World Cocoa and Chocolate Day 2023 Expo: Exhibitor Information

Register now! Visit http://tiny.cc/wccd9

World Cocoa and Chocolate Day 2023 Expo will be hosted by the Cocoa Research Centre (CRC) in a partnership with our venue, Mahatma Gandhi Institute For Cultural Cooperation.
Our sponsors are as follows: National Flour Mills (Gold Sponsor), FAO OCOP (Silver Sponsor) and ExporTT (Bronze Sponsor)

Date & Time
October 27 & 28, 2023

Display Booths
Exhibitors are responsible for the contents of their booths. Exhibitors will be provided with the following:

• Two tables (2 feet x 6 feet); clothed
• Two chairs
• Two exhibitor badges (Kindly call to discuss if you need more than this allotted amount)
• Venue parking access
• Facebook event page promo (https://bit.ly/wccd2023) 

Set up
Exhibitors will be able to set up during the following times (pending confirmation):

Booth Layout and display
Please consider the table arrangement, flow of traffic, the display area available for easy viewing and your fellow exhibitors in designing your booth displays.
If you reserve additional tables, the tables must be placed at right angles (L configuration or any other configuration that uses the smallest space) to conserve space and avoid encroaching on your fellow exhibitors.

Booth Supervision
Exhibitors are kindly asked to ensure that they have someone to man the booths at all times. 

Registration Fee

All exhibitors are required to contribute a small cover charge of $1000 TTD per day (or $1500 for two days) to be paid in advance or during set up either to the secretary, Mrs. Sophia Boissiere or Ms. Antoinette Sankar. Coupon discounts for exhibitors who partner with us to promo the event, may be possible. Please call our office: 662-8788 to discuss.

•    Late registration fees will be waived for anyone who makes payment by 5pm on Thursday 26th. 
•    Booth fees are non-refundable after October 24th, 2023. Payments after October 31st will incur a penalty.

Please see Mrs. Sophia Boissiere at the main office of CRC in Sir Frank Stockdale Building (North) or Ms. Antoinette Sankar to make your booth payment. Accepted forms of payment: cash or a cheque made out to Cocoa Research Centre, The UWI.

Amenities
The venue is air-conditioned. Power outlets will be made easily accessible, one per booth.

Trash bins will be placed in strategic locations around the exhibit hall. Washrooms are available to the northwest and southwest sides of the hall.

Parking
Secured parking is available to exhibitors, one spot per exhibitor. Exhibitors are kindly asked to only park near the entrance to the exhibit hall for off-loading, after which you must remove your vehicle to allow others the same courtesy. 

Contact Information
For general information and updates to the exhibition, please check the CRC booth in the centre of the exhibit hall or visit our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/cocoacentre and the Facebook event page for World Cocoa and Chocolate Day 2023.
E-mail enquiries (which may not be answered in a timely manner on the week of the exhibition) should be directed to the webmaster Ms. Antoinette Sankar at info@cocoacentre.com.
Telephone contact: Antoinette 737-9084, Naomi 460-1340. 

Disclaimer
Exhibitors are responsible for their activities and should actively seek to avoid any incidents that may result in damage to persons or property - we are asking for particular care to be taken to preserve the pristine condition of the floor of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Cooperation. When loading in or removing items from the venue, please exercise extreme caution to not damage the tiled floor. CRC and The UWI will not be held responsible or liable for any compensation, injuries or damages.
  
Rules 

1. Unethical conduct or infraction of the Rules by an exhibitor or its representative will subject the exhibitor and/or its representative to removal from the venue or other exhibit area, in which event it is agreed there will be no refund from CRC.
2. All exhibitor activities must be conducted within the exhibitor’s assigned space.
3. No exhibitor is permitted to enter another exhibitor’s booth without prior permission by the other exhibitor.
4. Exhibitors are kindly asked to respect the space left for flow of traffic through the expo and shall not leave any items that will obstruct the flow of persons or create physical hazards for attendees or anyone else including other exhibitors. All items belonging to exhibitors should be confined to the space allocated in their booth.
5. Distracting sound and lighting devices or smells that permeate beyond your booth space are not permitted.
6. Canvassing or distributing advertising matter outside the exhibitor’s own space is not permitted. Solicitation of business, except by exhibiting firms, is not permitted.
7. Nothing shall be posted on, tacked, nailed, screwed, or otherwise attached to columns, walls, floors, or other parts of the building or furniture. Any costs incurred for the restoration of the building, equipment, or furniture around a particular booth will be at the expense of the exhibitor. 
8. For safety reasons, smoking is prohibited in the exhibit hall, including during times of setup and dismantling.
9. Cooking of any kind is prohibited in the venue unless it is in the cafeteria space.
10. Alcohol sale is prohibited due to the lack of a liquor license at the venue.

Enforcement of Rules
By applying for an exhibit space, an exhibitor agrees to adhere to all conditions and regulations outlined in this prospectus. Conformity to these rules and regulations for the World Cocoa and Chocolate Day 2023 celebration will be monitored by exhibit management. Each exhibitor is granted nothing more than a terminable licence to exhibit, subject to all the rules herein and the general control of CRC.

Payments
Exhibitor fees can be paid by cash or cheque payable to Cocoa Research Centre, The UWI. All payments must be made to CRC office in Sir Frank Stockdale Building (North wing, ground floor) at The UWI, St. Augustine campus.

Exhibitor benefits

• Display booth (described above)
• Two exhibitor badges
• One parking pass (to be able to access the venue for off-loading and also to park in designated areas reserved for WCCD exhibitors and guests)
• Secure venue parking
• WCCD event page promotion (kindly send customised graphics if preferred, upon payment of the exhibitor fee)
• Networking opportunities - space will be allocated, bookings are to be done by the individual parties
• Facebook story for confirmed, registered exhibitors (For exhibitors confirmed by October 24th)
• Priority placement in exhibit hall (For exhibitors confirmed by October 19th)
• Waived registration cost for IICC (For exhibitors confirmed by October 20th) 
• Free inclusion in Agrotourism tour sign up listing (For exhibitors confirmed by September 20th)

Promotional posts on Facebook event page

• Self-promo example: https://www.facebook.com/events/197254577596699/permalink/238519493470207/
• CRC promo example: https://www.facebook.com/events/197254577596699/permalink/230438727611617/

All confirmed exhibitors (confirmation with payment) will be featured on the CRC event page - you can choose to do the promo yourself or let CRC staff come up with the promo message. If you wish to have more than one promo message, we can discuss options.
Exhibitors are also encouraged to share the event on their company pages to help raise awareness and attract more attendees.

Important dates

Set up day: October 26th from 2 - 6:00pm

World Cocoa and Chocolate Day - background

WCCD Expo was pioneered by Cocoa Research Centre, UWI (CRC-UWI) in 2011 and continued annually (since 2015 and until 2019 after which the pandemic enforced a hiatus) as a showcase for the trailblazers who are paving the way for the revitalisation of cocoa in Trinidad and Tobago and the region.

See also: WCCD general info | WCCD beginning | Mailing list sign up