Vendor Update:

Email sent to ALL 2020 Vendors on 6/8/2020

​Good afternoon, Danish 2020 Artisan Fair vendors - 


We are reaching out this afternoon because we know everyone is wondering whether or not Danish Festival will take place this summer. Obviously, we cannot forecast what will happen over the next two months, but as of today, we are moving forward with the Downtown Artisan Fair & Boutique on August 21-22. 

Our hope is that by Festival time, our state will have moved into Phase 5 of Governor Whitmer's Mi Safe Start Plan. But even this will require that we all make adjustments and take steps to keep Festival vendors and goers safe and healthy. We want to keep you in the loop of the steps we are currently taking to work toward this goal, but we also realize there will be many questions we cannot answer until we get closer to the actual event.

The Danish Festival executive director has been working closely with the Michigan Festivals & Events Association (MFEA) to ensure best practices and to understand how and why other festivals throughout the state are making the decisions they are. With regard to the Downtown Artisan Fair & Boutique, we have taken a number of steps to help us comply with current CDC and follow the MFEA COVID-19 Restart guide in an effort to keep everyone healthy. Ultimately, the decision to be a vendor at Festival or to come and shop at festival is up to each individual. For those of us who choose to be part of this year's event, it will require a group effort.

What our team is doing to encourage safety:

• We will be hosting packet pickup for vendors the entire week of Festival for those who want to avoid waiting amidst a crowd. Details will be announced closer to festival time.
• We will have an outdoor packet pickup location the day of vendor set up;
• We have moved the food court to Grove Street to allow us to include a 10-foot buffer between each vendor space along the entire distance of the closed area of Lafayette Street;
• We are creating one-way walkways. This means traffic walking the aisles on the west side of Lafayette will be required to go south and traffic walking the east side of Lafayette will be required to go north;
• We will have sanitation stations throughout the downtown area;
• We will have signage encouraging shoppers to follow CDC guidelines, to limit touching merchandise and to be mindful of the number of people crowded at any one vendor at a time;
• We will provide each vendor with a sign to post with guidelines in your booth;
• We will also market all of these changes and guidelines in local media and on our Facebook page, encouraging shoppers to stay home if they are ill and to use good judgement.

What we are asking of you

• All vendors must follow CDC Guidelines regarding extra steps you will need to take in your vendor space this year. While we will provide basic signage with reminders for shoppers, ultimately it will be up to you to enforce these. You can find out more about these guidelines at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html;
• Please give careful consideration to how your booth is arranged given the current state of things. For example, is there a way you could have an "entry" point and an "exit";
• Hand sanitizer and cleaning products for your booth are your responsibility;
• The Danish Festival insurance carrier this year is requiring that all vendors submit prior to Aug. 1 an Insurance Certificate of Liability listing the Danish Festival, PO Box 211, Greenville MI, as additionally insured. We have always required vendors to make sure they had this, but because of COVID-19, we are now required to have a copy from all vendors in hand. A sample is attached;  
• Please be patient with organizers and fellow vendors this year. This year's event will present new opportunities and challenges for us all.

With the cancellation of so many festivals and fairs this summer, we hope that Danish Festival can provide an opportunity for our long-time and new vendors to connect with one another, make LOTS of money and interact with eager customers.


That said, our new layout will allow for limited space for additional vendors. If you have artistic or crafty friends who have been looking for opportunities to sell, please encourage them to sign up for Danish Festival 2020 soon!

Should developments require us to cancel Danish Festival 2020 in the coming months, we will offer options for vendors who have secured their spot with payment. These will include directing us to hold your payment as reservation for placement at Festival 2021; using the paid booth fee as a tax deductible donation to Danish Festival to help cover the cost of some non-refundable expenses incurred already for this year's festival; or a refund.

We encourage constructive feedback as we move forward with planning for this year's event. To that end, please follow this LINK to send your ideas to us. Should you have further questions, please email vendorinfo@danishfestival.org. And again, thank you for your patience with us as we work to organize an event during this unprecedented and uncertain time.

Gratefully,

The Danish Festival Artisan Fair & Boutique Vendor Coordinating Team