Hello and thank you for your interest in vending the Pittsburgh Mega Reptile Expo.  This message is to review the basic information and rules for the upcoming show on May 25th & 26th, 2024. PLEASE READ THIS IN FULL!!! EVEN IF YOU ARE A PREVIOUS VENDOR, THERE MIGHT BE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE!!!! 

First let’s discuss the location. This event will be held at the following location:

Monroeville Convention Center
209 Mall Plaza Blvd
Monroeville, Pa 15146

If you have any issues finding the location, please call us and we will assist you in this.  The schedule for this event is as follows:

Friday May 24th;
– 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM – The hall will be opened for vendor setup

Saturday May 25th;
– 6:30 AM to 8:45 AM – The hall will be opened for vendor arrival and to finish setup. DO NOT come in before 6:30 am
– 6:30 AM to 8:45 AM – Breakfast pastries and assorted muffins will be available for vendors at no cost, FREE!
– 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM – The show will open for VIP ticket holders
– 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM – Show time!!

Sunday May 26th;
– 7:00 AM to 8:45 AM – The hall will be opened for vendor arrival
– 7:00 AM to 8:45 AM – Breakfast pastries and assorted muffins will be available for vendors at no cost, FREE!
– 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM – The show will open for VIP ticket holders
– 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM – Show time!!
– 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM – Vendor teardown

When you arrive at the hall for set up whether you are setting up on Friday or Saturday, you will drive to the RIGHT side of the hall and unload at the garage door.  Please unload quickly and move your vehicles for there is only space for about 3 vehicles at a time and there are over 150 vendors to load in.  PLEASE BRING A DOLLY or something to bring your items to your table for we do not provide any. The venue does NOT like vendors using theirs, do NOT ask to use them or just take them. This is a common problem, everyone reads this and shows up expecting to use these. YOU CAN NOT! PLEASE TAKE NOTE! We also CANNOT load through the front door, so please do not attempt to do so.

When you arrive at the hall to setup, please first come see the staff so you can be directed to your assigned tables. DO NOT just walk around and assume where you are seated. If you have set up on Friday, on Saturday, please still come in through the vendor loading area and see a staff member. You will need to get your vendor badge and check in that you have arrived and pay for additional badges then. Please be ready to pay.  Friday setup is not mandatory. We just ask you be setup and ready for the show no later than 8:45 each show day.

This is a 2-day event and you MUST ATTEND BOTH DAYS.  You are NOT permitted to pack up and leave early for any reason unless prior permission is granted by our staff.

We will provide you with 3 vendor badges per vendor registration, no exceptions. We have offered more in the past, unlike other large shows, but no matter how many times we change things to accommodate vendors better, some vendors take advantage of our kindness, so we have opted to follow the guidance of other shows and we will now only give 3 vendor badges per registered vendor. If you need additional vendor badges, they may be purchased at the back security door up until 8:45am on either show day. Additional vendor badges will be $10 per badge. For vendors bringing in children 11 years and under, these children do not need a vendor badge. We will give them a purple child bracelet at no cost to the vendor. This bracelet will identify children who are supposed to be behind a vendor table, but will also prevent these children from leaving the facility without the vendor, to protect against child abduction. (It hasn’t happened, so we will be prepared before it does.) You are permitted no more than 3 people, adults and children combined, behind any one table. So if you are vending with one table, you can bring a total of 3 people behind your table. Children one years of age and under do not count towards your 3 number count. All vendors helpers, family, kids, etc., must wear a vendor badge/bracelet throughout the show. If you have children 12 years old and above, these badges MUST be always worn while in the event hall or entering into the hall. Do NOT leave your vendor badge on your table before you leave each day. There will be a $10 fee for lost vendor badges, no exceptions. You must have your badge and be wearing it when you enter on Sunday, and if you forgot it or lost it you must stop in at check in and buy a new one. So please always have your badge on along with any helpers. All badges need to be visible on your chest. It can not go on your belt loop, flipped to your back, wrapped around your wrist or anything else. This means when you come in Saturday morning and are loading in, PLEASE HAVE THE BADGE ON AND VISABLY OVER YOUR CLOTHES. We need to be able to identify who our vendors are, and not just a customer trying to go in with traffic. All vendors and helpers must be at the show to receive their vendor badge by 8:45am or they will have to go through the ticket booth and pay admission. No exceptions!! You can NOT give your badge to a friend to get in later.

All of the tables are very sturdy and durable, but we want you to cover your tables with some sort of cover, even a simple plastic tablecloth.   If you need power, please bring extra extension cords and power strips as needed to reach to your table location from the power source which may be up to 30′ away.  We will not have extra extension cords or power strips at this event, so please make sure to bring some. We will provide you with a clean location when you set up and we ask you to keep it cleaned up. If you need a garbage bag/can, please grab one of our staff members and we will get you one immediately. Upon cleanup of the event, we ask you break all empty boxes down and stack them in a pile on your table.  We also ask you to clean up your area before you leave.

We will also provide each vendor with “Paid” stickers to be placed on all purchased items.  The customer will not be able to get out of the show with merchandise, without security seeing a “Paid” sticker.  Please DO NOT leave your paid stickers out in reach of customers, for this happened at the last event and it could have caused problems in security. It is very important you remember to put a sticker on your items that are sold. This has caused a lot of issues, customers get angry they have to go back, and have given our security a hard time. If you run out of stickers, please flag one of our staff members down and we will get you more stickers.  “Paid” stickers will be provided to the vendors free of charge. Though there will be security at the event, the security will be there to secure the event after event hours and to keep control during the event.  We will not have enough security to watch your tables during the event.  So please be sure to keep your tables maned or watched by another vendor at all times to ensure your products do not walk off. We will do our best to ensure no unpaid products will be removed from the event, but we are not responsible for broken, lost, or stolen items.

Please provide contact information or business cards to all your customers in case they should need something or have a problem!!!!! Our staff, on a number of shows has had to go through a large list of vendors and a huge layout trying to figure out who the customer is talking about. Think of it like a receipt, make sure it goes with everything you sell.

If possible, it is recommended to provide the customer with a care sheet for each animal you sell, but this is not mandatory. Please make sure to go over care of whatever animal you have sold.  Also please be sure to provide the customer with a breathable container for them to leave the venue with their new pet.

WHAT EVER YOU DO, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR ANIMALS ARE SECURE IN CONTAINERS AT ALL TIMES.  In the event that an animal gets out and is not captured before the end of the show, the vendor who lost the animal will be responsible to pay for a professional team to come in and remove the animal which starts at $2,500.  We value our vendors and you are here because we trust you will positively represent yourself and this event.

No outside food will be allowed to be brought into this event.  The event location has an assortment of concessions available for purchase.  There will be no smoking or vaping inside the building.

This is a professional event and you will need to remain professional at all times.  We will not tolerate disruptions, including fighting, at any time during the event or setup and teardown. Any vendor giving our staff any problems of any kind will be evicted from the show without a refund and will not be asked back. Anyone involved in a physical altercation will be asked to leave and will not be issued a refund of any kind. If you bring children, they must be in your control at all times inside and outside of the venue. All children MUST remain behind your tables with you at all times. If they want to walk around, you MUST escort them. We have had way too many complaints from vendors that other vendors children are getting under foot and in the way of their business. If they are not, we will alert you to correct the issue and you will not be asked to return for future shows. 

There will be another show going on in the South Hall. For this reason, we need all vendors from the moment they check in on Saturday, to immediately put on your vendor badge and keep it on and visible along with any and all helpers coming in with you. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!! We will have plenty of staff and security that will be around and if you are not wearing it you will be stopped and made to put it on. If you cause an issue over this with the staff you will be asked to leave and you will not get a refund or asked to return.

Once we have set up the show, except in an emergency situation, we can not and will not move your table location. Our layout is already made up and if you did not request a special spot a minimum of two weeks before the show we will NOT change any of our tables to accommodate your request last minute. No exceptions!!!! Do not take it upon yourself to switch with someone or move yours or anyone else’s tables.

The Steel City Cannabis Convention will be going on in the South Hall. As a vendor you are permitted to go over and view the show. However you must be 18 or older to go in. You can NOT take your child, do not try, do not ask. No exceptions! Please make sure that if you were to go over and check it out, you have someone watching your table. We do not have enough staff to watch tables throughout the show day. As previously stated, you MUST wear your vendor badge, if you are not you will not be permitted to go through and check out the show.

Since there is another show plus this show going on, vendor parking is NOT in the normal area which is behind the convention center and to the right. We need all vendors to park over by Dick’s Sporting goods ONCE THEY ARE DONE UNLOADING, NO EXCEPTIONS!! This is behind the mall, across from BEST BUY, which is behind the convention center. We have staff waiting there  in golf carts to drive you back to the convention center. If you are not by the sign our people will not see you and will drive back to the convention center. Do not sit in your car and assume we will find you.  We will have one cart accessible with a staff member to take you to your car during the day if you need to go to it. They will also be taking you to your car at the end of the day Saturday and in the morning on Sunday to the convention center. At the end of the show on Sunday you can be driven over to your car to drive back to load up your items. DO NOT give the driver a hard time, ask for alternate stops or be reckless while on it. Do not hang from it, stick arms or feet out of it and make sure to hold on to all children securely. Our staff is the only ones permitted to drive these, do not ask or attempt to take them on your own.

Rules of the Reptile Expos:
1.  Vendors must comply with ALL local, state and federal laws.
2.  All vendors have the right to refuse service to anyone.
3.  Children under 15 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at the time of sale of any animal. Vendor must use their own discretion in regards to sales. Not all animals are suitable for all keepers.
4.  All animals should be thoroughly inspected before the doors open to the public. Any animals that appear sick, injured, imported (if all-captive bred show), have visual mites/ticks, are illegal, or questionable should be removed immediately. Animal conditions and health are to be determined by the show promoter. Animals need to be presented in appropriately-sized containers.  Their bodies should be able to make a full 360 degree movement in the enclosure/display.  Enclosures should have proper ventilation and be 100% secure.  This also includes take-home containers.
5.  Animals who defecate in the cage or container must be immediately pulled off the table to be cleaned and sanitize.
6.  Hand sanitizer should be provided by each vendor as well as at the entrance door.  To prevent disease, any person handling or touching an animal should properly sanitize their hands before and after contact.

8.  You can not pack up and leave the show earlier than 15 minutes before the end of the show.
9.  Children must be in your control at all times. They need to stay behind the table with you. They are not permitted to walk around with out a parent accompanying them. If they are running around and in the way, inside or outside the venue, you will be asked not to bring them anymore.
10.  Any vendor selling items of any kind must pay for their own table, no sharing tables without permission from management prior to the booking of the table. If you were given permission to share, the vendor filling out this registration form will be the responsible party for all vendor fees and for the other vendors actions. We do this because when you share with a vendor we do not know or are unaware of, we look unprofessional when someone makes a purchase from them and then has an issue or question and we have no idea what the customer is talking about, because that vendor is not on our records. We do not like looking unprofessional and if we do because you do not request sharing permission, we will not ask you or that sharing vendor to return.
11.  We do NOT allow any vendor, for any reason, to bring in dogs, cats, or pigs to sell.
12.  No one under the age of 18 can be set up as a vendor or manning a table on their own.
13.  All volunteers/helpers must be in the door BEFORE 8:45 am or they must pay admission fee NO EXCEPTIONS.
14.  All volunteers must be behind your table with you for the majority of the show, no more than 3 people behind the tables per one table. (Ex. 1 table = 3 people; 2 tables = 6 people etc.)
15.  You will be given a vendor badge to wear while you are vending. You must WEAR IT while you are setup. We do this because even though you may know the show promoters personally, we have 20+ temporary staff members who have no idea who you are.
16.  DO NOT complain about where you are set up!! If you have a special request for placement, please let us know at least 2 weeks before the show. We can’t guarantee your request, but we will do our very best to make it happen.
17.  You need to provide business cards to customers.
18.  NO ONE is permitted to take anything off of any other vendors table without their permission.
19.  Please try to have some sort of care instruction sheet for any customer buying any animal you have.
20.  Please make sure to have breathable containers/boxes ready for the animal to go with the customer.
21.  There are NO exceptions to payment for any reasons. Deadlines are given on when money is due. No exceptions.
22.  Tables should be decorated with table cloths/signs to make you stick out. We don’t insist on it but sincerely suggest you do something to make your table stand out.
23.  You can not just take any table. Please see the person at the check in desk so they can show you to your table.
24.  Not showing up at all will get you banned from the show.
25.  No turtles are to be brought/sold if they are less than 4″ unless permitted by law.
26.  If there is 2 complaints about your animals or customer service we will reassess if you are a good fit for our event.
27.  At any point in time we have the right to change the rules. If they change you will be provided with a new copy.
28.  By submitting this registration page any making payment, I understand that if for any reason I am not able to attend this event, any and all monies paid towards this event will be forfeited.

IF YOU ARE NOT AN PET VENDOR, A PET FOOD VENDOR, or A PET SUPPLY VENDOR, you need to ask our permission to vend before you fill out this form. Failure to do so could result in an automatic refund of your table fees, less a $20 processing fee. We look forward to seeing you at this event and we are looking forward to a great show. If you have any questions or issues, please reach out to me directly. Setup day, Friday, May 24th, until the end of the show on Sunday, May 26th at 8:00pm, my phone will be available from 6:00am until 11:00pm. If you need anything between now and then, please message the FaceBook show page first or you can call during regular business hours, 9:00am until 4:00pm. See you at the show!

Jamie Marchese
(724) 640-9669
Pittsburgh Mega Reptile Expo