PBF Exhibitor Application and Agreement

Reach thousands of engaged book lovers at Portland Book Festival.

Applications are now open for the exhibitor fair at the 2024 Portland Book Festival. Applications will be reviewed by festival staff; if approved, payment information will be sent. Your participation is not confirmed until you have paid in full.

Learn more and apply here.

Portland Book Festival offers exhibitors the opportunity to reach thousands of writers and book lovers who are ready to buy their products or learn about their services. The festival is an intergenerational celebration of literature and the written word, and includes author readings and discussions, writing workshops, the exhibitor fair, local food trucks, and more.

The 2024 festival will take place at the Portland Art Museum (PAM) and neighboring venues on Saturday, November 2, 2024, with our Friday Night Book Market on the evening of Friday, November 1. The Friday Night Book Market will take place in the evening on Friday before the festival day from approx. 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (tentative, time TBC). This celebratory event preview will provide ticketed attendees the opportunity to shop the exhibitor fair before Saturday. The evening will also feature music, food, and drink. By applying to exhibit at the festival, you agree to participate in both the full day on Saturday, and the Friday Night Book Market.

Admission to the 2024 festival will again grant each attendee a $5 voucher that they can only spend at the exhibitor fair that day, incentivizing book buying and the success of the exhibitor fair. (Paid admission includes a $5 voucher; attendees who receive reduced price or complimentary admission, such as youth 17 and under and high school students, do not receive a voucher.) The festival exhibitor fair will be held in the Kridel Grand and Fields ballrooms at PAM. The ballrooms are indoors and fully ADA accessible. Exhibitor fair hours will be: 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday, November 1 (time TBC) and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 2. An exhibitor’s booth must remain in operation throughout the entirety of those hours; booths may not open late or close early.

Please read the entire submission form and guidelines before applying to exhibit. Due to limited space, we are accepting applications for our exhibitor space. Upon acceptance, applicants will be provided with payment instructions.

2024 Exhibitor Booth Options:
Full table $620
Shared table* $730

*Shared table price of $730 is for the whole table; therefore, split 50/50 a shared table would cost $365 per exhibitor. No more than two exhibitors may share a table. The festival will accept only one application per table. That application must designate the organization with which the applicant is sharing the table and assume full payment for the table. Note: Shared tables are priced to accommodate additional festival overhead and administrative costs required to host multiple exhibitors at a single booth, such as Wi-Fi, electricity, festival passes, signage, etc.

Standard registration includes:

• 6′ x 10′ site inside PAM
• One 8′ skirted table per site
• 3′ tall side walls & 8′ tall back wall, with black drape
• Two chairs per site
• Identification signage*
• Password-protected Wi-Fi network for vendors only
• Access to electricity
• Exhibitor listing in event program*
• Exhibitor listing on event website*
• Two festival passes*

*For shared tables, each organization will be listed individually in event program and on website, and each organization will receive an ID sign and two festival passes.

Registration schedule:

• Notification of acceptance and payment processed no later than September 30, 2024. Registrations are not considered complete unless Exhibitor Application form and full payment has been received. No registrations will be accepted after September 30, 2024.
• Applications are accepted and processed on a rolling basis. Literary Arts’s acceptance of your application does not guarantee your booth location. Placement of exhibitors is determined by festival organizers and will be shared by October 5, 2024.
• Exhibitors will receive information about shipping, booth add-on options, and more from our exhibition partner, Fern. Load-in information will be finalized in the fall of 2024.
• Exhibitors will receive specific instructions regarding unloading, registration, and setting up of their booth no later than two weeks prior to the event. Load-in will be available Friday, November 1 from approximately 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and load-out will be available Saturday, November 2, immediately following the close of the festival from approximately 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. All materials must be loaded in and loaded out during the specified hours.

Please note:

• Literary Arts reserves to right to refuse an application for any or no reason.
• When registration fills, we will maintain a wait list, and in the case of cancellation we will release booths at our discretion.
• Literary Arts anticipates most exhibitors will be non-profit organizations or independent publishers, given our guidelines. Therefore, we are not offering a specific non-profit rate.
• Exhibitors may not sell or sublet their space for any reason.
• Booth locations will be assigned at the sole discretion of Literary Arts.
• Sales of any kind will not be permitted outside of the designated exhibitor fair space.
• Passable walkways must be maintained for public safety and accessibility. All exhibitors must keep displays and materials within the constraints of their booth space.
• To exhibit at the Portland Book Festival, exhibitors must sell books or book-related materials, materials of interest to a literary audience, or represent a literary business/organization/program. We will prioritize exhibitor applications that demonstrate the following: Audience engagement, celebrating stories, community connections, local businesses/organizations. If you are not sure if your organization is eligible, please do not hesitate to email or call Literary Arts at festival@literary-arts.org or 503-227-2583.
• Attendee festival tickets will include a $5 voucher for use at the exhibitor fair on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2 only. One voucher per customer; vouchers are non-transferrable and may not be combined. All exhibitors must accept vouchers as payment for goods at the festival and will be fully reimbursed for vouchers collected. Exhibitors will submit collected vouchers to Literary Arts at the end of the festival day and Literary Arts will reimburse exhibitors promptly. If you have questions about this system, please let us know.
• Exhibitors may not accept $5 book vouchers in absence of goods sold. Vouchers may not be accepted from attendees as donations to exhibitors.
• Exhibitors, including event sponsors, may not give away free books that are not connected to a purchase or incentive. For example, buy one/get one, a raffle, or similar is okay, but handing out free books is not. This policy is to protect and encourage book sales for all exhibitors.
• If Oregon or local protocol and health measures change, Literary Arts is prepared to make necessary adjustments. Cancellation of the event due to changing public health guidelines and/or mandates shall be determined at Literary Arts’ sole discretion.
• See 2024 Portland Book Festival Exhibitor Agreement for complete details.

After your application is approved you will receive payment instructions. Your participation is not confirmed until you have been accepted AND submitted full payment.

Apply here.

Questions? Email festival@literary-arts.org.

We will host a Virtual Marketplace online again this year. Information on the Virtual Marketplace will be available soon.

If you have any questions, please consult the FAQ first, and if your question is not answered, email us at festival@literary-arts.org.