EVENT: The Buy Michigan Now Festival is scheduled to be held in Downtown Northville, Michigan, August 2-4, 2024, regardless of weather.

ELIGIBLE VENDORS: Buy Michigan Now (a.k.a. The Catalyst Company, LLC) reserves the right to determine if an organization will be able to participate, or sell a particular product. All applications will be reviewed and applicants will receive written notification if eligibility is denied. Priority will be given to businesses that produce products in Michigan/USA to better meet the desires and expectations of our guests. At a minimum, vendors MUST be Michigan-based as defined by meeting one of our four Michigan Identification Criteria.

VENDOR SPACE RESERVATIONS: All entities wishing to interact with guests at the festival must be registered for a vendor space, or invited by Buy Michigan Now. Vendor space reservations cannot be processed until a completed online application is received. If approved, applicants will receive an email inviting them to pay for the space to complete their reservation. No reservation is secured until payment is received. To aid in the success of our vendors, we limit the number of companies within each business category. Consequently, we recommend applying early to increase the chances of receiving an invitation in your business category. An approved application may be revoked in the event that the business category or entire event sells out before payment was received. A $35 penalty fee will be applied to all checks with insufficient funds and all late payments.

CANCELLATION: Notice of cancellations must be in writing. In the event of a vendor cancellation 50% will be refunded before July 1, 2024. No refunds will be made after July 1, 2024. No refunds will be given due to the cancellation of the event by, an act of God, local authorities, or a weather-related incident.

EQUIPMENT: All outdoor vendors are required to have a tent and appropriate weights to secure it (unless special arrangements have been made in advance) and are responsible for bringing or renting their own tent, tables, and chairs for their display. If you rent equipment, be sure and tell the company that all equipment must be set up between 10AM-2PM on Friday, Aug 2. Vendors are responsible for their own property and for furnishing and removing their own tents, tables, and chairs. Overnight security will be on site should vendors opt to leave any equipment or product behind. At no time will The Catalyst Company and/or the City of Northville be responsible for damage to property, rental equipment, or displays. Note that due to the Social District and associated barricades, it is highly unlikely that vehicles will be permitted in front of a vendor space except during setup on Friday and teardown on Sunday, for safety purposes. Any vehicles (e.g. food trucks) that want to leave the event during the day, must indicate that need in the application, or in writing via an email to fest@BuyMichiganNow.com, prior to being assigned a vendor space. 

INSURANCE: All vendors are responsible for providing a Certificate of Insurance for $1M General Liability for the event dates, listing The Catalyst Company, LLC (29581 Hathaway, Livonia, MI 48150), as additional insured. If your business does not already have a General Liability policy, ACT is one resource many vendors choose for affordable event insurance for qualifying businesses. Use ACT Discount Code: bmnfest5 to save $5. Certificates of Insurance may be mailed to Buy Michigan Now (29581 Hathaway Street, Livonia, MI 48150), faxed to 734-421-4792, or emailed to fest@buymichigannow.com. All General Liability insurance certificates must be received by July 1, 2024, unless special arrangements have been made in advance.

All food vendors preparing food on-site, must ALSO provide the City of Northville with:

  • Completed and signed Hold Harmless Agreement 
  • Certificate of Insurance for $1M General Liability, naming the City of Northville (215 West Main Street, Northville, MI 48167) as an additional insured.
  • Separate copy of the Policy Endorsement that shows the policy change recognizing the City as an additional insured for General Liability. ISO Endorsement Form CG 20 26 is a sample of an endorsement that has been accepted in the past. If your insurance carrier does not use this Endorsement Form, one that is similarly worded may be acceptable.  Endorsement forms that reference a contract, lease, agreement, etc. are not acceptable.

Food Trucks must also provide Proof of insurance for Automobile Liability 

All of the above must be emailed to fest@buymichigannow.com no later than July 1, 2024. We will review your documents and forward them to the City. Questions about insurance required by the City of Northville may be emailed to Michael Smith via msmith@ci.northville.mi.us. Absolutely NO phone calls, please. He will forward your questions and/or documents on to the City Attorney for response and/or review. FLIP (Food Liability Insurance Program) is one potential source for those looking to obtain the required General Liability insurance. Save $10 with FLIP Discount Code: bmnfest10

FOOD & BEVERAGE VENDORS: In addition to the above insurance requirements for those preparing food on site, any vendor giving away or selling food or beverages in their booth is responsible for all health permits, rules, regulations, etc. Vendors are responsible for meeting all county/state licensing requirements.  The Wayne County Health Department requires licensing of all food concessions. If a permit is required, it must be obtained by you prior to the festival.  Click HERE to download application.  If sampling or selling, please provide for the recycling or disposal of all utensils, plates, napkins, etc. If cooking food, be sure to have a fire extinguisher at your location, as required by law, and be prepared to show it to the Fire Marshall. Failure to comply with these regulations and/or pass a health/fire inspection, may result in a forfeiture of vendor space without a refund. We’re grateful to our friends at Faygo for their partnership. Faygo is the official soda/pop brand of the event. Vendors who are approved to sell soda, may only sell Faygo brand; however, each will receive a minimum of 240 cans of pop to sell at no cost to the vendor. Buy Michigan Now reserves the right to restrict additional food and/or beverage sales to specific brands in the event of a sponsorship agreement. Vendors who applied to sell said product may receive complimentary product to sell, if dictated by the sponsorship agreement. Said vendors will be contacted prior to the event and given the opportunity to place an order.

BOOTH RELOCATION: Buy Michigan Now reserves the right to make any necessary layout changes. A vendor may be relocated to a comparable space other than previously specified if it is deemed necessary and in the best interest of the festival and/or local merchants.

DISPLAY DIMENSIONS & RESTRICTIONS: Absolutely all displays, inventory, boxes, product, etc. must be contained within your vendor space, unless permission for an exception has been granted by Buy Michigan Now.  Easels, signs, product, etc. shall not be placed beyond the booth area into the street or sidewalk, nor may awnings be extended, due to fire lane requirements and guest safety concerns. Distribution of samples and literature is strictly limited to the confines of the vendor’s booth. This is important in ensuring the safety of our guests, so repeated violations of this rule will likely result in expulsion from the event without a refund and/or denial of entry into future events.

SOUND DEVICES: The use of devices for mechanical reproduction of sound or music is permitted, within reason. Sound of any kind must not be projected outside the confines of the vendor’s booth. Voice and/or music amplification must be kept to a sufficiently low volume so as not to disturb other vendors or attendees. Live entertainment at a booth space is prohibited unless permission has been secured from Buy Michigan Now in writing prior to the start of the event.

VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHS: Buy Michigan Now will be taking photographs and videos of the event for future promotional purposes. Vendors consent to have their likeness, and those of anyone working in their booth, used in those promotional efforts.  Likewise, vendors may take pictures or video of their participation in the event for promotional purposes.

CONDUCT & CHARACTER: Vendors agree to conduct themselves in a respectful, cooperative manner, while operating their booth during ALL hours of the festival including set-up and tear-down. In the event of an emergency, vendors may request permission from Buy Michigan Now to close early or open late without repercussions. Any other premature exit, or late start, without permission, may result in being blocked from participating in any and/or all future Buy Michigan Now events. Any behavior deemed inappropriate by event organizers may result in expulsion. Furthermore any vendor deemed to be causing a scene, lecturing, making political statements or using this event as an avenue for a radical display will be expelled. The Buy Michigan Now Festival is a family-friendly, nonpartisan event, and does not wish to include political, radical, or vulgar content of any kind. Event organizers also reserve the right to expel any organization that interacts with guests for commercial purposes that is not a registered vendor or sponsor, and any entertainer who is not sanctioned by the Buy Michigan Now Festival.

VENDOR HOURS: All vendors MUST be ready to exhibit at the time the event officially opens to the public at 4pm. This means all vehicles that are not part of a display (e.g. food trucks) must be removed from the streets by no later than 3pm. As such, vendors will not be allowed to enter a festival street after 2:30pm. If you arrive later, you may still set up, but you will have to find another way to get your belongings to your booth space. All aisles must be clear, and and all products and exhibit materials must be kept within the vendor’s rented space by the time the event opens to the public. All vendors are expected to remain open and available to guests from open to close on each day of the festival, even if no product remains. In the event of an emergency, please contact volunteers at the Information Booth or call 248-390-0974 to request a schedule adjustment. Vendors may not leave tents or any other display materials unattended while the event is open to the public. The hours are: Fri Aug 2nd 4PM-8PM; Sat Aug 3rd 10AM-8PM; Sun Aug 4th 10AM-4PM.

DIRECTORY LISTING: All registered vendors must submit a listing in the Buy Michigan Now business directory prior to July 1, 2024. This requirement is to assist guests who frequently seek to contact companies they encountered after the event, but is also a nice marketing benefit for our vendors. An Associate level directory listing is free. Enhanced directory listings with website links and photos are part of Buy Michigan Now membership, which is available for just $100 for a single business, and includes a $50 discount on festival space. Click here to submit directory listing now.

FAILURE TO COMPLY: Violation of any of these rules is basis for expulsion and/or denial of vendor applications to any and/or all future Buy Michigan Now events. Buy Michigan Now may close any booth which fails to cooperate with these regulations, without a refund.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Vendor hereby releases and forever discharges Buy Michigan Now (a.k.a. The Catalyst Company, LLC), City of Northville, and all other participating and sponsoring organizations from any responsibility, personal liability, loss or damage in connection with this event. Buy Michigan Now reserves the right to make final interpretation of the rules, and to make amendments, up to one week prior to the event. Submitting an application certifies an understanding of, and agreement to comply with, the cancellation policy and all other rules described herein.

Author: bmnadmin