vendor code of conduct

(By signing below and attending the conference you are agreeing to abide to the following, and to ensure any and all person(s) working on your stall will also abide by the following)

ALL Attendees must abide by the following: 

No one under the age of 18 is permitted on the conference floor (this includes babies and toddlers). 

Anyone entering the conference premises must have a conference pass on their person AT ALL TIMES. Not having it will mean you are not admitted into; the building, classrooms and/or vendor area.

You may NOT take any videos or record audio during classes. Please ask speakers if taking photos is permitted before doing so. Attendees are expected to allow speakers to carry out their class, and to be respectful and not disrupt classes. If a speaker asks you to speak to them with your questions after the class has finished, you MUST respect this. Further disruptions could mean ejection from the class, and this could lead to expulsion from the conference.

Please ask vendors before taking photos/videos of their stalls and stock.

Food is not permitted in the conference space – so please eat before attending classes (drinks are OK, but please keep our space clean and tidy and use the bins provided).

Anyone ejected from the conference for ANY reason will not have their conference pass/vendor cost reimbursed.

Please respect other conference attendees, their privacy and personal space. Venue security will be notified of anyone who behaves in an aggressive or abusive manner. If you feel that another conference attendee is behaving inappropriately in ANY way, please inform a volunteer or UKAPP board member – we will deal with any reports of aggression or abuse on a case-by-case basis, but we will take any and all allegations very seriously. If you or another attendee is in immediate danger, call the emergency services (police, ambulance or fire brigade) on 999. 

ANY comments or remarks deemed to be racist, sexist or otherwise threatening and/or distressing will result in expulsion from the conference without refund.

You are representing our industry to the public, so your personal conduct must show us in a positive light.

You understand that your attendance does not make you a UKAPP Member. That UKAPP does not endorse the piercing abilities or qualifications of any piercer. That UKAPP does not “certify” any member or non-member, studio, or piercer.

Anyone seen or known to be ‘Trading’ (selling goods or treatments of any description) to other attendees, other than registered vendors, will be ejected from the conference without a refund.

Anyone seen or known to be using any illegal substances while in the venue will be ejected without refund.

Please respect our hosts – the host venue has gone above and beyond for us to make this event fun, safe and educational, so we ask that you treat the venue and its staff with respect at all times. 

Anyone acting inappropriately and not abiding by this code of conduct may be asked to leave the conference. Anyone who is asked to leave will not be able to attend conference for 3 years – and any further complaints against this person may result in a lifetime ban. We take the safety of all our attendees VERY seriously. 

Specific requirements for vendors:

The first table purchased allows 2x people a conference pass, each additional table allows one more person a conference pass (so a single table = 2 people, double table = 3 people, triple table = 4 people and so on). Please let us know how many people will be manning your stall in total so we can make this known to the venue for fire safety regulations. If more passes are required, these must be paid for as a conference pass.

We have instructed attendees to ask vendors before taking photos/videos of their stalls. If you do not want someone to photograph your stock, just tell them.

Setting up and breaking down are your responsibility – as is the security of your stall during the day (vendor room will be locked and secured overnight each night). 

We expect vendors to return from the designated ‘vendor lunch break’ on time. The room will be locked and secured during the break and will re-open promptly to the attendees at the time stated, any vendor not back in the room at this time is posing a risk to the security of their stall/stock. 

Vendors MUST issue an invoice for all purchases. This can be handwritten but must be on headed paper from your company and signed/dated or stamped. Whether written or printed, it must contain the specific items purchased, alongside the price of the item separated from any taxation charged. A final total should also be provided. The invoice must contain the payee’s name (if sole trader) or company name (if ltd company or employee.) Finally, the receipt must be provided in English. This is to comply with UK tax law. It is important to remember that, even if bought for personal wear, UK piercers can still have this purchase deducted from their profit as a business cost before their tax liability is calculated. Therefore, all vendors must provide this invoice for all purchases.

All vendors must accept a form of electronic payment, and cannot insist that purchases are made in cash. This electronic method used must disburse collected funds directly to the company, and not be via a third party company. We suggest that either having a card machine present, or using PayPal are the best options. However, if your company has a website on which courier charges can be dispensed off, this is also acceptable. Should the payee request to pay in cash, this is entirely acceptable. 

Vendors must not charge more than a client would usually pay for their jewellery. With regard to jewellers who typically conduct business in other currency, correct conversions must be made and then prices adjusted for any taxation accordingly. It is not acceptable just to guesstimate these conversions. Should you need assistance with this process, please do not hesitate to ask.

Plan your time – arriving ahead of schedule will mean you get the most out of your time and allow adequate set-up time so you can get your stall looking perfect. The vendor floor will be open from 12-7pm the evening before the conference to allow you to set up. We will close the vendor area before the official end of the conference to allow you time to pack away.

All vendors are asked to make a donation to our raffle, we would be so grateful for any prize you can offer us – please take it to registration (or wait for a board member or attendee to come and ask for it!) with a business card so the winner can contact you! 

All attendees are also supplied with a welcome bag at registration. This year we are planning on offering early registration, so if you have items that you would like to be included in the welcome bags please ensure these are with us by 3pm the day before the conference (the Saturday). Any items received after that may not be included in the welcome bags. 

Recommendations to get the most out of your time at conference: 

Plan your day! We encourage you to plan out what classes you will be taking so you can move between them quickly. Obviously, it is not possible to attend EVERY class, but please note that some classes this year are going to be given twice – so if you can’t make one of the times, you may be able to make the other! Some classes have also been on in previous conferences, thus giving new attendees – or attendees who missed a specific class last year – a chance to take it this time around. Ask a volunteer or board member if you’d like to know which classes are repeated. Some classes must be signed up for – this is stated on the schedule. Please go to the registration desk to sign up for any of these classes.

There are some gaps in the timetable to allow attendees time to shop in the vendor space, and to leave the hotel to get food – we highly recommend planning a lunch break into your day! Please use the conference space to socialize and have ‘piercer hangs’ with other attendees between classes too and remember to take plenty of pics – we’re using #UKAPPconference on social media! 

If you need anything during your conference, please speak to a volunteer or board member.