[freakishdarling]

I'm starting up a small geeky home baked goods business with some friends, I thought ACen would be the perfect place to demo test some of our products. I know it's against rules to sell food on the con and hotel property, but what about giving away free samples with business cards?

[STVO]

Not sure about it being against rules or not. I like the idea but be careful, free food at convention can leave you to limited or no supplies left in less than an hour. Lol

[Roark]

freakishdarling, on 20 March 2012 - 02:07 AM, said:

I'm starting up a small geeky home baked goods business with some friends, I thought ACen would be the perfect place to demo test some of our products. I know it's against rules to sell food on the con and hotel property, but what about giving away free samples with business cards?

Please don't. The "home baked goods" part scares me. No offense to you or your friends, but food prep standards are strict for a reason, and I'm guessing none of you have sanitation certifications, business licenses, or catering/bakery insurance. The last thing you want is to hurriedly make lots of samples for ACen, cut corners, and get someone sick due to lax hand washing policies, eggs left out too long, reused implements, etc.

So, just don't. Not unless you and your friends can assure people that you follow industry sanitation standards and can pay out if you do give someone food poisoning.

[TheStrongJaeger]

Roark, on 20 March 2012 - 09:13 AM, said:

Please don't. The "home baked goods" part scares me. No offense to you or your friends, but food prep standards are strict for a reason, and I'm guessing none of you have sanitation certifications, business licenses, or catering/bakery insurance. The last thing you want is to hurriedly make lots of samples for ACen, cut corners, and get someone sick due to lax hand washing policies, eggs left out too long, reused implements, etc.

So, just don't. Not unless you and your friends can assure people that you follow industry sanitation standards and can pay out if you do give someone food poisoning.

Sadly I'd have to agree with this poster. I've worked staff at other conventions that allow you to sell food and even they would not even let you sell any prepared foods due to safety and sanitation reasons.

I'm not staff so I can't make the final say but I'd be surprised if they did allow it.

[Valkyrie]

Unfortunately, the sentiments ring true here - and not just because of food prep, allergies, or sanitation issues.

The contract ACen has with the convention center and Hyatt will not allow any distribution of food - whether it be for profit or free samples. We can't even allow folks to dole out Pocky, or have candy bowls at tables in the con center.

Sorry about that.

[Iris]

I don't know the answer to this but I figured I'd toss in what I do know on a similar topic.

The past few times I've worked in the Artist Alley there is someone who makes and hands out handmade truffles/chocolates. I didn't have a table last year but I know they did it for quite a few years in a row, and so I'm assuming never really got in trouble. They also were not advertising though. They just handed out pretty chocolates to the artists.

People in the artist alley have asked before about handing out free (or free with a purchase of art/crafts) food or even wrapped candy to people as they walk by. I'm not sure if there was a absolute "Hell no" but I know it was very very strongly discouraged.

So my guess is that it's going to be a no or at the very least, heavily frowned upon.

*edit* Always too slow. XD

This post has been edited by Iris: 20 March 2012 - 10:49 AM

[GITS SAC Motoko]

I'm not staff either, but I feel if panelists cannot give away food (like even just little PACKAGED boxes of Pocky) I'm pretty sure you can't give away food as an advertising mechanism because I think what was said is that it "competed" with the food at the con and the contracts for ACEN or something. I mean you could have like a room party and make the food and have it there and invite people to it...that's legal because it's the privacy of your own room. Just don't advertise. Even then you want to be careful with that since if you invite strangers to your room you don't want to give them food that just randomly grew bacteria on it and made them sick (like foods that need constant refrigeration).

[Alkaren Hyralt]

Valkyrie, on 20 March 2012 - 10:47 AM, said:

Unfortunately, the sentiments ring true here - and not just because of food prep, allergies, or sanitation issues.

The contract ACen has with the convention center and Hyatt will not allow any distribution of food - whether it be for profit or free samples. We can't even allow folks to dole out Pocky, or have candy bowls at tables in the con center.

Sorry about that.