The Oak Park Children’s Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The largest entrepreneurship event for kids in North America with over 250 fairs world wide), this one-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses.

We are excited to give kids the opportunity to be entrepreneurs - boosting their confidence, teaching valuable lessons, and giving them an experience they will never forget.

Is there an age requirement? 
Yes, the fair is for children ages 6 through 14. 

Applications are currently being accepted and will be approved on an ongoing basis, as they are submitted. We want to give businesses as long as possible to create their products or develop their services, so we will try to let you know whether you have been accepted within 1-2 weeks of applying. 

The official application deadline is June 15th, but if booths get sold out prior to this date, we will stop accepting applications at that time. The sooner you apply, the better chance you have of securing a booth. 

Applications must be submitted online, through this website. 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.

Please make sure to answer the questions with as much detail as possible, and ensure that the form is complete before submitting.

There is some flexibility around the age range for participants. If your child is younger than 6 and you feel confident that they are able to run their business mostly by themselves, please feel free to apply with them. 

We will not be accepting applicants over the age of 14. However, children over the age of 14 can help volunteer for the event.  

What is on the application?

The application asks kids to think through some simple, but important elements of their business:

Will you keep my information private?
Yes! We are committed to keeping your personal information (such as your full name, email address, school, phone number etc.) private and will not share such information with any third-party. This information is only for internal purposes.

Will children be photographed or filmed during the event?
Yes! The launch event and fair will be documented by a professional photographer and the resulting digital media will be used to market the event and share its success with the community and the world! By applying for a booth at the fair, parents are thereby agreeing to allow the Oak Park Children's Business Fair permission to photograph and film their Child(ren) and use the resulting digital media at our discretion without compensation. 

Some children will be selected for interviews by the filmmaker or news media at the fair and will have the choice to take part or to decline speaking in front of the camera. 

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.

Also consider providing a service! We would love to have booths that children and families can interact with such as face painting, photo booths, games, animal balloons and magic tricks.

The fair will be an outdoor event with booths. Each business will be given a booth with an 8-foot table (to potentially be shared with one other business depending on each vendor's need for space) and 1-2 chairs, We may be able to provide full-cover tenting (depending on donations from sponsors).  

Unfortunately, we are not able to provide electricity to the booths.

I want to participate but I can't think of anything to sell! 
There are so many great ideas out there! Check out these 4 websites for some DIY ideas (with how-to's).

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mallorymcinnis/we-oughta-give-it-a-try

https://craftsonfire.com/2017/06/10-easy-diy-crafts-that-will-totally.html

https://diyjoy.com/crafts-to-make-and-sell/

https://moneypantry.com/diy-crafts-to-sell/

Where can I learn about entrepreneurship? 

Unsure where to start? Our advice is to keep it simple.

Feel free to do some research online about marketing, branding and profit. Explore examples of great product pitches, learn about interacting with customers, and get down to business creating your product or developing your service and putting the details together for your booth! Try practicing your pitch and customer service skills for family and friends at home! 

You'll learn the most by getting your "hands dirty" and figuring things out all on your own.

Can I sell food at the fair? 
Yes! You may sell non-hazardous food items that do not support the growth of disease causing microorganisms. Examples include dry goods and cereals, baked goods, cookies, breads, potato chips, popcorn and candy.

Oak Park Department of Public Health has certain requirements in order to sell food at a public event.  Food/beverage businesses apply through our application form first, and once approved by us, we will provide information how to move on to the second step in the process and apply through Public Health.

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.

It is the responsibility of the guardian/participant to check their email (spam) and social media communications from the CBF on a regular basis, as this is our primary means of communication with the group.

Is there a participation fee?
No,  We will be reaching out to local businesses to sponsor this event and cover overhead costs. 

What dates do I need to be available?
1. There will be a mandatory launch event for all approved businesses. The date will be chosen based upon vendors ability. 
2.The fair is being held Sunday, August 4th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  You will need to be available from 2:00 p.m. (set up) through take down (after the fair).  

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, there are over 115 entrepreneurs and 1,500 attendees at the Acton Children's Business Fair in Austin.