This year is the 26th for the IDEA Curriculum Fair!

During “the Covid years” (2020 & 2021), we pivoted to an online Fair and (like so many other events) that led us into conducting a hybrid Fair the last two years. We use Whova as our conference platform. Families attending in person will access Fair details though the app, along with the much smaller number who attend only virtually. Each registration to exhibit in Alaska includes a virtual booth at no additional charge. Exhibitors who cannot travel to Alaska have the option to purchase just a virtual booth. (Of course, sales are always higher for the exhibitors that families can meet in person.)

If you would like to be considered for inclusion in our Fair, please complete the Exhibitor Registration Form found at the link below.

If you are new to the Fair, be sure to scroll down to read the qualifications for participation.

Booth and workshop availability as of 3/3/24:

WP Table Builder

Planning Your Participation & Registering

Exhibitor Registration Form – Registration form and details about exhibiting
Workshop Request Form – Workshop form and detailed instructions
Options for participation – Not sure you can come, but want to display?
Paperwork due dates
Hand-out sacks and doorprizes – Additional advertising opportunity
Historical attendance and sales figures – Five-year averages, plus last year’s figures
Floor plans – To help you with selections for table preferences

Planning Your Trip & Exhibiting

Daily schedules — All four locations
Travel to Alaska and between locations
Hotel discounts and visitor information
Shipping of materials

Questions

Contact info for Fair Coordinators

New to the Fair? There are four criteria to participate:

1. You must be an IDEA vendor.

This Curriculum Fair / Homeschool Convention is put on by IDEA, a homeschool support program that is operated by a public school district. Exhibitors must be IDEA vendors so that IDEA families can place orders at the Fair. If you are interested in participating and are not yet an IDEA vendor, the first step is to complete our online Curricular Vendor Information Form to see about getting set up as one. (This is just to become a vendor; it is not registration for the Fair.)

2. You must have materials to sell, rather than services.

Vendors who market services and do not have materials for sale may choose to place flyers or catalogs in the hand-out sacks that are given to attendees on the day of the Fair. If you have both materials and services to sell, you may only advertise materials at your booth. The only way to advertise services is via the hand-out sacks. IDEA must approve booth content.

3. You must only display materials that are secular and clearly educational (i.e., can be purchased by public school districts).

Items funded by IDEA, either through orders or reimbursement to the families, must be secular and have a clear educational purpose. In-person booth displays are limited to such materials. While many of our parents chose to use privately-purchased faith-based materials for some of their homeschooling, you cannot sell or promote these materials at this event. If you are not yet an IDEA vendor and do not have materials that we can fund, we cannot allow you to participate.

Your virtual booth will be linked to your website, so families may be exposed to a broader variety of items than just those that can be funded, and may need your help in selecting materials that can be program-funded. Again, only those that are secular and clearly educational may be funded by IDEA.

4. You must be willing and able to wait for payment until July.

IDEA families must be able to place orders from you at the Fair, as opposed to paying via cash or credit at the time. (See the ordering process explained here.) The allotment money that they are tapping into is for the next school year and so money cannot change hands until the fiscal year begins on July 1st.