TERMS & CONDITIONS

It is understood that in signing for and purchasing exhibitor space at the Forest Showcase Food Festival that the Festival rules and conditions will be adhered to. 

The Forest Showcase Food Festival, its organisers, staff or volunteers does not accept liability for any misrepresentation, negligence, contractual or tortious loss suffered by you from any of the products or services or actions of any venue or area, performer, exhibitor, promoter or others. The exhibitor hereby expressly indemnifies the Festival, its employees and volunteers against any such liability.

We will not be liable to you for any loss of profit nor any indirect, consequential, exemplary, incidental, special or punitive damages.

These Terms and Conditions represent the entire understanding and agreement between you and us and shall have priority over any and all prior statements, understandings or agreements whether oral or in writing.

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales and any disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts. 

 1. The annual Forest Showcase (“the Event”) is to be held on the first Sunday in October in the grounds of The Speech House Hotel between the hours of 10.00am until 5pm.

2.Stalls must be ready to open at 10.00am on the Sunday morning and must not take down until 5pm, unless otherwise notified. Exhibitors arriving late may forfeit their stall. Stallholders may bring in equipment on the Saturday and remove on the Monday. Any equipment left over night is at the stallholder’s own risk.

3. Whether or not an applicant is offered a space will depend on creating a well-balanced event with a wide choice of stalls although initially we will accept applications on a first come, first served basis 

4. Payment in full must be made on receipt of your invoice & by 1st September. After this date the organisers reserve the right to re-let the space. 

5. If you cancel your stand, fees will be refunded, less £80, but only if the cancellation is given before September 1st, and we are able to re-let. 

6. All stallholders are responsible for keeping their stalls clean and tidy, and keeping the area around their stalls free from rubbish throughout the day. 

Please bring your own rubbish bags & take away refuse from your stall at the end of the day. The organisers reserve the right to charge you to clear up any rubbish that you leave on site. 

7. Equipment, products or other items that have not been removed by the Monday following the event may be removed or destroyed and the cost of which will be passed on to the stallholder. 

8. All stallholders are asked to co-operate with Site Marshals & Emergency Services. 

Many of the staff for this event give their time voluntarily; please treat them with respect and courtesy. 

9. The Organisers shall not be liable for failure or delay in holding the Event due to Force Majeure. 

10. The organiser reserves the right at any time to revise the floor plan and relocate any exhibitor as may be required. If this occurs the organiser will notify the exhibitor in writing. Any floor plans made available to exhibitors are intended for information purposes only and do not guarantee locations of any exhibitor. Exhibition space allocations will be made by the organiser. 

11. The Organisers reserves the right to change the date or cancel the Event and in those circumstances the Organisers will provide notice as soon as possible but will not accept liability for any loss. 

12. If an exhibitor wishes to share their exhibition space this must be agreed in advance

13. Insurance

‘Forest Showcase (“the organiser”) will provide public liability insurance for the Event save for as follows:

13.1. Stallholders assume all risks connected with the supply of prepared or unprepared hot or cold food and drink, including the containers receptacles, cutlery and other utensils supplied for the ancillary use and enjoyment of the product, and will carry public liability insurance in an amount acceptable to Forest Showcase. 

13.2. An incident that is covered by the Speech House public liability insurance. 

Exhibitors must have the following in place:

Public Liability

All exhibitors must have in-date Public Liability Insurance cover, with a minimum limit of indemnity of £2m

Product Liability

All exhibitors must have in-date Product Liability Insurance cover, with a minimum limit of indemnity of £2m

Employers Liability

‘Employees’ can be deemed to include volunteers, casual/temporary workers and even self-employed persons. Any exhibitor that employs anyone, must have in-date Employers’ Liability insurance in place with a minimum limit of indemnity of £2m

14. Description of Goods & trading Details

The application form must contain an accurate description of goods to be exhibited or sold. Only items of this description will be allowed. All goods sold at the Festival must conform to current trading standards and other legislation.

15. Exhibitors selling alcohol

The event is licensed to sell alcohol; therefore, there is no requirement to apply for an alcohol license. Last orders on alcohol sales are strictly 15 minutes before closing.

If you sell or provide alcohol on your stand you must ensure that:

you uphold the current licencing conditions

you uphold the Challenge 25 Policy

alcohol is not served to anyone under the age of 18

16. Exhibitor Pack

Your Exhibitor Pack will be emailed to you in advance of the event; confirming your location and booking details, together with any final information required for the event.

Please ensure that all members of staff attending the event have read the information in advance to familiarize themselves with what is required.

17. Data Protection Statement

The information which you give when completing your application form will be used in

accordance with current the Data Protection Act 2018 (correct at the time of printing) and for the following purposes: to enable the organisation to create an electronic and paper record of your application and to enable the application to be processed. Your company’s business contact details will be viewable on the Festival’s website. Other than publication of your business contact details on our website, your personal and/or business data will not be passed on to anyone else.

Any information will be kept securely and will be kept no longer than necessary. For our full privacy policy please see our website or contact the office to provide a hard copy.

18. Services available

ELECTRICITY

It is important that you supply the correct information on your Exhibitor Application Form for the electrical items you will be bringing along.

If you have booked electricity this will be allocated to your stall once you are set up and equipment has been checked – it would help if you could bring extra extension leads too.

Stallholders intending to use electrical appliances must have a current PAT test certificate for equipment to be used. This should be available for inspection by our electrician at the event. Please note that non PAT tested equipment cannot be used under any circumstances. PAT testing is available on site at a cost of £20 per item.

WATER

There is a stand point available on the front of the Pavilion Building, also hot water available in the kitchen area behind the Cookery Theatre. 

MEDICS

A professional Medical Team will be on site next to the entrance during the opening times of the Festival.

19. Health & Safety

Food Safety

Stallholders must comply with legislation in respect of Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Health and Safety. The Forest of Dean District Council Environmental Health Officers will be inspecting stalls throughout the day; any stalls that fail to comply with regulations may be asked to shut down.

Food Hygiene

All food stands must:

  • Comply with the current General Food Regulations, The Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations. Packaging and labelling legislation must be followed under the Food Information Regulations.
  • Adhere at all times to the current Food Safety Policy and Environmental Health Food Safety Guidelines. Any food services operations found operating in contravention of these guidelines will not be permitted to commence trading or service until the guidelines can be complied with.
  • Provide details of the Local Authority where they are registered and their current Food Hygiene Rating Scheme score. No business with a score of less than FHRS 5 will be permitted to trade. A copy of their rating certificate, sticker or confirmation letter must be kept on site at all times.
  • Food Safety Management system (SFBB) to be available if requested by the authority inspectors.
  • Provide confirmation of the trading name of the business, as it appears on the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme site; this must be stated on the booking form.

Cleanliness

  • All equipment, work surfaces and food contact surfaces must be regularly cleaned and disinfected.
  • Contact times for disinfectants/sanitizers must be known by all staff.
  • Regularly use the warm hand washing facilities made available on site and wear disposable gloves to limit contact.
  • Encourage visitors to only touch products if buying.
  • Keep your stand clean and free from litter, and wipe down during and after service.
  • Provide sneeze guards where appropriate.
  • Hand sanitizer to be made available for use throughout the event, for you and customers
  • Maintain cleaning records over the event.

Allergens

  • Customers, by law, must be made aware of the contents of the dishes where ingredients might give rise to an allergic reaction (such as nuts, milk, celery, gluten, soya and wheat etc).
  • An Allergen Chart must be displayed at the point of service for the consumer to view.
  • There must be a nominated person who will handle all food allergy queries from customers.
  • In December 2014, the ‘Food Information for Consumers Regulation’ (EU FIC) came into force which means information on any of the 14 allergens used as ingredients in your products will need to be provided for the consumer to view.
  • All information on the 14 allergens and this legislation can be found at: http://www.food.gov.uk/science/ allergy-intolerance/label/labelling-changes
  • All exhibitors and vendors should work in accordance with Natasha’s Law which came into force in October 2021. This requires all food outlets to provide full ingredient lists with clear allergen labelling on Prepacked for Direct Sale (PPDS) food. PPDS Food is food that is prepared, prepacked and offered or sold to consumers on the same premises. It can include food you select yourself (eg from a display unit) as well as products kept behind a counter, or food sold at mobile or temporary outlets.
  • More information can be found here: https://www.food.gov.uk/businessguidance/ introduction-to-allergen-labelling-changes-ppds

Due diligence & records

  • Exhibitors are required to maintain and retain records for the event conforming to the relevant regulations: food delivery temperatures, fridge/freezer temperature records (frozen food being stored below -18 °C and cold food stored below +8 °C, preferably below +5 °C), cooked food probe temperatures (achieve a temperature of >75°C), food standard thermometer calibration records (boiling water/ice test 100°C/0°C with a tolerance of +/- 1 °C) and cleaning records.
  • COSHH safety data sheets for all chemicals to be held on each outlet for use in the case of an emergency.
  • Operating procedures must include regard to mitigate against the transmission of CoViD19
  • All employees must have received induction training and are also aware of the Organisers event safety rules.
  • All machinery used for cutting, slicing, mincing, etc should be properly guarded and all people operating such equipment should be properly trained in its use 
  • The use of colour-coded knives and boards is required, according to convention. Red = Raw Meat Green = Cleaned Fruits & Salad Blue – Raw Fish Yellow = Cooked Meats White = Dairy & Bakery Brown = Dirty Vegetables
  • Protect all food products from cross contamination.
  • Raw and ready to eat food products must be kept separately.

Staff Hygiene

The current legislation regarding personal hygiene requirements must be observed.

  • People handling food have been issued with clean and washable over-clothing/aprons, clean hairnets or suitable hat/head covering.
  • Fingernails are kept short and clean, no nail varnish
  • Cuts and other skin defects must be covered with a blue waterproof dressing
  • Jewellery must not be worn by staff preparing or serving food, with the exception of a simple wedding ring.
  • Smoking is not permitted anywhere on site whilst on duty.

Risk Assessments

A Risk Assessment must be completed and returned as part of the exhibitor application process and to conform to health and safety regulations.

Your assessment needs to identify the significant hazards that may be posed by your stand and your operations to anyone at the event, including you and your staff as well as visitors. You must endeavour to remove or reduce these risks to protect people from injury.

The HSE website provides guidance and advice for completing risk assessments:

https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk

Build onsite will not be permitted unless a suitable and sufficient risk assessment has been returned. Please note that a return stating that no risks have been identified is unacceptable. They must realistically reflect how you will set up and operate your stand.

Exhibitors should consider any possible risks brought about by their operations at the event.

Safeguarding against the spread of COVID-19 must be considered and included as part of your risk assessment.

 A copy of your risk assessment must be available on the stand for possible inspection by officials during the event.

Should any problems arise during set up/breakdown periods and event, exhibitors should ensure that any risk to health is minimised and all necessary precautions taken.

Fire Risk Assessments

All stallholders must provide Fire Safety equipment appropriate to their operations that meet the requirements of the most recent statutory regulations and will provide on request a copy of the maintenance record for the fire safety equipment. Any stall that is considered to be a fire hazard or a danger to the public will be shut down.

Exhibitors must conform to precautions against fire and submit a completed Fire Risk Assessment

for their operation prior to the event.

  • Exhibitors should have an emergency fire procedure with an appropriate means of raising the alarm.
  • Each food operator must have the appropriate firefighting equipment in proximity to thecatering area. This must be in date and have a service and maintenance record in inspection.
  • Exhibitors must provide at least one suitably sized, in-date, fire extinguisher on their stand,(water or foam, and/ or CO2 where electrical appliances are in use).
  • Staff on stands should be aware of the operating instructions of any firefighting equipment/extinguishers provided.
  • Storage of flammable liquids on site by exhibitors will not be allowed without prior consent.

LIQUID PETROLEUM GAS (LPG) ~ Mobile or Catering

Any exhibitor using liquid petroleum gas (LPG) must ensure gas connections and pipes have been tested and certificated by a ‘Gas Safe’ engineer annually. The certification must be available for inspection.

Installations must comply with UKLPG Code of Practice CoP24 Part 3.

The cylinders are to be disconnected/connected by competent persons only using the correct tools. “No Smoking” signs must be in place and observed.

Unless authorised in writing by your point of contact, no more than two LPG cylinders (totalling 200KG) are permitted per unit.

Storage of gas in cylinders above 1kg, on site by exhibitors, will not be allowed without prior consent.

The catering traders will use LPG gas for their stalls. Suitable storage arrangements will be implemented and agreed with the Event Safety Adviser and Event Organisers. All cylinders will be stored in a secure, upright position, well ventilated locations. All back of house areas will be secured by fencing and additional signage may be implemented where necessary.

All relevant catering equipment shall have certification to the effect that their LPG

installations have been installed and have been inspected by a Gas Safety Scheme

registered engineer in the 12 months preceding the event.

Additionally, the catering units will provide suitable firefighting equipment and adhere to

regulations as required. They will also be required to adhere to the guidelines for the use of LPG. LPG to be used in accordance with current guidance (Event Safety Guide and Mobile Outdoor Catering Associations and the A Guide for Events)

LPG cylinders must be stored vertically on firm, level ground at least 1 metre from any structure or heat source, in the open air, with no obstructions in the vicinity to impede ventilation. Cylinders must be restrained in a suitably designed cylinder stand.

Propane cylinders must be located only in the open air and must not be used inside

marquees, tents or other enclosures. Every LPG storage area should be enclosed in a lockable compound of robust wire mesh or similar to prevent them falling or being knocked over. Compounds should not be accessible by the public. Cages or surrounds made of wood or other combustible material are not acceptable.

Electrical Equipment

  • All electrical equipment must comply with current UK regulations and must have been tested by a qualified person in the previous 12 months and display a test label.
  • The appliances must be of an approved type, suitable for the environment in which they are being used and guarded where applicable.
  • Where unsafe electrical equipment are observed by the Event Organisers’ Electrician they reserve the right to require re-testing and/or disconnect the equipment.
  • RCDs to be used where possible.
  • PAT testing is available on site at a cost of £15 per item.

Own Marquees/ Gazebos

Gazebo or light weight type marquee structures should be suitable of withstanding a

minimum of 30mph wind. All self-build structures must be of sound construction, assembled in line with manufacturer’s instructions and must be suitably braced and anchored.