Skip to content
Our next big event: San José Winter Wonder Market 2023 (Dec. 16-17).
Our next big event: San José Winter Wonder Market 2023 (Dec. 16-17).

SJMADE Fest 2023 - Vendor Info

RECENT UPDATES FOR VENDORS:

A MESSAGE FOR VENDORS re DAY 2 LOAD OUT

Load-out. 
View Map: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mr1akcrmrl4itkd/SJMADE%20Fest%20-%202023%200520%200521%20-%20Event%20Site%20Diagram%20-%20Day%202%20Map%20for%20Vendors.pdf?dl=0
  • When the event ends, please start packing up BEFORE bringing your vehicle into the venue. Once you are finished packing up, please place your products and booth materials on the sidewalk behind your booth (if you're on asphalt).
  • Starting at 6:30 PM, we will start letting vendor vehicles enter the venue for load-out. Vendor vehicles will only be allowed to enter the venue from the 635 Phelan Ave entrance. Vendor vehicles will only be able to EXIT at 1650 Senter Road. 
  • We understand that there will be a large queue of vehicles trying to enter for load-out so we ask in advance to be as patient as possible as we try to safely and smoothly load out 350+ vendors in one evening. 
  • We will only be allowing vendor vehicles to temporarily park their vehicles inside the venue at locations 1 + 2 + 3 in the map linked here. This is to avoid having vendor vehicles block the roadways. 
  • If you need to bring your vehicle directly near your booth for load-out, we would highly suggest waiting a while (maybe until 7:30 PM) to bring your vehicle into the venue. Simply put, you're not going to be able to bring your vehicle close to your booth between 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM as there'll still be people packing up their booths in the road ways meaning there'll only be a single lane on most of the paved roadways within the venue. 
  • Starting at 7:30-7:45 PM, with more and more booths cleared out, vendor vehicles should have a better ability to drive their vehicles closer to their booths to pack up.
  • As always, please drive as SLOWLY as possible when driving through the venue. There will be a lot of people on the venue roadways during load-out. 
Drinking Water. 
Internet. 
  • We apologize for anyone who struggled with mobile reception / wifi hotspots yesterday. 
  • While we cannot do anything to remedy this in the short term, we would suggest considering taking transactions in offline mode (https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/7777-process-card-payments-with-offline-mode) during times when your devices are struggling with connectivity. Note, that you assume a risk when taking transactions in offline mode (in the case of cards used being declined). 
  • If you do do this, we highly recommend taking down the customer's information (name, phone, email, maybe even taking a pic of their driver's license) so that if their offline payment does NOT go through, you have means to contact them during or after the event. 
  • Additionally, FYI it seems everyone with Verizon was fine during the event. 

Restrooms. 

  • We have stocked up on toilet paper to ensure that’ll any absence of it–if any at all–at the restrooms will be brief. 
  • Our apologies, it appears the service we used insufficiently stocked the the restrooms with one roll per unit. We have purchased extra. 
Parking after the event starts. 
  • Apparently, there is an exhibition football game happening nearby at the SJSU football field from 1 PM to 3 PM. 
  • During these times, the parking garages may be experiencing heavy traffic considering the amount of traffic SJMADE Fest alone generated. 
  • If you have any employees / friends / family arriving after the event starts and you need them to show up at a specific time, we recommend having them get dropped off via ride share or VTA bus (there's a station right outside the venue). 
What's next. 
  • We will be sharing a post-event survey after the event with the opportunity for vendors to share their feedback with us about their event experience and in doing so, enter for a chance to win a free booth fee credit to be applied to future events.
  • Additionally, we'll be opening three new vendor applications next week. We'll post those announcements to our website and to our Instagram. 
That's all!
  • Thank you again for being a part of SJMADE Fest 2023. We appreciate the opportunity to get to work with such wonderful makers / artists / creative small businesses such as yourself. Let me know if you have any questions. While I'll be busy throughout the day, I'll try my best to answer any questions directed to my email (kbiggers@sanjosemade.com) or phone (408-755-0676).  -Kevin
---

---

  • UPDATE - 5/18: IMPORTANT REMINDER: There is no Friday load-in available for this event. Please do not show up on Friday as you will be unable to load-in. 
  • UPDATE - 5/16: Please make sure you have signed up for a vehicle load-in time slot BEFORE arriving on Saturday for load-in.
  • UPDATE - 5/15: We just posted the Info Guide for the event on our IG. This contains vital info for people interested in attending the event. Feel free to share! The images for the Info Guide are all posted down below. Feel free to download and use to promote and inform your family, friends and/or followers prior to the event.
  • UPDATE - 5/15: We just created and posted an attendee-friendly version of the Event Map. You can view it and download it here.

 

General Event Info

Event Details
  • Event Name: SJMADE Fest 2023
  • Description: We're super excited to be doing our first ever SJMADE Fest on May 20-21, 2023. Think of it as a springtime outdoors version of our SJMADE Holiday Fair. Featuring over 300 of your favorite creative small businesses. However, our special spin for this specific event is that it will feature six themed areas all within the event: Kitty Carnival + Noodle Fest + K-Pop Plaza + Maker Marketplace + Artist Avenue + Sweets Street
  • Dates & Times: May 20 (11 am to 6 pm) and May 21 (11 am to 6 pm)
  • Venue: History Park San José
  • Info: Outdoor event. Free admission to attend. All ages.
  • Event Page (for attendees): https://www.sanjosemade.com/pages/sjmade-fest-2023

 

Vendor Booth Layout & Assignments

View the Vendor Map for Attendees

View your booth assignment here (there's a link to a hi-res version of the full vendor booth layout on the top row of each tab): 
If you're in a Shared Booth, you'll be receiving a separate email with your Shared Boothmate's email contact information so you can reach out and introduce yourself to one another beforehand. Please view the mandated layout of Shared Booth Spaces (unless both parties in the Shared Booth explicitly consent to a different layout).

 

    Load-in

    • Unfortunately, due to some issues with the venue, we are unable to do any early vendor load-in on Friday.
    • All vendor load-in will take place on Saturday, May 20 starting at 6 AM. For vendors who need / would like to bring their vehicles into the venue for load-in, please sign up for a 30-min load-in time slot: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KTrdHPiF-ldBNWbZZOXjB7haIoblaqPelfKYtd97MF8/edit?usp=sharing.
    • By signing up for this time slot, you will be able to drive your vehicle into the venue and drop off your products and booth materials near your actual booth space. 
    We recommend bringing a cart or dolly with you as we cannot guarantee that you'll be able to drop off your products and booth materials right at your booth space; you may still need to walk a little to reach your actual booth space. 

     

    Instructions for Load-in Arrival
    1. Make sure you've signed up for a time slot on the vehicle vendor load-in sheet. 
    2. Proceed to 635 Phelan Ave, San Jose, CA. If there's a line of vehicles, please make sure to queue up. View a simple map of where this venue entrance is located: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ag75pp0t4fzzzdo/SJMADE%20Fest%20-%202023%200520%200521%20-%20Vendor%20Load%20in%20Load%20Out%20Entrance.png?dl=0
    3. You will see SJMADE Staff at the entrance. We will be wearing SJMADE t-shirts and a SJMADE Staff Badge. Please provide your business name when you arrive. 
    4. SJMADE Staff will give you a Vendor Load-in Pass that you'll need to have on your dashboard while your vehicle is inside the venue. 
    5. You'll drive into the venue. Please remember to drive slowly and safely. 
    6. There will be SJMADE Staff positioned at each section of the event so once you're inside the venue, our staff will direct you on where to temporarily park your vehicle for load-in. We will have our orange neon traffic lights if it's dark or cloudy out to help with visibility and pointing things out so keep an eye out for them. 
    7. You will have until the end of your time slot to unpack your vehicle and drop off your items at your booth space. 
    8. Please do not start setting up while your vehicle is still inside the venue. Once you have completely unpacked your vehicle, please remove your vehicle from the venue and find parking. 
    9. After you find parking outside of the venue, please walk back into the venue (either at the 635 Phelan Ave venue entrance OR the 1650 Senter Road venue entrance) and then you can begin setting up your booth.
    If you have any questions during load-in, please flag down the nearest SJMADE Staff person. If you are unable to locate them, you can text Kevin at 408-755-0676. Please let him know your business name and booth number when you text me so he knows who is reaching out to him.

    Parking

    Parking for Vendors
    The nearby parking lots are: 
    • Kelley Park Disc Golf Course Parking Lot. Address: 799 Phelan Ave, San Jose, CA 95112. If you park in this lot, please proceed to the 635 Phelan Ave venue entrance to walk into the venue after parking your vehicle. This is a large open-air parking lot. Regardless of arrival time during vendor load-in, most vendors should be able to find parking in this lot. One thing to note is that there is a moderate uphill incline when you walk from the lot back to the venue entrance.
    • 1650 Senter Road Parking Lot. Address: 1650 Senter Rd, San Jose, CA 95112. If you park in this lot, please proceed to the 1650 Senter Road venue entrance to walk into the venue after parking your vehicle. This lot is the smallest of the three lots so parking availability will be limited especially if you arrive toward the latter part of load-in. 
    • South Campus Garage. Address: 1278 S 10th St, San Jose, CA 95112. If you park in this lot, please proceed to the 1650 Senter Road venue entrance to walk into the venue after parking your vehicle. This is a large parking garage and this is where we'll be directing attendees to park as it has over 1,500 spaces. 
    • Accessibility Parking. There will be accessibility parking located near the 635 Phelan Ave venue entrance as well as located near the 1650 Senter Road venue entrance. 
    • Street Parking. There is also street parking available throughout the residential neighborhoods. Please look for and read any parking signs before leaving your vehicle.

    Your Booth

    Vendors are responsible for bringing their own: 
    • Table(s)
    • Chair(s)
    • Canopy or Umbrella
    • Canopy Weights / Umbrella Weights (NOTE: If you use a canopy or umbrella, it must be weighed down sufficiently otherwise the fire marshal will ask you take it down until you can obtain sufficient weights. 
    Additionally:
    • There are no rentals for the above items available for this event. 
    • There is no access to electricity for vendors at the event. 
    • The venue offers public wifi (it should have a SSID of "History Park" or "HSJ"). That being said, given that this publicly accessible wifi, we would expect it to be slow during the event as there may be thousands of attendees also trying to use it. We recommend relying on mobile data or a mobile hotspot to take transactions during the event.  
    You may leave your products and booth materials on-site overnight at your own discretion. The venue is enclosed by a fence and has overnight security patrolling from the close of the event until our staff arrives Sunday morning.

    Sunday Morning

    • Vendors will be able to access the venue on Sunday morning starting at 9 AM. Vendors will be able to walk into the venue from either venue entrance (635 Phelan Ave or 1650 Senter Road).
    • Please make sure to have your vendor wristband with you. We will be distributing vendor wristbands on Saturday morning.
    • If you need to bring your vehicle into the venue on Sunday morning, please arrive at the venue between 9 AM and 9:30 AM using the 635 Phelan Ave venue entrance.

    Load-out

    • For load-out, vendors will be able to drive their vehicle into the venue ONLY through the venue entrance located at 635 Phelan Ave.
    • We will open that entrance for vehicle entrance at 6:30 PM.
    • We ask that you pack up your products and booth materials BEFORE bringing your vehicle to the venue entrance.
    • Please note that there may be a long line of vehicles to enter the venue and we ask that you be patient as we ensure a safe and smooth load-out process.
    • Additionally, if you have a cart or dolly, you are more than welcomed to cart your products and booth materials from the venue to your parked vehicle anytime starting at 6 PM (i.e. the conclusion of the event).

    Vendor Code of Conduct

    • We are asking everyone to read (prior to the event) and to try their best to adhere to the following vendor code of conduct.
    • Failure to do so may negatively affect the jurying of a vendor's future applications to our events.
    • Egregious flouting of the vendor code of conduct may result in a vendor's removal from the event.
    • We will exhaust every opportunity to avoid these situations (because we love having yall at our events) however as our events have grown, it's become clear that we need to define our expectations for the participating vendors at our events and how they exist within an event's community of vendors. If you believe you'll be unable to adhere to this code of conduct, please let us know and we can discuss.
    • View the Vendor Code of Conduct here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/x46gve50mp2woda/SJMADE%20-%202023%20-%20Vendor%20Code%20of%20Conduct.pdf?dl=0

    Event Poster

    Seller's Permit

    • If you applied without listing a valid seller's permit number on your application, please email Kevin (kbiggers@sanjosemade.com) a valid seller's permit number before the event. 
    • If you have not yet obtained one, we recommend obtaining a temporary seller's permit. You can learn more about temporary seller's permits here.
    • To register for a temporary seller's permit, click here (once you click on the link, find the tab that says Registration on it and click there and then find the button that says Get Started and click there): https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/services/
    • Temporary seller's permits are free to obtain and you should receive a valid number upon submitting your registration. Once you've obtained a valid seller's permit number, please email it to Kevin (kbiggers@sanjosemade.com). 

    Liability Insurance

    • Participant represents that it has, or will have at the time of the Event, appropriate insurance to cover liability for the types of activities Participant will conduct at the Event. Participant covenants to be fully responsible for any of its liabilities, actions, or omissions, and will indemnify, defend, and hold San José Made (and its officers, employees, agents, vendors, affiliates, and representatives) harmless against any claims related to Participant’s liabilities, actions, or omissions.
    • If you do not have liability insurance for doing events, we recommend looking into single event liability coverage. An example is the type ACT Insurance provides (view here). There are other providers who provide similar single event coverage.
    • In the past, some vendors have needed to list San José Made and its contact information when they applied for liability insurance for a single event. Our info is San José Made, 2160 Tully Road, San Jose, CA 95122. Our office number is 408-800-6825. 

    Shared Booths

    • We will be requiring all Shared Booths to follow the configuration in this diagram below UNLESS there is explicit consent from both vendors sharing the booth PRIOR to the event.
    • Each Shared Booth vendor will be notified via email of their shared booth-mate and will be provided with an email contact to reach out to them beforehand.

     

     

    Info Guide