Vendor Information
The Urban Birding Festival invites businesses, artists, conservation organizations, and others who offer quality exhibits related to birds and nature to apply to be a vendor for the 2025 festival.
Please read the details below before submitting your application. A team member will be in contact with you when your application is received.
Where
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
When
Saturday, September 19th: 10 am - 4 pm
Sunday, September 20th: 10 am - 4 pm
Load in: September 19th 9-10 am
Registration Fee:
$125 for a single table (2 badges)
$250 for a double table (4 badges)
Your registration allows you to operate as an exhibitor for both days of the festival. Vendor registration includes two festival badges per table for the exclusive use of your staff and volunteers who are working at the table. (More details below)
Booth Space: Each booth is a 6ft table inside the museum. We will provide exhibitors with a single 6 foot table and two chairs. Electricity is limited. Access to electricity is available first-come, first-served and must be requested at the time of application. WiFi will be available for the purpose of conducting point of sale transactions or other low data usage activities. Streaming or downloading music, video, or other large amounts of data is NOT allowed.
Exhibitor Applications: The Urban Birding Festival reviews each application to determine the appropriateness of the exhibit in relation to the bird and nature themes of the festival. Spaces are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis and are not guaranteed until the registration fee is received by TUBF.
If there is no booth space available, the exhibitor will be notified and given the opportunity to be added to a waitlist.
No exhibitor shall assign or share space without the consent of TUBF.
Vendor Terms & Conditions
Set-up/Tear Down: Exhibitors may begin setting up at 9:00 am each day of the event. Vehicles may pull into the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Employee parking lot off of Canon Drive for loading only. There is street parking available or parking for a fee in the nearby Lincoln Park Zoo parking lot.
If you will be using electricity, please bring a heavy-duty extension cord.
All booths should be complete and ready for business by 11 am each day.
Booths should be staffed during the functioning hours of the festival marketplace and museum. TUBF is not responsible for any booth displays or items left unattended.
Booths may not be torn down prior to the close of the marketplace on any day. Exhibitors will have 1.5 hours after the close of the marketplace to tear down (times may vary based on staffing).
The vendor room will be secure during the overnight hours.
Booth Staff: Your registration includes two festival badges per table for the exclusive use of your staff and volunteers who are working at the table. These badges will have the vendor org or company name printed on them, and can be left with our registration team you need to change representatives during the day or from one day to the next. Any additional representatives beyond the two per table will have to register separately for the festival to obtain their own badge. Please be mindful of limited space in the marketplace.
Live Plants & Animals - Vendors wishing to bring live plants and/or animals to their tables MUST submit a written species and quantity list for review by Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum staff at least 4 weeks prior to the festival. Unapproved plants & animals will not be permitted in the vendor marketplace.
Parking - Street parking is extremely difficult near the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. We highly recommend purchasing parking passes for the lot at the nearby Lincoln Park Zoo, available through the Festival at a discounted rate. TUBF is not responsible for any issues which may arise from improperly parked vehicles.
Cancellation Policy
Exhibitor cancellations received in writing prior to August 1st will receive a full refund, minus a $25 processing fee.
No refunds will be issued beginning August 1st.
If TUBF cancels the event, exhibitors will have 3 options:
Donate all or part of the registration fee to the Chicago Bird Alliance (501 3c non-profit). Vendors will be offered priority registration for the marketplace the following year.
Roll-over the balance paid and secure a booth space in the following year.
Receive a full refund.
Additional Details
All exhibitors shall conduct business in accordance with all laws and the highest standards of business ethics.
Illinois has a 6.25% sales tax rate. For more information about conducting business in Illinois, visit the Illinois Department of Revenue.
The Urban Birding Festival reserves the right to decline and prohibit any booth or part of a booth that, in its opinion, is not proper or in accord with the purpose of the marketplace. This reservation concerns persons, conduct, printed matter, or any other thing that may affect the exhibit.
TUBF will exercise reasonable care for the protection of the exhibitor’s materials and displays, but the exhibitor assumes all obligations of risk or loss. There is overnight security on site employed by the museum.
Freight deliveries should be pre-arranged with the festival staff and delivered to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum via arrangement with Museum Staff no earlier than 2 weeks prior to the Festival. Contact Chicago Bird Alliance staff for more information.
Smoking is prohibited in the building.
Festival staff monitors COVID-19 safety guidelines and recommendations set by the CDC, as well as any state and local regulations. Exhibitors are required to comply with the COVID-19 safety guidelines TUBF has in place at the time of the event, if any.