Skip to main content

MPE Homeschool Conference – April 5-6, 2024

  • Are you interested in applying for a booth?

    • If you have not had a booth before or would like more information about being a vendor, please fill out our Vendor Interest Form.

    • If you have had a booth at our conference in a previous year and who are ready to pay 100% of their booth fee then complete the Vendor Contract Form.

  • Vendors reserving a booth by March 11 will be included in our full-color Conference Program. After March 11 vendors will be added to an addendum and the vendor hall map on a loose page added to the program.

  • Click here for the Electricity, Phone, and Internet Request Form.

  • Are you interested in other conference advertising opportunities? Click here for more information!

Why should your business be a vendor or sponsor at this premier event?

  • Thriving Community: With 700 families attending last year, our community is flourishing. Post-COVID, the numbers are on the rise, offering a prime opportunity to connect with potential customers or employees.
  • Key Influencers Present: Jim Mason from HSLDA brings a special message, creating a unique platform for businesses to engage with the influential homeschooling community.
  • Notable Keynote Speakers: The Tylers, our esteemed keynote speakers, bring a wealth of insights. Your business can align itself with excellence in education.
  • Targeted Audience: Local and Christian businesses attending recognize the valuable demographic – homeschooling moms with junior high and high schoolers. Tailored workshops cater to their specific needs.
  • Youthful Outreach: Our MPEK and YLT volunteers, in the same age range as potential employees, provide a proactive approach to marketing and connecting. Forge meaningful connections with future attendees and their parents.
  • Unique Involvement: Stand out by supporting an event where youth in MPEK and YLT take charge. From setup to takedown, they handle the heavy lifting, offering a distinctive experience for sponsors.

Don’t miss the chance to position your business at the forefront of Midwest homeschooling. Be a vendor to engage with potential customers and employees or sponsor us for unparalleled brand exposure.

Vendor Hall Hours

Thursday, April 4. The Vendor Hall will be open for vendors to set up from 5.00 – 9.00 p.m.

Friday, April 5. The Vendor Hall will be open for vendors to set up at 7.00 a.m. It will open to registered conference attendees at 9.00 a.m. and will close at 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 6. The Vendor Hall will open at 9.00 a.m. and close by 5.00 p.m. Vendors must be completely packed and cleared out by 6.00 p.m.

 

Booth Services and Shipping Information

Liberty Exposition Services (www.libertyexpo.com) will receive and deliver boxes of display materials and other materials for your booth. Freight shipments must be sent prepaid. COD shipments will be refused. Your freight will be accepted at: LIBERTY EXPOSITION SERVICES, 1821 Bedford Avenue, North Kansas City, MO 64116. This company will also provide additional tables, chairs, and floor coverings (the Vendor Hall floor is bare concrete). You can also contact them if you have other physical needs for your booth. Electricity and internet can be requested with the form near the top of the page.

 

Taxes

All vendors are responsible for their own collection and payment of sales taxes. The sales tax  is 4.23% (State: Missouri) + 1.25% (County: Platte) + 3.25% (City: Kansas City) = 8.73%.

All vendors who are Sole Owners or Partners have to fill out Form 2643S at http://dor.mo.gov/forms/2643S.pdf

All vendors who are LLC or Corp. have to fill out Form 2643A at http://dor.mo.gov/forms/2643A.pdf

More information, if required, can be found at http://dor.mo.gov/faq/business/special.php

The forms need to be submitted 10 – 15 days after the special event. MPE does not have a sales tax ID for the convention that all vendors can utilize.

 

Lighting

Lighting in the Vendor Hall should be adequate for most uses. However, if bright lighting is important to you, order electricity from the KCI Expo Center and bring lights.

 

Exclusive Representation

MPE will NOT guarantee that you will be the exclusive vendor of your particular product(s) at the conference. It is the responsibility of each company and its vendors to coordinate the representation of a product line.

Shared Booth Space.  Vendors shall NOT share booth space with any other company or organization or display materials for another company or organization without the written permission of the Vendor Committee.

 

Meals

NO OUTSIDE FOOD is allowed to be brought into the KCI Expo Center.

Thank you for respecting this policy of the KCI Expo Center.

Food purchased inside the KCI Expo Center (from the vending machines, Cafeteria, or Coffee Bar) is allowed. The Cafeteria is located off the main lobby and is open 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. both days.

The Coffee Bar in the Lobby is open 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. They will have coffee, juices, bottled water, and muffins available. (Pricing does not include sales taxes)

In addition to the usual café fare,  daily lunch specials in the Cafeteria are available from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. or until sold out on the Friday and Saturday of the conference.

 

Use of the Convention Center Loading Dock

Vendors using the Convention Center loading dock shall focus on unloading their material first, moving their material from the loading dock to the Vendor Hall, and arranging their displays within their booth(s).

On Saturday, vendors shall focus on packing up their displays and materials, moving their boxes and display cases to the loading dock area, and then loading their vehicles.  An vendor may NOT move its vehicle(s) into the loading dock area until ALL its display materials have been removed from the Vendor Hall. This approach will allow the most efficient use of the loading dock area by all vendors.

 

Rules and Regulations

Distribution of printed materials, souvenirs, or other articles must be restricted to the space within the vendor’s booth. Any part of an vendor’s display that is over 8 feet tall must have prior written approval from the MPE Conference Committee.

Smoking is not permitted except in designated areas.

An individual public address system is NOT permitted. Music or audiovisual sound must not be audible more than 8 feet from the vendor’s booth.

Use of highly flammable material shall NOT be permitted. Live flames are NOT permitted within an vendor’s booth.

An adult must accompany the vendor’s children under the age of 13 at all times.

Drawings for prizes are permissible; however, the drawings must occur before the end of the conference.

Vendors are liable for any damage caused to the building floors, walls, curtains, and drapes as well as to standard booth equipment or to other property of the facility or other vendors. Vendors must not apply any adhesive to the building floors, walls, or any standard booth equipment. No vendor may attach anything to anything outside his booth.

Helium-filled balloons may be attached to the vendor’s booth, but the vendor is responsible for any loose balloons not removed from the facility at the close of the conference. Helium-filled balloons shall NOT be given to attendees.

 

Recommendations

 

“I want to thank all of you for being awesome to work with.  As someone who considers 25 conventions a year or so, we see everything on the spectrum of customer service, courtesy to vendors and so on, and you’re at the top of the list.” Jeff Cox, American School

 

Vendor Contact

Please direct all inquiries concerning vendor booths or demonstrations to:  The MPE Vendor Coordinator, PO Box 14391, Lenexa, KS 66285 or email the office.

Updated 1/23/2024