Exhibitor Guidelines

Spring Obsession is a one-day, annual spring event offering garden-related activities and presentations. The event attracts visitors from throughout central Florida and emphasizes recycling and energy saving products & projects. Please encourage a successful Spring Obsession event by recognizing and following these rules and guidelines.

❖ Check-In begins at 6:00 a.m. Please visit the registration area upon arrival on the morning of the event so you can receive your booth number. Coffee and breakfast treats will be available for exhibitors!

❖ Unloading. Please move your vehicle to our designated parking area promptly after you have finished unloading (before you begin to set up) to make room for other exhibitors waiting to do the same.

Beginning at 6:00 a.m. on the morning of the event, committee members and volunteers may be available to assist you with unloading your inventory to help this process go more quickly. Please be mindful, however, that our volunteers are not limitless. Exhibitors with exceptionally extensive inventories should consider bringing extra resources if needed.

❖ Parking. Park in designated Exhibitor parking areas.

❖ Set-Up. Once you have unloaded your inventory and moved your vehicle, please set up your booth according to our guidelines and the rules of The City of Lakeland.

❖ Stay within your 10’ x10’ booth space. If you require more space for inventory or “elbow room”, then register multiple spaces on your application. Only one (1) tent per booth space.

❖ Stakes or anything inserted in the ground are not permitted to stabilize your tent. Use weights, buckets, sandbags or other hold-down methods. TENTS MUST BE SECURED.

❖ Attaching items to trees or light poles is not permitted.

❖ Include electricity requests on your application. Electricity is available for a $10 additional fee and only in limited spaces. The City of Lakeland employees will be available to assist with set-up. Please bring your own extension cords.

❖ Booth Signage. Please be sure to have some kind of signage for your booth so that customers identify you.

❖ Plant Exhibitors. Only bring items listed on your application form and check with us before bringing additional items or plants. If you are a commercial vendor selling a wide variety of plants with little or no focus, we cannot guarantee your rights to any particular plant, and we reserve the right to limit what you bring. Items not listed on an application are subject to be removed. The overall goal of Spring Obsession is to celebrate local and regional nurseries and growers. Some supplements are acceptable, but please keep to your plant specialty so as not to weaken our show's quality.

❖ Sales Tax. All exhibitors must provide a current copy of their Florida Annual Resale Certificate for Sales Tax- or sales Tax-Exempt Certificate (non-profits). Exhibitors will not be able to participate and will forfeit the registration fee without proper documentation.

❖ Lunch. Each paid exhibitor space includes up to two lunches. Lunches are pulled pork sandwich, chips and water made by Rotarians on site.

❖ End-of-Day. Exhibitors are expected to remain “open for business” until the end of the event time. Tearing down or packing up early is not permitted. Volunteers and committee members will be available to assist you with loading your inventory; however, our volunteers are not limitless. Exhibitors with exceptionally large inventories should consider bringing extra resources if needed. Please clean up your area upon departure no later than 4 p.m.