INSTRUCTIONS FOR CIRCLES AND EXHIBITORS

Sawasdee! Welcome to COMIC SQUARE

Thank you for your interest in being a part of our convention. For your benefits, if you are interested in exhibiting in COMIC SQAURE as Circle or Exhibitor, please see our regulations and instructions below thoroughly before making decision.

CIRCLE BOOTH (Regular)	CIRCLE BOOTH (EXTRA)	EXHIBITOR BOOTH (2x2m)	EXHIBITOR BOOTH (2x2m CORNER)	EXHIBITOR BOOTH (3x3m CORNER)
1,192 SP	168 SP	15 Units	2 Units	4 Units

IMPORTANT SCHEDULE

Application Period	October 18 – November 10, 2024	Application Form CQ0-1
Entitled Applicant List Announcement	November 22, 2024	Entitled Applicant List
Payment Period	November 22 – December 1, 2024	Payment Form CQ1-1
Floorplan and Booth Number Announcement	December 20, 2024	Official Fan Page, Official Site and Entitled Applicant List
Menu Image Submission Period	December 20, 2024 – March 13, 2025	Menu Submission Form CQ1-3
Showday	March 16, 2025	Union Hall 1-2, Fl. F6, Union Mall, Bangkok

CONTENTS

• What you should know about Thai doujinshi market and COMIC SQUARE
• Types of Booths and Fees
• Applicant Qualifications
• Regulations regarding Products to be Sold
• Regulation regarding NSFT (R-18) Products
• Regulations regarding Booth Set-Up and Decorations
• Showday Instructions
• Regulations regarding Cosplaying

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
THAI DOUJINSHI MARKET AND COMIC SQUARE

1. Wear comfy outfit as it will be summer in March in Thailand. The weather can be as hot as 35-45 ํC. However, in the auditorium the air conditioning can be chilling sometimes. Bringing a thin shawl or jacket is a good idea too.
2. Thai people are considerably open for diversities, either in term of acceptance of foreign visitors, gender, race, religion, and, in term of manga content; there is no aversion to any specific genre.
3. However, it is recommended to inform buyers before hand if your work contains senvitive contents, for instance, suicide, violence, child abuse, etc. Having Content Warning (CW) and/or Trigger Warning (TW) mark on the cover and signs is safer for you and buyers.
4. Most Thai buyers can communicate in basic English, at least enough to buy and to give you some short greetings. Some may find a bit difficult for deeper conversations such as asking for an autography or telling how long he/she has been following you. Please be patient and enjoy the moment with your oversea fans.
5. Buyers nowadays typically bring a little cash and pay by bank transfer. You may hear the word “QR code” “scan” “promtpay” “Own” (Thai word for “Transfer”) from your customers. It will be very convenient if you can accept Thai transfer payment or have some Thai friend to do so. Otherwise, ‘Cash Only’ sign will be very helpful to allow your buyers to get themselves ready before buying.
6. Typically, female artists and female buyers account for a greater population than male artists and male buyers in Thai douinshi events. However, the porportion is more blended in COMIC SQUARE –roughly 55/45 famale to male–.
7. Almost all books sold in Thai doujinshi conventions are made in Thai language. Thai or English traslated version is strongly suggested for oversea artists. Japanese, Chinese, and other languages are very rare.
8. Don’t know how much you should price your products? Our previous CQ7 menu compliations may help.
9. Though NSFW works are commonly traded in Thai doijinshi market, in fact, it is not legal by Thai laws. Please strictly follow our instructions regarding selling NSFW products.
10. During the showday, only pre-opening announcement and closing ceremony will be made bilingually –in Thai and English–. The rest of promotional announcements will only be made in Thai. However, non-Thai circles and exhibitors can always refer to our English exhibitor manual which will be provided altogether with the registration ticket in the email to be sent around 1-2 weeks before the showday. Our English-speaking staffs are also always happy to assist you throughout the process from the application period to the end of the show day.
11. No need to underestimate yourself that you would have nobody knowing you in such distant country. Be confident and have fun!

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TYPES OF BOOTH AND FEES

EXHIBITOR BOOTH

For shops, small businesses, juristic persons or representative of a juristic person that sell products related to the target group. Either handmade products, industrially produced products, imported merchandises are eligible to be sold. (All types of couterfeited products are strictly prohibited.) Individual persons can apply for this type of booth as well.

TYPE	FEE	PASS PROVIDED	SPACE & FACILITIES
2×2	5,000฿	4 passes	2×2 system booth + 1 table (150×75 cm.) + 2 chairs + Power outlet
2×2 CORNER	6,000฿	4 passes	2×2 system booth (corner location) + 1 table (150×75 cm.) + 2 chairs + Power outlet
3×3 CORNER	10,000฿	5 passes	3×3 system booth (corner location) + 1 table (180×75 cm.) + 2 chairs + Power outlet

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APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS & REGULATIONS

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REGULATIONS REGARDING PRODUCTS TO BE SOLD

REGULATIONS ABOUT ADOPTABLE

1. Condition and scope of rights of use should be shown in a written format and informed to the buyer before selling.
2. There should be a sign or labeling that indicate the adoptability and separate from the other printing products of which multiple copies are made and rights of use is not included, such as poster, postcard.

REGULATIONS ABOUT VTUBERS

1. If you want to display a standee in a regular circle booth, you must apply for at least 2SP of booths. 1 standee is allowed in exchange to 1 chair to be given up. No more chair can be replaced for standee if the circle member has to stand behind, in front, or beside the booth all the time.
2. No electricity is available for regular circle booths. If you wish to use electricity for your devices, please apply for 2SP EXTRA circle booth or exhibitor-type booth.
3. For regular circle booths, Livestreaming event for customers to talk with VTubers is not allowed as it may cause blockage on the walkway.
4. If there is any showreel or livestreaming, please be mindful of your volume so as not to disturb neighboring booths and refrain from using amplifiers or connecting speakers from your devices, mobile phones, computers, or televisions.
5. Inside the hall, there will be no internet signal or Wi-Fi signal from service providers. If needed, applicants must prepare themselves. Please consult with our staffs if you plan to organize an activity and/or need the internet or monitor and apply for the appropriate booth type

REGULATIONS ABOUT AI-GENERATED PRODUCTS

1. AI: A computer software that creates media files based on user’s keyword
   COMIC SQUARE does NOT consider AI-genetered art as circle’s creation as they are a collage and combination of existing human artists’ works and it is still doubtful about the copyright of the work and the consent of the artist whose work is used to train artificial intelligence.
2. Circle may not sell products made entirely from AI-generated items, such as art books, postcards, art prints.
3. Comics created by composing AI-generated images may not be sold since the illustrations are not owned by the circle and the consent or permission from the original artist cannot be proven, even if the circle takes part in composing the story, which is considered an important part.
4. It is suggested to avoid inserting AI-generated images directly into Circle’s work, such as background images, buildings, or structures.
5. Only use of AI allowed is for idea and inspiration, such as character designs, costumes, buildings, which circle recreates illustration based on images generated by AI in his/her/thier style.

WHAT CAN BE SOLD?

WHAT CANNOT BE SOLD?

1. Doujinshi created based on cartoons, media, or brands for which the copyright owner or brand owner has declared a prohibition on fanmade products.

STRICYLY PROHIBITED	PARTIALLY PROHIBITED
– Among Us – BNK48 – The Mask Singer – SSSS.Gridman – Phanom Tian’s Work (Thai author) – The Untamed and all characters from Mò Xiāng Tóngxiù‘s works – Characters from Larian Studio (https://larian.com/fan-content-policy) – Love and Deepspace	– Disney (goods prohibited) – Kingdom Hearts (goods that contain Disney character prohibited) – Undertale (Title and logo may not be included)

Circles that produce fanmade products are responsible to refer the rules and conditions of the original copyright owners. If there is any media franchise of which the copyright owner or brand owner has announced a prohibition on fanmade products that are not on this list, it is also considered prohibited to be sold in COMIC SQUARE. These rules are specific to COMIC SQUARE and circle may not claim that such works have been sold in other doujinshi works or in other countries. We ask all circles to kindly respect the original creators and right owners for the sake of the dojinshi community as a whole.

2. Work created by AI, whole or in part.
3. Finished products that are labeled/repackaged as circle’s own brand name, without any creative extension of the circle and/or have the original brand logo on the product.
4. Official products produced by publishers or companies that own the rights to the comics, anime, or characters.
5. Commercially manufactured fanmade product that is considered beyond being leisure or doujin product by the staffs.
6. All kinds of food and beverages, whether packaged in bags or bottles, and whether fresh or dried food.
7. fortune-telling services
8. Any product to be sold by auction
9. Any product considered by the staffs irrelevant to the COMIC SQUARE scheme

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PROOF OF ORIGINALITY

For circle applicants, from application period to the showday, staffs may request you to show a Proof of Originality (PoO), an evidence to confirm that you are the creator of the product being sold upon request by buyers or at random.

• Circles are suggested to prepare a sketch, original manuscript, work-in-process file, or any evidence to show to staff in case of being requested. It could be a notebook with sketches, hardcopy paper work, photos or videos in your mobile phone that record your process, files in the laptop pc or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account where pictures or video clips are posted during the working process.
• Please note that even if the applicant has been entitled after the application period or has submitted a menu image, if there is later found that the authorship of some/all product(s) cannot be authenticated, staffs may ask you to refrain from selling the item on the showday or suspend the entire booth. To avoid possible conflicts, circle should be cautious about selling merchandise that he/she/they is/are not sure if it meets the event’s regulations and should avoid sharing a booth with others you do not know well or give the booth to the others without permission from the staffs.
• For new applicants who have never attended COMIC SQUARE before, it is strongly recommended that you submit a valid Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram account, or samples of your work as much as possible. Submiting personal Facebook accounts, newly opened blank page, locked private Twitter or Instagram accounts are a typical clause of failing the applicant process.

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REGULATIONS REGARDING SELLING NSFW (R-18) PRODUCTS

COMIC SQUARE strongly believes in freedom of art. However, please kindly note that selling of pornography is not legal in Thailand though it is common in doujinshi community. In addition, as our community continues to grow rapidly and more new visitors are coming, there may be a large number of youth, parents, and the general public who do not know the nature of the community on the showday. To maintain a good image of yourself and our community as a whole, we kindly ask that every circle considers whether or not his/her/their product qualifies as an NSFW product according to the definition of COMIC SQUARE. Please stay ‘safety first’ and strictly follow our instructions.

COMIC SQUARE DEFINITION OF NSFW (R-18) PRODUCT

• contains sexual temptation such as nudity, sexual intercourse, rape, and sexually provocative positions, regardless the character is dressed or naked
• contains verbal violence or violent illustration or story such as severe physical harm, swear words, or insults.
• contains gruesome images such as blood, corpses, parts of internal organs, guro-themed illustration
• contains acts that are illegal or seriously immoral, such as crimes, drug use, intoxicants, discrimination or incitement to conflict between ethnicities, religions, politics, which require the reader’s discretion and maturity.

PRODUCT NOT CONSIDERED NSFW (R-18) Illustration of character in sexy outfit such as swiming suit, bikini, underwear, and/or not in sexually provocative positions and/or of which genitals are not emphasized / Kissing characters

1. Circles under 18 years of age are prohibited from selling R-18 products.
2. R-18 products must be labeled or clearly indicated to buyers. The product shall be completely sealed. In case of the cover does not contain any sensitive images, it can be packed in a clear envelope. Otherwise, it is required to be censored or packed it in an opaque envelope. (See guidance below) Circles and visitors are prohibited from opening and reading within the event. The product mustnot be sold to underage buyers. Circle is responsible for verifying the buyer’s age from their Thai i.d. card, passport, or government-issued i.d. card as appropriate
3. Circles are be responsible for preparing their own envelopes to contain their products and readily packing before the showday. Otherwise, circles may not ask staffs for permission to sell withour packaging, claiming that they have no envelope.
4. Advertising of R-18 products that contain sensitive images on public media of COMIC SQUARE, both before the event, on the day of the event, and after the event, such as cutout images, menu images published on the page, hardcopy menu displayed at the booth must be completely and appropriately concealed. (See instructions below)
5. If the R-18 product does not contain sensitive images or text on the cover or any indication of the sensitive content inside, circles can fully advertise on COMIC SQUARE media yet the rating is still required to be stated.
6. At the convention, a sample of comic book and novel can be displayed but the part that contains sensitive contents must be sealed to disable readers to open or to read it.
7. Circles should include warnings of sensitive content (Content Warning (CW) / Trigger Warning (TW)) such as death, suicide, self harm, incest, rape, child molestation, corpses, etc., on the cover or signs so that buyers can decide before purchasing.
8. COMIC SQUARE does not have rules for R-13 and R-15 items. Those items are under the same rules as general products. Circle can volunteerly indicate the rating and wrap the products at their own will.
9. If you are not sure whether your product is classified as R-13, R-15, or, R-18. Please consider from parent’s perspective and seal it before hand to prevent opening. Staffs are always happy to give you a clear guidance how you should display your product.

GUIDANCE OF NSFW CONTENT DISPLAY

1. GENERAL CONTENT, GENERAL ILLUSTRATION ON COVER

Upper body naked male / Swimimg suit and underwear / Nude charactor of which the breasts and ginatal are hidden without sexual arousal

INSTRUCTION	REMARKS
No action needed	Can be displayed on menu image and banners

2. NSFW CONTENT, GENERAL ILLUSTRATION ON COVER

Characters dressed in daily-life outfit or those in item 1

INSTRUCTION	REMARKS
Pack in clear envelope	Can be displayed on menu image and banners with R-18 mark

3. NSFW CONTENT / PARTIAL NSFW ILLUSTRATION ON COVER

A female character’s neckline is open so her nipples are visible / The character is wearing a tight shirt or a wet shirt that shows the shape of her nipples. (female characters and femboys) and/or the shape of their genitals clearly visible / characters with their breasts exposed and nipples visible and/or opening their legs to reveal underwear that clearly shows the shape of genital and/or the genitals can be seen / the character has a horrifying gaping wound, internal organs are visible, limb which is severely cut and the wound is bloody fresh.

INSTRUCTION	REMARKS
Pack in clear envelope and censor sensitive area	Can be displayed on menu image and banners with R-18 mark and sensivive area being crossed or marked Tape or place memo on the printed poster and the top book of the pile

4. NSFW CONTENT / FULL NSFW ILLUSTRATION ON COVER

Naked characters having sex / Group of naked characters / Character among genitals or ganital-shaped tentacles / Corpes with visible internal organs fully spreaed on cover

INSTRUCTION	REMARKS
Show only characer face (Bubble Censor) or pack in opaque envelope	Illustration to be cropped or displayed only character face or non-sensitive area Only one censored book to be placed on top of the table and the rest to be kept underneath and to be sold one-by-one in opaque envelope

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REGULATIONS REGARDING BOOTH SET-UP AND DECORATIONS

1. The area of 1 SP is width 75 cm, depth 75 cm, height 73 cm (half table). No table mat provided.
2. 1 chair will be given for 1 SP. Extra chair requests cannot be made. Circles are allowed to bring 1 foldable chair (30 cm in width) per 1 SP if neccessary.
3. Each booth are required to be inspected by staffs before the convention begins. Circle that has already finished his/her set up may raise his/her hand to request a booth inspection and may start trading immediately after passing the booth inspection.
4. After receiving the booth inspection, circle may not add items apart from what has been inspected nor change signage and booth décor. If there is any change, please raise your hand to call the staffs for booth inspection again.
5. After the booth inspection is completed, the staff will take a photo of your booth to keep as a record of the event.
6. Do not write, put adhesive tape, hammer nails, or do anything that damages tables, chairs, equipments, and the venue. Circle will be responsible for any damage occurred from violation.
7. Do not place merchandise and luggage in the area of neighboring circles, walkways, and other common areas.
8. It is recommended for circle to have an easily noticable circle name sign, printed menu, and price tags.
9. Circles with any decoration built up atop the table are required to install firmly within 1.2 m and ensure that the decoration is strong enough so that it will not fall or cause damage to those around you, or obscuring other people’s vision.
10. For circle booth type, electricity is available only for 2SP EXTRA and shell scheme booth. Since the power outlet is shared among nearby circles, please bring your own 1-2 extension cords (length 5-10 meters). For normal type booths, there will be no electricity available as they are beyond the wiring distance.
11. It is not allowed to put up signs, posters, hang merchandise, put adhesive tape, or do anything else. that may damage the wall
12. If you want to set up a standee in a standard circle booth, you must apply for a booth of at least 2SP size. The event allows for one standee to be set up, but you must give up one chair in exchange. It is not permitted to replace all chairs with standees, leaving the seller standing behind, in front of, or next to the booth at all times.

Detailed venue entrance and registration procedure as well as set-up instructions will be availvable in the Exhibitor Manual, which will be sent to all circles and exhibitors approximately 1-2 weeks before the showday.

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SHOWDAY INSTRUCTIONS

1. Please wear your Circle or Exhibitor badge and wear the wristband at all time. Only wristband will be considered by the staffs at the entrance checkpoint. Circle may not enter the hall only with a circle/exhibitor badge and without a wristband.
2. Circle and Exhibitor wristbands are the exclusive rights of the booth exhibitor only. It is seriously prohibited to give away or resell to anyone who is not a booth member. If found, future booth application will be revoked.
3. Preparing enough small bills and coins for change for buyers is recommended.
4. There is no limitation regarding the payment methods that circle accepts from buyers, such as cash, bank transfers, Thai QR Code PromptPay, credit and debit cards, paypal, e-wallet, crypto currency, government spending stimulus measures such as Half-Half, We Love Each Other (Section 33) (if available at that time). Circles should prepare their own equipment and payment details signs ready.
5. There should be a container or bag for keeping cash covered and it should be carried with you if you have to leave the booth.
6. If you expect a large number of customers at your booth, you should prepare a sign indicating the end of the line, plan the queue arrangement to ensure it is orderly and does not disturb neighboring booths, and ensure you have enough staff to manage sales at your booth.
7. Do not make loud noises, run, smoke, drink alcohol, or do anything which disturbs other attendees.
8. Please dress politely.
9. Do not walk around advertising products, handing out flyers, giving out product samples, or organize activities outside of their own booth area.
10. Circles can display flyers at their own booths as long as they are related to their own products, art, or the theme of the event. A flyer on behalf of a company or organization is not allowed.
    Sample of allowed flyers: a doujinshi event flyer that you organize with your friends, upcoming book project free paper, your private watercolor workshop course
    Sample of prohibited flyers: advertisement of your family’s water pump business, art school where you teach but you are not the owner
    If you are unsure whether the flyers can be placed at the booth or not, feel free to ask our staffs first.
11. Food, drinks, and anything that has a strong odor or could be a risk of spillage should not be brought into the hall area.
12. On the day of the event, it can be extremely crowded and there may be criminals mixed in. You should be careful and help monitor the safety of nearby circles. If you encounter a suspicious person or suspicious behavior, please notify any of our staffs or the security guard immediately.
13. Please maintain cleanliness and collect trash at the points provided by staffs.
14. In the convention, there may be a photographer of COMIC SQUARE (wearing a staff badge) to take photos of the atmosphere of the convention for promotional purpose and to be included in our company’s portfolio. If you do not wish for the photographer to take your photo, you can notify the photographer immediately.
15. After the booth inspection, circles may take photos and videos of their products and booths for promotional purposes and as a keepsake. However, please be careful not to include neighboring booths in your shots, avoid filming the general atmosphere of the hall, and refrain from using the footage for other purposes, such as creating YouTube content or other media not in the name of the circle.
16. COMIC SQUARE reserves the rights to ask circles and exhibitors that violate the rules to leave the venue without being responsible for the booth rental fees that have been paid and is not responsible for damages caused by circles and exhibitors in any case. Violating the rules will affect the consideration of the next circle application.
17. The organizer counter is located in front of the entrance of the hall. (The same point as the registration point) and there will be staffs patrolling the area at all times. Our staffs are always happy to help you at anytime.

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REGULATIONS REGARDING COSPLAYING

1. Circles and visitors can cosplay at the convention.
2. Please refrain from sitting, gathering in groups, occupying space, putting on makeup, dressing or preparing cosplay equipment outside the event area.
3. Please dress in your costume from your accommodation before arriving at the venue. Or, spend as little time as possible dressing up in the venue to share the space with fellow attendees.
4. Do not cut or trim wigs in the bathroom.
5. Please refrain from taking photos, recording videos, or live-streaming the walkway, in front of the booth circle and exhibitors, and any area that disturbs other attendees.
6. The use of all types of weaponry and imitation weapons such as guns, swords, grenades, spears, lances, knives, etc. is strictly prohibited. If you bring them, you will not be able to enter shopping centers, the electric train system, and many public places.
7. Military and police uniforms from all countries and eras are prohibited.
8. Please refrain from wearing props that are more than 80 cm in width including the torso, such as wings, armor, skirts, and headgear, and, refrain from wearing inflatable suits and rigid suits such as dinosaur suits and mascot suits.
9. Please refrain from bringing cosplay equipment that is larger or longer than 30 cm into the event area as it may disturb other attendees. In the case that you bring in large equipment, our staffs may need to ask for it to be left outside the hall. COMIC SQUARE cannot be held responsible for any damages or losses that occurs with your equipment.
10. Please refrain from posing and taking photos in sexually suggestive or inappropriate positions in public.
11. Please refrain from taking cosplay photos outside of the event venue as it is beyond the area permitted to COMIC SQUARE to use.
12. Please take care of your belongings yourself. Your equipment and belongings should not be left in common areas as they may disturb other attendees and may loss.
13. Please understand that COMIC SQUARE allows cosplay for the sole purpose of allowing attendees to enjoy the atmosphere of the comic event. Please refrain from taking project photos or gatherings for other activities. If you wish to take photos for purposes other than personal use. You must request permission in writing from the property owner in advance, according to the conditions set by the building and venue management.

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REFUND POLICY

1. If the applicant cancels the booth before the floorplan announcement, applicant will receive a 50% refund of the service fee paid. For oversea applicant, the outbound refund will be made in Thai Baht and the actual amount recieved may vary denpending on the exchange rate at the time. The applicant is responsible for exchange rate fluctuation and bank fees related to the refund transfer.
2. After the floorplan announcement, refund can no longer in any case.
3. Please kindly note that within the same zone and same booth type, everyone’s booth positions will be allocated equally at random. Applicants may not cancel and request a refund of the booth fee because they received a booth position that they did not like. Applicants cannot specify booth locations except in cases of health necessity only.
4. In any case where the applicant is entitled to request a refund, such as in the event of withdrawal within the refund period, natural disasters, pandemics, terrorism, or unforeseen circumstances that prevent the event from being held, or any deficiencies that prevent the applicant from participating in the event through no fault of their own, the organizers will refund up to the amount that the artist has already paid.

For oversea applicants: Please kindly understand that COMIC SQUARE does not aim to withhold any applicant’s paid fees, on the contrary, we wish to deliver you the best experience through the end of our convention and move on. However, international transfer fees are considerably large compared to our service fees, coupled with the exchange rate factor, the refund may result in a very small amount you eventually receive. As well as the process takes time. Please make a thorough plan and make sure that you can really come before you decide to apply.

Last update October 14, 2024