAR/CCC.)

• Find public documentation
• Get in touch with org teams

Precedents

CCC 2011

McFlyHH on EMF IRC has answers.

• loose screening procedures; "don't expect tooo many vendors"
• 23% revenue share ("chaos tax"; vendors are told they may be audited, but that is never actually enforced. they trust their vendors)
• "we only have like 10 groups that "officially" sell things. typically food."
• community projects and CCC groups are not seen as vendors
• "if they make like tons of money with it - vendor. if they barely pay their own bills and the surplus goes into a hackerspace or something - not vendor"

Etc:

• stresses importance of angels ("aim for 10%", "let them run security too")
• stresses importance of villages ("don't need to micromanage infrastructure. this is your Gbit uplink, this is 380V 16A, deal with it"; "you want some big groups who roll big there. like big tent, maybe dome, meeting point lounge, etc"; and villages are a simple way of socialising with new people)
• really wants vegan food vendors

Links:

• "Concerning Food" http://events.ccc.de/camp/2011/wiki/Concerning_Food
• "Rent a tent" http://events.ccc.de/camp/2011/wiki/Rent_a_Tent
• "Site visit" (3 months ahead of event) http://events.ccc.de/camp/2011/wiki/index.php/Public_Field_Day_May_7th
• Emailed camp2011-orga@cccv.de Martind and posted in #ccc 17:09, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
  • Now in contact with McFlyHH

HAR/OHM

Summary: they don't ask vendors to pay; partially this may be a result of their size (e.g. vendors didn't even have to pay for utilities.)

• https://wiki.har2009.org/page/Field_day implies there is one dedicated area for "Food stands, Vendor Tent" -- one tent for vendors.
• Koen Martens provides us with details, cf. [1]
  • No distinction between types of hardware vendors, and no registration needed; everyone just came and sold stuff
  • They don't pay for the privilege (they may rent their tents, but those are run at cost)
  • Bar was run by the team
  • Food vendors are hand-picked, they also don't pay (mostly because the venue didn't require a food revenue share)
  • Mentions: food vendors will probably require power and water, which they didn't pay for either ("in the end it was marginal in the total amount spent on utilities")

ToorCamp

• Wiki comes up empty, closest is http://wiki.toorcamp.org/wiki/Category:Campsites but doesn't mention commerce
• Google Group has been dormant for months
• Emailed h1kari@toorcon.org (as per their wiki) and posted in #toorcamp Martind 17:22, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
  • His response: [2]
  • mostly local vendors, they don't pay for the privilege (Toorcamp revenue comes from tickets and sponsors)
  • Toorcamp doesn't mind people selling their own merch