Acton Children's Business Fair Waltham, MA event image
📣 Registration for 2019 is closed. See you at the Fair on June 22nd.

Acton Children's Business Fair Waltham, MA

Saturday, June 22, 2019

10:00AM - 3:00PM

Waltham Common,, 610 Main Street

This fair has ended

Find another fair
About the fair
Observe the opportunity for children to launch their very own startup business!
 
Kids develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at our one-day marketplace.
 
We will host 100 booths at the 3rd annual event in Waltham Massachusetts on June 22nd, 2019, from 10.00am – 3.00 pm.
This event is brought to you by Mamai Art Gallery, Inc., Acton Academy and the generous support of our donors and volunteers.  We all believe that principled entrepreneurs are heroes and role models for the next generation.
 
Whether an entrepreneur is famous like Elon Musk or Oprah Winfrey or they are one of the thousands of unsung business owners across this country, these are the people who make sacrifices to innovate, create jobs and serve their communities.

BUSINESS CATEGORIES

At signup, please let us know which category your business falls in. Below is a list to choose from.
20190206_183141_0001.png 94.63 KB


20190414_222316.png 43.33 KB


Participation fee per booth is $20 If you are not selected, a  refund will be issued.

BUSINESS COMPETITION
All entries will be automatically entered in the business competition, and booths will be judged by fellow entrepreneurs on a variety of criteria, including:  most original business idea, highest business potential, and best presentation/creativity.  Cash prizes of $ 50 per category (to be split among the business owners) will be presented at the conclusion of The Fair.

Please scroll down for FAQ or contact us at the form at the bottom of the page.  We look forward to seeing you on June 22nd, 2019.
Hosted by

Fiona Mamai

🗓️ Started hosting in 2017

Identity verified

🚀 Has hosted 8 fairs

We are a team of passionate entrepreneurs, teachers, mentors, and parents, who want our children to learn about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way.

61 booths participating

Cannolis on the Common

Summeraid

And 59 others.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Waltham Children’s Business Fair?
The Waltham Children’s Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneurial skills. And is  he largest entrepreneurship event for kids in North America, this one-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses.


How many businesses will you accept?

We will accept up to 100 businesses.

Where should I begin? 
Start with our resources page. Read inspiring stories about other young entrepreneurs and play games to hone your business skills.


How do I apply? Can I apply as part of a group?

Application must be submitted online. Please submit one application for each business. Children working as a group should submit one application that includes each child’s information. No more than 3 participants per business.

What is on the application?
The application asks kids to think through some simple, but important elements of their business:

What if someone else has the same business idea? 
Two cupcake businesses? Not a problem. In general, we will let market forces play out, though we will let later entries know if another applicant has a similar idea so the later entrant can decide what to do.

How will the fair be set up?
The fair will be an outdoor event with booths. Each business will be given a booth with a table. Table cloths will not be provided. 

Will electricity be available?

Yes, we are able to provide electricity to the booths that request it.

What are the rules?
 
This event is designed to give children the experience of selling a product or service. If a parent is found selling or promoting a child’s product or service, their child’s business will be disqualified from the competition.

Parents of younger children may sit in the booth, but the children should be responsible for set up, customer interaction, and sales.

Parents may help their child fill out the application, but we expect the children to do as much as possible by themselves.

How did the Children’s Business Fairs get started?

Jeff and Laura Sandefer and a few other families wanted to spark a sense of wonder and entrepreneurship in their children so they created the first Acton Children’s Business Fair in Austin, Texas, in 2007. That year, there were seven entrepreneurs and around 25 attendees. Now, the fairs have spread out all over North America and other parts of the world.

In Waltham, the fair started with 8 booths and 14 kid entrepreneurs in 2017 then 48 booths and 73 entrepreneurs in 2018.