Festival Newsletter 2006 - Issue 2
BC’s largest organic promotional event
invites you to participate: Early bird May 15.
Orientation Meeting May 30.
News: 500,000 items advertise the Festival!
Finally, Walmart goes organic!?
Sponsorship opportunities are going fast.
See below for details.

Festival News

From the Director/Founder


This week I am excited to report that over 35 exhibitors have registered early! Thank you everyone! Please keep it up... the next early bird deadline is May 15.

And I am excited about the great support from our sponsors and advertisers. Over 500,000 items of advertising will be distributed to let British Columbians know about the great opportunity they have to Discover BC’s Organic Community. Press releases have been sent to 50 media outlets. More advertising and publicity means a bigger turnout for the festival, and greater exposure for vendors!

We want to reach as people as we can and spread the word far and wide about the benefits of going organic. You can help spread the word by passing on this newsletter, by putting a link on your web site to: www.organicislands.ca, or by adding the festival to online event calendars.

Yours for a sustainable, organic future,
Deb Morse, Festival Director/Founder

Please read on to find out about:

1. Important Dates - New: Exhibitor Orientation Meeting May 30th
2. Why to reserve early - Save money, get free stuff
3. Who is coming to the festival - Your favourite organic winery, restaurant
4. Thank you!
5. The corporate takeover of the organic sector?... Walmart goes "organic"!?

1. Important Dates

May 15:Reserve now. 15% price increase after this date.
May 24:On-line reservation deadline. After this date, please phone us to check availability.
May 30:Exhibitor Orientation at Glendale Gardens & Woodland - Please RSVP.
July 7:Set up your exhibit - 1 pm to 8 pm
July 8 & 9:10 am to 5 pm - Show Time!

An Exhibitor Orientation meeting is planned for May 30, 2006, 4 pm to 6 pm at Glendale Gardens & Woodland, 505 Quayle Road, Victoria. Please RSVP by return email or by phone (250) 656-8130 for this event which inlcudes a tour of the gardens. More infomation about this in next week’s newsletter.

2. Exhibit at the Organic Islands Festival - Reserve before May 15

BC’s largest organic lifestyle fair is once again set to celebrate everything organic including: certified organic, wild/natural (non-gmo and pesticide free), ethical/fair trade, health/allergy care, eco-friendly, vegan

Early bird Prices: (Increases: 10% after April 15, 15% after May 15)

10’ X 10’ space: starting at $350
8’ X 8’ space: $300
Promotional Table: $225
Non-profit groups: $110
Farmers/wild food harvesters: $25 - special price for 2006

Early bird Benefits

  • Save money - fees increase 10% after April 15, and 15% after May 15
  • Free stuff - free directory listing (name, address, phone, email or web address) in the printed festival program and on Organic Islands web site for up to 1 year
  • Preferred location - reserve early and get the spot you want

Reserve online. View map of the gardens. Need advise about choosing your exhibit space? Please contact Deb.

Rentals available: (please reserve before May 24)
8’ or 6’ table - $17
2 chairs - $8
Canopy style tent - $50
Electricity (selected locations only)- $30 connection fee, plus usage

3. Exhibitors and Sponsors - Update

The list of sponsors is growing! New sponsors include:

100.3 The Q!, Garden Wise Magazine, Common Ground Magazine, Garden West Magazine, Village 900, and numerous organic friend sponsors. Find out more about promotional benefits available when you make cash/in-kind contributions ($100 to $500). Contact us about becoming an Organic Friend sponsor.

New vendors added since last newsletter:
Kenta Farm, Sooke Harbour House Hotel and Restaurant, Barking Dog Vineyard, Summerhill Pyramid Winery, The Pinch Group at Raymond James Ltd., Free Spirit Botanicals, Valhalla Farm Herbs N’Things, Indigo Moon Silks at Moon Woven Studio, The British Columbia Tea Company, Healthy Footprint Enterprises Inc., Fair Kick Soccer, Happy Valley Lavender & Herb Farm, Spa Girl treats for the body & soul, Wildart Photography by Shel Neufeld, Healthy Footprint Enterprises Inc., Paradise Cityscapes...

Other vendors:
Nature’s Path Foods (Richmond), Level Ground Trading, LifeStyle Markets, Thrifty Foods, Hemp & Company, Silk Road, Blue Moon Oceanside Condos, Share Organics, Peninsula Quantum Wellness, Council of Canadians, Society for Organic Urban Landcare, Carolyn Herriot, Bluetree Art,Leah Weinstein Quilts, Karin’s Country Farm, Earth Elixir Quality Compost Tea, Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre, The Garden Path Organic Nursery ...

4. Thank you!

A big thank you to Thrifty Foods and LifeStyle Markets who will be advertising the festival in their store flyers on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and lower mainland. Thanks to 100.3 The Q! for 15 days of on-air annoucements. Our magazine sponsors, Gardens Wise, Gardens West and Common Ground will be running our colourful display ads. And Village 900 will be contributing on-air annoucements. The Festival is being advertised this month in Focus Magazine and other newspaper ads are planned. Internet announcements have been emailed and many online green event calendars have posted information about the festival.

Many thanks to OptimediaSolutions for creating the beautiful map, the new online reservation system, festival logo and user friendly web site.

5. Walmart Goes Organic

The organic movement must be mainstream, if Walmart is getting into the act. Find out more.

Who are the corporate players in the organic marketplace? Find out more.

Festival Updates

We would like to keep you informed about festival developments; however, if you would like to be removed from the list, please send a return email and type "remove" in the subject line.

Please contact us if you have questions or need help. Or visit the web site:

www.organicislands.ca

Sponsors

























Feedback from our sponsors and partners

"Nature’s Path Foods was a sponsor and exhibitor at this first festival for Organic Islands. The organizers did a fantastic job of advertising and promotions for the event.

A consumer profile of the attendees may be described as "main-stream organic" meaning that they had previously sought out and bought organic products, and had some generic knowledge of organic issues.

Overall the event was a success and provided great exposure and access to lots of networking with other organic enterprises."

Dag Falck, Organic Program Manager
Nature’s Path Foods, Richmond, BC

"An absolutely fantastic show and great weather to boot. That is to say, all that you were in charge of (and weren’t in charge of) was excellent! Level Ground Trading had a great show - the visitors were great to meet with."

Stacey Toews, Fair Trade and Social Justice Advocate
Level Ground Trading, Saanichton, BC

"We’ve been getting rave reviews about the weekend and what a great event you produced. The feedback has all been positive and everyone is looking forward to the Second Annual Organic Islands Festival."

Robyn Burton, Executive Director
Glendale Gardens & Woodland
home of The Horticulture Centre, Saanich, BC