Why be an exhibitor? Because it's fun!
Exhibiting your favorite vintage computing project at VCF Pacific Northwest can be fun and rewarding; besides sharing your work you will also meet others sharing their work and people who are enjoying the event. Here are some guidelines for how to be an exhibitor:
- A good exhibit has a theme. Examples of themes include focusing on a single computer and its ecosystem, concentrating on how a particular piece of software influenced the industry (or more!), a timeline for an important series of events, highlighting a particular class of hardware or software, etc. (We are trying to avoid collections of loosely related or unrelated artifacts laid out for display.)
- The majority of artifacts in your exhibit should be running; we want this to be an interactive experience and static/non-working hardware makes that more difficult. (We can make exceptions; just let us know in the comments field of the registration form or send an email.)
- It is important that you have somebody at your table who can run the exhibit during the public open hours. People generally will pass by an unattended exhibit. All exhibitors will get two exhibitor badges so you can bring a helper, friend, etc. Hopefully the event will be very busy all day long, so bring snacks and drinks and be prepared to do a lot of talking.
- We are happy to have some vendor tables. If you would like a vendor table please do not use the exhibitor registration form and send an email instead.
- Filling out the registration form is not a guarantee of an exhibitor spot. Please confirm that we have accepted your proposed exhibit before making travel plans.
Additional information
- There is no exhibitor fee. (You are the heart of the event.)
- Each exhibitor gets one t-shirt and up to two exhibitor passes. (Let us know if you need more passes.)
- Tables, chairs, power, and WiFi are provided at the venue. You just bring yourself, your exhibit, and snacks. Somebody usually has a toolkit for field repairs and the venue has fire extinguishers, but hopefully no magic smoke gets released.
- The Interim Computer Museum is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit with a limited budget; this will look and feel gloriously low-budget. The event will be fun, but there will be no red-carpet or high value swag handed out this year.
Want even more detail? See the VCF PNW 2026 Participant's Guide (link). It is kept up to date with the latest information. Have a question? Email us and ask! We want to work with you to make your exhibit great, and to have a great event.
To register please visit the VCF PNW 2026 Registration Form (link). All information collected via the form will be kept private and used only for VCF PNW 2026 event planning. Registration will close in mid-February so don't procrastinate!
Presentations are a great way to share a project, the history of an interesting machine, or something else that you are passionate about.
We're looking for three to six people to give a good presentation. Presentations are about 40 minutes long, with 15 to 20 minutes of question & answer afterwards. We'll provide the room and help with the audio/visual equipment.
If this might be interesting to you please email me brutman@icm.museum.
It takes a bit of effort to have a successful event and we need your help. If you can volunteer a day or two to help out you can help make this event possible. We are looking for people who can:
- Help us with setup on Friday May 1st, including arranging tables and helping exhibitors move things in.
- Help us greet the visitors, answer questions, and sell some merchandise at the "front desk" during open hours.
- Help with small things as they arise, such as providing temporary coverage at an exhibit if the primary person needs a quick break, keeping an eye on things, and possibly running an emergency errand.
- Help us with the presentations by setting up and monitoring the audio/visual gear.
If you are interested in helping out please email me brutman@icm.museum. Let me know what your availability is (Friday aternoon, Saturday and/or Sunday) and if you have a specific interest or special skill we can leverage.