VENDOR FAQs

You may, providing your client asks you to apply.

With a few exceptions (noted by type of vendor), clients must choose a vendor from our list of approved vendors. If you're not on this list, it may be for any number of reasons, including not having been to our venues for a long time, letting your insurance lapse with us, etc. We also have to have some limits on the size of a vendor category, so not to overwhelm clients. If you are not on the list, please do not tell our client that you have been here before and that you are therefore on our approved vendor list.

Prospective vendors will enter their company information, sign a vendor agreement, upload their COI, and pay an application fee.

If a prospective vendor has not submitted their application at least 30 days before the event, the client will be asked to find a replacement vendor.

A COI is a certificate of insurance. It is a summary of a vendor's liability policy, usually on a single page, with us named as additional insured on their policy.

Proof of insurance (POI) is just that - proof that a vendor has insurance, which is good, but it doesn't add us to the policy. Please don't send us a POI. Only COIs are acceptable.

This is what we receive from the insurance agent after we've been added to a policy. Share this with your agent to expedite matters.
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No, as this makes more work for everyone. Please do not submit your application until you have a compliant COI.

It sounds like you've tempted fate and come out on top. But luck is fickle. Let's use the car insurance analogy. You're never asked for your car insurance either, until you have an accident. Of course, it's too late then if you don't have it. Then things get messy.

The fact is that any business has an obligation to have liability insurance. If you don't have insurance, you are shifting your liability to others, and in the event world that's the event host (your client) and the venue (us). And we're not willing to accept the liability incurred by others anymore than they should expect to incur ours. We suspect your client would agree.

Short answer - you need an annual insurance policy. No exceptions.

This is really the same question as the last one. Yes you do. But, this question also alerts us to the likelihood that you're not a professional. Professionals work more than a few events each year. So what we hear is "I'm not that experienced and I have no insurance, is that okay?" That's a big double no.

It's true, some vendors pose little risk (florist, photographer, and makeup artist come to mind). But very little risk is not zero risk.

Here's a true tale. An old lady tripped over a photographer's tripod and sustained injuries at a popular Nashville venue several years ago (you'd know the place). When it turned out the photographer did not have insurance, the client sued the venue. Of course this was highly unfair to the venue, but then again they didn't collect a COI from the photographer.

If you're truly in a low risk business your premium will be low as well. Most insurers will also let you pay quarterly or even monthly. So, a low-risk vendor never has to pay a big up-front premium.

Like taxes, nobody wants to pay insurance premiums. If your premium is high, well then you are likely a high risk and you most definitely need it. Most insurers will also let you pay quarterly or even monthly.

No. Anyone can get a one day policy. Heck, we can even get a one-day bartender policy, and we've never tended bar. In short, a one-day policy does not help us determine that you are truly a professional vendor. A one-day policy request is a siren that blares "not a real vendor" (or not a responsible vendor).

If you got a one-day policy every time you came to our venues, we'd have to hire a full time insurance filer for all the one-day policies we had to chase down here.

It's almost impossible to find a policy under $1 mm. Nevertheless, no.

Yes. We won't hold your prior insurance history against you. You'll sleep better at night too.

All vendor applications must be completed, which includes the insurance submittal, at least 30 days before the event, otherwise the client is asked to select a replacement vendor. Submitting an application right before an event puts everyone under the gun and is not considerate of the venue or your client. If you're unwilling to obtain insurance, its only right to let the client know in enough time to find an alternate vendor.

If your question hasn't been answered here, yes.

If you entering the premises, then yes, as this creates liability.

Yes. Food is consumed by guests, and for that reason we require a provider of food to be insured and provide us with their COI.

All named insureds (us in this case) receive notification from your insurer when coverage has been cancelled. If so informed by your insurer, you will not be allowed to return.

The risk posed by vendors to both our clients events and our venues is significant. We thoroughly vet every new vendor. We also educate all new vendors on policies and the physical space. This requires time.

The application fee is for vetting a new vendor. It is not a refundable deposit. It is not a fee to get onto our approved vendor list.

No. Sorry, but we don't make money from vendors who come to our venues, so we're not willing to accept any liability or legal expense related to this arrangement either.

Once you've been approved to come to one of our venues and worked an event, we can talk. Of course we cannot recommend a vendor who we have not worked with recently.

First, clients need to select you often enough to make it worthwhile to keep a place on the list. Second, everything that got you on the list in the first place remains intact. Third, send us your new COI every year when you renew your insurance (we send you an email reminder). Last, we may have some special expectations of vendors depending upon the type of vendor (read next question).

Indeed we do, here's a short list:

Caterers
- Staff sufficiently and keep a tidy, well tended event
- Clean the kitchen space thoroughly before leaving (mop floors, wipe down counters and sinks, rinse trash cans, change mop heads, clean refrigerator, etc.), rinse courtyard

Bartenders
- Enforce all alcohol laws and manage guest consumption
- Staff sufficiently and keep a tidy, well-tended event
- Clean the bar area thoroughly before leaving (mop floors, wipe down counters and bar equipment, rinse trash cans, etc.)
- Do not set out tip jars

Photographers
- Provide event photos unsolicited and within a reasonable timeframe, free of watermarks and client approvals (clients agree to photo sharing in their contracts)
- Do not stage photos that compromise the facility or its contents

Florists
- Considerate storage of materials and use of our space for workshop needs
- Thorough clean up
- Respect the building when adhering, hanging, etc.
- Remove flowers and materials after the event

Coordinators
- Know our space and policies well
- Represent the venues in the best possible manner with respect to layout, etc.
- Be easy to work with leading up to and through the event
- Meet the 45 day delivery requirement for floor plan, schedule and list of vendors
- Be an advocate for the venues with clients and vendors

Calligrapher
- Use only chalk that can be completely removed from the chalkboard wall
- Respect the building when adhering, hanging, etc.
- Clean the slate wall completely after the event

Yes, you may so long as you do not enter the premises. The coordinator or other approved party may bring the flowers onsite and dispose of them at the end of the evening.

No. Food is consumed by guests and even if you do not enter the premises, that imposes a certain level of liability.

No. Cake is food, see above.

We have open houses for existing clients and their vendors, generally midweek. These are currently scheduled in the evening to accommodate most schedules. We ask that your site visit occur then. Site visits are scheduled for 30 minutes and are not intended to be an office location.

We will have a Venue Manager onsite for the duration of the load-in, event and load-out. If you have any questions before the event date, please search this Vendor FAQ, ask the event coordinator, or contact us via email at heythere@dragonpark.co and reference the date of the event and at which venue the event will be held.

Load in at Clementine is usually in front of the building if you have heavy items such as A/V equipment, lighting, furniture, etc. Also it is where alcohol is delivered as it is the closest point to the bar. There are no steps to enter the building. If you have wheeled carts, they must enter through the front side doors as the marble entry is damaged by carts. Load in for food is at the side entrances on 48th St as it is mere steps to the catering kitchen. Other than for catering trucks that are used for supplies during the event, all other vendor vehicles must be relocated to public parking spaces removed from the building.

Load in at Ruby is usually in back of the building for all vendors, though for events with a bar in the Treehouse Courtyard alcohol delivery at the front is more convenient. There is a ramp in the back for wheeled carts. Other than for catering trucks that are used for supplies during the event, all other vendor vehicles must be relocated to Ruby's designated off-premise parking.

All items must be removed on the day of the event so that we may be ready for an event the following day.

We have a dumpster at our venues. Trash must be bagged (we provide bags) and boxes broken down as dumpsters fill quickly. We also have trash cans onsite, which must be rinsed out at the end of the night by the caterer or bartender using them.

Yes, but the rafters are high (22-feet at Clementine and 14-feet at Ruby). Vendors must be adept at high ladder work. You must bring your own ladder. No lifts are allowed as our antique floors cannot support the weight. All items in the rafters must be removed on the day of the event.

Lighting vendors must take care not to unplug our lights or other electrical equipment.

Yes we do and you can find them here for Clementine and Ruby.

The use of our premises in your photos is made in exchange for sharing all of your event photos with us for limited promotional purposes (with credit of course). We do expect full resolution images free of watermarks. We do not expect to have to contact the photographer or our mutual client to obtain the photos (clients have agreed in their contract to share their photos).

Items are rarely left behind as our managers and the event coordinator walk the building together at the end of every event for this purpose. If you think you left an item, please contact the event coordinator as they likely took it with them. If you're sure the item is at the building, email us at heythere@dragonpark.co and reference the event date and venue.