Spring Art & Garden Fair “Mainland Business” information & booking portal

1st - 28th March £4.00 - £95.00

The Isle of Wight Spring Art & Garden Fair  has become one of the busiest early season events on the Island and is a great opportunity for a range of quality Isle of Wight and the UK Mainland businesses to promote and sell their products and produce.

The Spring Fair will take place on the usual Easter weekend slot which is this year on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th April 2023  (Good Friday and Easter Saturday) and will be open for visitors between 10am and 5pm daily.

The great news for mainland-based exhibitors is that our sponsors Red Funnel Ferries are giving free return ferry travel to and from the Island to make attending the Fair very cost effective indeed, saving businesses several hundreds of pounds of travel costs.  All you pay is a small fixed-price attendance fee for an outside pitch at the fair to attend of only £95.  But Hurry, free ferry space is limited and we can’t offer this indefinitely.

With over 3500 visitors in 2022, the Spring Fair continues to grow in popularity and with enhanced support from Red Funnel Ferries in 2023, more footfall from the mainland via the Red Jet is certainly on the cards.

The Fair of course has a specific focus on art and gardening and businesses who trade in to these sectors are particularly encouraged to take part. If you have a UK mainland-based business selling anything relating to plants, gardening and the great outdoors, this is the event could be right up your street!

It’s perfect for everyone from plant nurseries and growers, landscaping products and service providers, and garden machinery dealerships, to furniture, clothing and other lifestyle businesses. What better way to start the new season than a show focusing on everything to do with the Island’s favourite pastime? It’s a great chance to activate promotions and show off a range of all your latest plants and products to a wide audience looking to not only see, but buy! Island and mainland exhibitors will be joined by a a selection of RHS medal-winning plan nurseries from the show circuit to add a real draw to the event.

Of course, it’s not just about gardening. Producers and retailers of other quality items are welcome to attend over the weekend, including art, craft and local food (for take-home consumption only, though sampling is of course permitted!). Also, charities and local organisations and businesses who want to promote themselves are welcome to attend. Applications from vehicle dealerships are also welcome and may benefit from the Fair’s visitor demographic.

The two-day fair will be the first prime selling opportunity of the year. We’ve chosen Good Friday and Easter Saturday again as the first main ‘Get Outdoors’ weekend of the season, when customers are at their most eager to revamp their gardens and buy new items for the upcoming season.

The event will be staged on the lawns and within the grounds of Northwood House and Park, now one of the Island’s leading event venues. The venue is managed by Northwood House Charitable Trust, with proceeds from the event going to the charity. This will help to continue the ongoing restoration of this iconic Island building for future generations of Islanders to enjoy.

The event will also feature arena entertainment, live music and demonstrations throughout the weekend, as well as a huge range of quality exhibitors, including, hopefully, yourselves!

To make a booking to attend from the mainland with free ferry return travel you will need the following:

Your vehicle registration, make and model.

Length of vehicle in meters (and your trailer if applicable).

Height of your vehicle in meters.

Number of passengers (including yourself).

Date & Time of preferred travel from Southampton the the Isle of Wight on Thursday 6th April or early on Friday 7th April.

Date & Time of preferred travel from the Isle of Wight back to Southampton on Saturday (evening) or on 8th April of Sunday 9th April if you want to enjoy the Isle of Wight for an extra day.

Your choice of outside pitch size for a single fixed price of only £95.00 to cover 2 days of trading (your attendance fee). Book a space up 3m, 6m or 9m wide by 3m, 6m or 9m deep to include space for your gazebo…any size you need to fit your requirements.  Note: you’ll need  to provide a gazebo/all weather cover for some or all of your stand as you’ll  be sited outside. Please note vehicles are not permitted to park in exhibitor pitches unless by prior arrangement.

Travel is only available via the Red Funnel car ferry service from Southampton to East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. East Cowes is around 25 minutes from the venue via the main town of Newport.

Travel directions from Southampton to Northwood House & Park in Cowes: https://goo.gl/maps/5oq5kJd7WCH2                 

Post code for Sat Nav: PO31 8AZ

Ferry travel times:

Travel times to the Isle or Wight
(Southampton to East Cowes)
Thursday 6th April:		or Friday 7th April:
10:00		06:00
11:00		07:00
12:00
14:00
15:00
18:00
19:00
20:15
Return times back to mainland:
(East Cowes to Southampton)
Saturday 8th April:		or Sunday 9th April:
18:30		10:30
19:30		14:30
20:30		18:30

 

Please use the  ticket section at the bottom of the page to complete your booking and payment after reading the information below:

 

Exhibitor information for all outside pitches / terms and conditions 2023 (sorry the boring bit!)

(Note: we advise you to please copy and save this information digitally for your records)

 

By booking a pitch, exhibitors agree to read, understand  and abide by the terms and conditions stated below:

Attendance fee for mainland exhibitors:

1. Your £95 attendance fee covers both days of the fair (Friday 7th and Saturday 8th April 2023) and include two standard exhibitor wristbands, with others available at cost on request.

2.Exhibitors must agree to guarantee  attendance on both days of the event between the hours of 10am and 5pm. We are unable to take bookings for single event days only.

3. We will send you a confirmation of your booking and a receipt of your payment once it has been received in our bank. This may up to a week after payment has been received.

What are you selling?/Our right to cancel

4: We require you to confirm the nature of your business and what you will be selling at the Fair in the booking form. We reserve the right to cancel the booking and refund any fee if we don’t believe the nature or quality of what you are vending fits in with our event. Our decision is final. If you are in doubt, you should contact Sam or Darren at Northwood House before booking on 01983 293642 or email  sam.dean@northwoodhouse.org

Food, drink & produce retail/ catering concessions:

5. While we fully support and welcome all vendors of locally/regionally-made produce, all food and drink must be packaged for take-home
consumption only. Hot or chilled food and drink items intended for consumption on site are strictly prohibited unless by separate arrangement (see 6 below), as per the conditions of our licence as an event venue. This is non-negotiable, and as such we reserve the right to eject immediately without prior warning or refund any exhibitor in direct breach of this condition.

Sale of alcohol for consumption on premises is not permitted although sampling and take home sales are permitted. This is subject to the venues strict licencing conditions being met which include that:

• Alcohol must not be sampled or sold for consumption at home to any person under the age of 18, to a drunken person or to persons making a proxy purchase.
• A “Challenge 25” ID policy must be adhered to, with appropriate signage being displayed. An approved refusal log must be kept.
• There must be at least one personal licence holder on the stand at all times to approve the sale or sampling of alcohol.
• A venue alcohol sales declaration must be signed to acknowledge the venues licencing conditions by the personal licence holder and all staff (who all must be over 18 years old).
• All bottles containing alcohol sold for take home purposes must not have their lids or corks removed.
• Details of how sampling is to be administered must be agreed before the event and no deviation will be permitted.

6. Exhibitors selling packaged non-ambient produce, food or drink for take home consumption must meet relevant standards of Health & Hygiene. You must be registered with your local Council as a food business and  have a appropriate PL insurance, documentation and practices in place for HACCP purposes while vending at the Fair. Do not book if you cannot meet and provide evidence of these requirements to us upon request or to an official from the Isle of Wight Council who could inspect food /produce traders at any time.

7. Food vending concessions aren’t currently available to book for this event, but interested concessionaires can email   sam.dean@northwoodhouse.org to be added to a waiting list.

Cancellation:

8. If an outside exhibitor has to cancel their booking, the following refund procedure will apply:

i) Before 5pm on Friday 17th March, a full refund will be issued.

ii) After 5pm (close of business) on Friday 17th March, but before 5pm on Friday 23rd  March, a 50% refund will be issued.

iii) Any cancellations after 5pm on Friday 23rd March will receive no refund as the show plan will have been completed.

9 . In the unlikely event that the  Fair is cancelled before 10am on Friday 7th April, all payments will be returned
in full. If the event is cancelled due to severe weather or reasons of force majeure after this time, unfortunately no
refunds can be made to exhibitors. If the Fair is cancelled on the day, no liability is accepted for any items made or prepared specifically for sale at the Fair.

Insurances:

10. All exhibitors MUST hold Public Liability Insurance with an appropriate level of cover. Please email a copy of your current certificate to sam.dean@northwoodhouse.org. If the current policy expires before the date of the Fair ,a copy of the new certificate will be required before Event Management allow access to the Fair site in April.

11. Exhibitors are responsible for ensuring their belongings are fully insured. Northwood House Charitable Trust Co. Ltd. will
not be held responsible in the unlikely event of loss, theft or any damages that may be incurred during the event or if items have been left on the show site overnight.

Security:

12. Security personnel will patrol the exterior gardens and parkland on the evening and night of Thursday 6th and Friday 7th April. However, due to the large size of the site, we cannot guarantee a direct line of sight on your plot at all times. Therefore, all items are left on site at
the exhibitor’s risk. If in any doubt, you should remove items from your pitch during closed event periods, although you can leave gazebos in place.

Setting up/down & replenishment:

13. Exhibitors will be able to set up/down and replenish their plots at the following times:

• 12pm- 7.30pm on Thursday 6th April
• 7.30am-9.30am & 5.15pm-6.30pm on Friday 7th April
• 8.30am-9.30am & from 5pm-6.30pm (take down) on Saturday 8th April

Mainland-based exhibitors should book ferry travel that allow them to get to the site to meet these times.

We will circulate more details directly the week beginning 27th March 2023.

14. Unless prior arrangement has been made with Event Management, exhibitors must pack down their displays and
vacate the premises by 6.30pm once the fair is finished on the evening of Saturday 8th April. We are unable to store items in
the House. There will be no security personnel on duty. Due to the Bank Holiday weekend, there will be no access
to Northwood House until Tuesday 10th April.

15. Although a general site plan may be available in the several weeks leading up to the Fair, only
upon your arrival at Northwood House & Park will you be shown your designated plot. Unless agreed by prior
arrangement with Event Management to cater for specific needs (space for large sculptures, for example), Event
Management make no guarantees about plot allocations and these are allotted at our discretion based on customer flow and variation of exhibitor.

16. A comprehensive ‘Spring fair exhibitor pack’ containing site maps, arrival instructions and vehicle passes will be emailed  to all
exhibitors the week beginning Monday 27th March. Mainland exhibitors will be contacted in advance to confirm ferry travel arrangements.

17. Exhibitors will receive one car parking permit for use on the event field for parking over the weekend and for setting up and down periods.

Gazebos, tables and electricity:

18. Exhibitors with outdoor plots will need to bring their own gazebos for shelter. However they must fit within the dimensions of their plot and not encroach on their neighbour’s allotted space. Please consider the size of your gazebo when choosing the size of your plot.

19. Gazebos and shelters should be erected in accordance with manufactures guidance and should be secured appropriately with weights and anchors in case of windy weather. We only recommend commercial grade gazebos should be used at outdoor public events where ever possible.

20.  Trestle tables are excluded in your pitch fee although we can hire 1.8m trestles for use over the weekend. These must be booked in advance only.

21. Access to electricity is not available for outside pitches unless by prior arrangement.

22. Generators of any type are not permitted on site unless by prior arrangement.

Mainland Business Exhibitors 

23. Free ferry return ferry travel is provided care of our sponsors Red Funnel Ferries and is available subject to a maximum allowed quota of vehicles at specific crossing times.

24. We will endeavour to book  your ferry crossing times as closely to the requested times as possible but can’t guarantee the availability of any specific crossing time until we book it on your behalf. We will confirm with you your exact crossing times and booking reference number as soon as we have made the booking for you.

25. Cars, 4 x4’s and larger commercial vehicles are permitted to book and may have trailer if required for travel purposes. Please note vehicles are not permitted to park in exhibitor pitches unless by prior arrangement, but will be parked near by.

26. Ferry booking amendments and cancellations will unfortunately incur an admin fee of £15.00 (sorry).

27. Ferries can be subject to delay or cancellation due to weather, mechanical breakdown and other factors beyond anyone’s control. We cannot be responsible for delays or cancellations that may effect your attendance at the event.

28. Bookings are subject to confirming the size of outside pitch you require. Please only book the size you need and not bigger in order not to waste unnecessary space in the event area.

29. All sized pitches are priced at £95 and acts as an  attendance fee for mainland businesses to attend the event to cover administration and event management costs including advertising. Please note vehicles are not permitted to park in exhibitor pitches unless by prior arrangement.

30. Travel is only available via the Red Funnel car ferry service from Southampton to East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. East Cowes is around 25 minutes from the venue via the main town of Newport. Directions will be provided to all mainland exhibitors.

31. Mainland exhibitors will be responsible for finding their own local accommodation for the duration of the event. Exhibitors can stay on site over night in their vehicles be arrangement.

 

Waste/Damage/Environment:

32. Exhibitors are responsible for removing all rubbish and waste from their plots at the end of each day.

33. Exhibitors must take reasonable care not to cause damage to any part of the Fair site at any time. Northwood House is
a Grade II* listed building and the use of any adhesives (tapes, Blu-Tac, drawing pins, etc) or fixings on interior and exterior walls is
strictly prohibited.

34.Exhibitors should not remove turf from outside pitches or make any damage to grass. Event Management reserve the right to forward on costs for repairs/reinstatement, accordingly. In the case of wet weather, exhibitors should not drive on the grass unless by prior permission of event management.

35. In order to reduce not only our carbon footprint but our costs, we reserve the right to communicate our
correspondences electronically, so please ensure you provide us with an email address, taking due care to write it
accurately in the booking section. We also encourage exhibitors to provide eco-friendly packaging and carry-bags for customer purchases where ever possible.

Media/advertising:

36. Northwood House Charitable Trust Co. Ltd. reserves the right to use your name/business name and images of your
exhibit in promotional materials, including but not limited to social media posts (Facebook and Instagram), website
and newsletter content, posters and banners.

37. We reserve the right to pass on your email contact details to our event media partners, who may contact you directly to
feature your business via their chosen platform (digital or print). Any such features are understood to be by prior
mutual arrangement between the exhibitor and said media. Northwood House Charitable Trust Co. Ltd. accepts no
responsibility for any and all content published by a third party.

GDPR:

38. Information we collect about you regarding this event is managed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations. Please click here for our policy.

Who we are: Northwood House Charitable Trust Co. Ltd

39. Northwood House Charitable Trust Co. Ltd is the sole trustee of Northwood House Charitable Trust. We are the charity that was set up in 2010 to take over the ownership of Northwood House & Park from the Isle of Wight Council and have responsibility for the restoration and maintenance of the Northwood House Estate  as well as provide recreational benefit for the community around us. Surpluses generated form this event go to meet our charitable objectives. By booking with us you are contributing to our efforts, so thank you for your support.

You now have all the information you need to proceed with a booking.

Please have your vehicle details to hand.