If you want to help us promote the Veg Fest, you can add a web banner to your blog or website. We have several banners available.
On a totally unrelated note, we’re looking for volunteer sign language interpreters at the festival. We’d like to make the event as accessible as possible. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact us at volunteer@tcvegfest.com.
Finally, our Kickstarter project still needs your support. Please consider backing it at whatever level you can afford.
We’re excited to announce seven new exhibitors. These are:
We’ll have more new exhibitor announcements in the coming weeks. Stay alert! We could announce a new exhibitor at any time, and you need to be prepared to react at a moment’s notice!
We’ve created a Kickstarter project for the festival. We’re asking for people like you (yes, you, reading this on your iPad/phone/computer/through the chip in your brain) to help make the festival a success.
As you might have seen, we recently reduced exhibitor rates so we could attract more exhibitors, which makes for a much better event. But the money still has to come from somewhere. We’re hoping to raise $1,500 by June 15, so please give generously.
Also, watch the video we created. It’s short and we think it’s pretty funny.
We’ve decided to reduce our exhibitor fees in order to attract more exhibitors. If you’ve been holding back, now’s the time to register for an exhibitor space.
The new rates are:
Don’t worry, if you already paid, we will refund you the difference.
This week we interviewed Amanda Schemkes of Action for Animals, a non-profit animal advocacy organization based in Seattle, Washington. Action for Animals is sponsoring Veg Fest 2012, and we wanted to give our readers a chance to get to know a bit about the important work they do. To learn more about them, visit their website.
CAA: Why are you sponsoring the Veg Fest?
Amanda: Action for Animals is sponsoring the Veg Fest to support an event that will help to educate people about why and how to be vegan. Veg Fests are great for getting people interested in veganism, providing a sense of community, and introducing people to animal rights groups that they can get involved with. We hope that this Veg Fest will lead to people making changes in their lives to help animals.
CAA: What is your mission?
Amanda: Action for Animals’ mission is to promote positive change in the ways people view and treat animals. Because every animal has the right to live his or her life free from oppression and exploitation, AFA promotes veganism – not using animals for food, clothing, entertainment, research, trade, or any other objectifying purpose – and animal rights activism as the best ways to take action for animals and work for their liberation.
CAA: What are you most excited about at the Veg Fest?
Amanda: The aspect of Veg Fest that we are the most excited about is the opportunity to educate people about veganism and animal rights, to inspire people to do more to help animals, and to connect with caring individuals.
CAA: What do you see in the future for animal advocacy?
Amanda: In the future of animal advocacy, we hope to see activists and organizations take a firm stance for animal rights and veganism and to not compromise the future that animals deserve — one in which they enjoy true liberation from systems of exploitation. As animal advocates, we have a responsibility to the animals to expand the movement and to push the general public to recognize that all animals have intrinsic value and that veganism must be a foundation for our interactions with animals. Our responsibility to animals is greater than reducing their suffering; it is to work for the day when no animal’s life is defined by their value to humans.
We’ve posted our Exhibitor Guidelines on the site. These provide details on what we expect from event exhibitors, as well as some standard clauses on indemnification and liability.
For those who are interested, the guidelines do specify that all products and food sold, sampled, or advertised at the event must be vegan.
If you have any feedback on these guidelines, please let us know.
We’ve confirmed six great speakers for Twin Cities Veg Fest 2012. We’ll have some great talks on topics including veg nutrition, animal advocacy, animals in law, animals in religion, and humane education.
All of the talks will be free and open to the public, like the whole festival. Come try some great food and stick around to learn more about animals and vegetarianism!
Twin Cities Veg Fest has adoptedan official code of conduct for our event.
We want this event to be welcoming to all people, regardless of race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, disability, physical appearance, body size, or dietary practice. We expect all participants, which includes all attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, and volunteers, to abide by this code of conduct.
Of course, what we really want is to never have to enforce this code! We don’t expect any serious incidents at the event, but we wanted participants to know that we take these issues seriously.
We look forward to seeing you at Twin Cities Veg Fest 2012.
As you can see, we now have a logo.
Why a pig? Well, pigs are fun, friendly, intelligent animals. We hope you’ll find fun, friendly, and intelligent people at our festival.
Thanks to Heidi Prenevost, who created this logo, which is based on a logo created by Lisa Mabley.
As you can see from our website, the Twin Cities Veg Fest is happening. We’ll have exhibitors, free food samples, a food court, and some great speakers.
So save the date! Saturday, July 14, 10-5pm.
The festival will take place at Coffman Memorial Union, which is on the east bank of the University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus.
We’ll be posting more information over the next few months. We’re already accepting sponsors, and we’ll be accepting exhibitor applications soon.