Vendor Partnership Agreement

Standards, Policies & Community Guidelines

Welcome to the Partnership

RVA Tropical & Exotic Plants is more than a market, it is a curated community of growers, makers, and plant enthusiasts who share a commitment to authenticity, craft, and the joy of living things. Our vendor relationships are built on mutual respect, transparency, and a shared pride in the experiences we create together.

This document constitutes your Vendor Partnership Agreement. Upon acceptance, it governs all participation in RVA Tropical & Exotic Plants events and your access to The Canopy, our exclusive vendor portal. Please read it carefully, as your continued participation represents ongoing agreement to these terms.

Part 1: The Vendor Partnership

Unlike a traditional market application, RVA Tropical & Exotic Plants operates on a partnership model. You apply once, are vetted and approved once, and then join our community of active vendor partners.

  • One-Time Application: Your initial application is a thorough review of your business and brand. Once approved, you do not need to reapply for each event. Approval is non-transferable and applies only to the specific business reviewed.

  • Ongoing Good Standing: To remain active, partners must participate in at least one event per rolling 12-month period and maintain accurate profile information in The Canopy.

  • The Canopy - Vendor Portal: Access to this private hub is a privilege extended to approved partners to manage event registrations, payments, and profiles.

Part 2: Spatial Integrity & Venue Safety

The safety of our guests and the integrity of our venue partners are non-negotiable.

  • Footprint & Space Limits: Your total footprint is strictly limited to the specific booth size selected and paid for via The Canopy for that specific event (such as our standard 4-foot depth tabletop spaces or full $9 \times 9$ foot floor spaces).

  • Aisle & Boundary Integrity: No shelving, racks, or inventory may extend past your designated boundaries, into the aisles, or alongside your booth. All items must remain completely within your assigned footprint.

  • Floor Displays: For tabletop spaces, floor-standing fixtures (such as tiered plant stands or freestanding racks) must stay behind your table or be submitted for approval at least 72 hours prior to the event. For larger floor spaces (like $9 \times 9$ setups), displays must be structurally stable and safely arranged within your boundary lines.

  • Venue-Specific Rules & Right of Removal: Because our events are held at various venues throughout the Greater Richmond area (including Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield), all rules established by the host venue take precedence over these terms.

  • Right of Immediate Removal: RVA Tropical & Exotic Plants reserves the right to require any vendor to immediately vacate the premises without a refund for safety violations, venue mandate breaches, or hazardous conduct.

  • Cleanup: Your area must be fully cleaned and returned to its original condition at load-out. Vendors who leave debris, soil, water, or damage behind may be assessed a cleanup fee.

Part 3: Event Registration & Payment

  • Claiming Your Space: Upcoming events are listed in The Canopy. Space is first-come, first-served based on completed payment, which locks in your placement.

  • Payment Methods: Card payment is the standard method. Cash or Venmo is accepted only via prior arrangement for a limited number of spots.

Part 4: Originality, AI & Resale Standards

We celebrate the plant community and the Maker spirit, supporting commercial nurseries, local plant stores, independent artisans, and hobbyist collectors alike rather than general lifestyle/boutique resellers.

  • The 75% Rule: At least 75% of your booth inventory must consist of live plants (including nursery stock, wholesale inventory, imported specimens, rare collector cuttings, and home-grown plants) or handmade artisan goods.

  • No General Resellers: Tables primarily featuring mass-produced, non-plant retail items (such as fast-fashion apparel, generic home decor, or general boutique buy-and-resell items) are strictly prohibited and may result in removal from the event without a refund.

  • Plant Health & Invasive Species: All live plants must be free of visible pests, disease, rot, or infestation at the time of the event. The sale of plant species classified as invasive in the Commonwealth of Virginia is strictly prohibited per Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) regulations.

  • AI & Post-Processing: AI-assisted products are welcome only if the maker has applied substantial manual, physical, or artistic craft to the final item beyond the prompt itself. Simple "prompt-to-print" merchandise (mugs, stickers, apparel) applied directly to third-party products without significant manual alteration is not permitted.

  • Marketing Integrity: You may not use AI to generate fabricated product photography or to digitally represent live plants (such as adding artificial variegation, unrealistic coloration, or fabricated growth habits). What the customer sees in marketing must be an honest representation of the physical item.

Part 5: Vendor Conduct & Community Standards

  • Interactions: Vendors are ambassadors for our community and must engage with guests and fellow vendors with professionalism and kindness.

  • Event Photography & Media License: By participating, you grant RVA Tropical & Exotic Plants a perpetual, irrevocable, and non-exclusive license to photograph your booth and use your likeness for promotional purposes. This license remains in effect regardless of future partnership status.

Part 6: Liability, Insurance & Tax Responsibility

  • Vendor Liability & Indemnification: To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Vendor agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless RVA Tropical & Exotic Plants, its directors, volunteers, and venue partners from any and all claims, damages, or expenses arising from the Vendor’s participation.

  • Risk: Each vendor participates at their own risk; the organization is not responsible for loss, theft, damage, or injury.

  • Tax Responsibility: Each vendor is solely responsible for reporting and remitting all applicable Virginia sales taxes arising from their sales.

Part 7: Cancellations & Partnership Credits

  • Non-Employee Status: RVA Tropical & Exotic Plants is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

  • Partnership Credits: Discounts offered on vendor fees for volunteer work or door prizes are considered Partnership Credits or member benefits. These do not constitute employment; vendors are at all times independent partners, not employees or contractors.

  • Cancellations: 100% credit is issued for cancellations made 10+ days before an event. No credits or cash refunds are provided for cancellations within the 10-day window.

  • Rescheduling: If an event is rescheduled, your registration carries forward. If you cannot attend the new date, a 100% future credit will be issued.

Part 8: Logistics & Transparency

  • Nonprofit Transparency: As a 501(c)(3), we comply with federal mandates. Our three most recent Form 990s and our original IRS 1023 application are available for public inspection upon request.

  • Entity Standing: All agreements are with RVA Tropical & Exotic Plants, a Virginia Nonstock Corporation in good standing with the State Corporation Commission.

  • Load-In/Out: Standard load-in begins at 11:45 AM. Early breakdown is strictly prohibited to preserve the guest experience.