KDF Exhibitors – Update Information

Dear All,

The KDF Christmas Show 2026 is happening soon! The show is a two-day event – SATURDAY & SUNDAY .   PLEASE READ THIS LETTER EVEN IF YOU ARE A REGULAR EXHIBITOR. Important dates etc are in BOLD. There is a lot of NEW information including changes to the access to the venue, loading & Wifi etc.  

WEBSITE: Our website gets very busy in the run up to the show. There is a special page for you “EXHIBITORS INFO” on our site. This page should have all the information you need to prepare for the show. More info will be added regularly. This will be the quickest way to find out all the information you will need for the show. 

We also have a full exhibitor list on the website & you can use the search facility on THE LIST, choosing EXHIBITING IN… > KDF CHRISTMAS to get info on all exhibitors.  Please email us a photo for THE LIST if there is not one showing, or if you would like to update it or your summary or links.  

IMPORTANT: We would like to remind you that I have a link from ‘THE LIST’ on our website to yours & would appreciate that you make sure you have a link from your site to ours. We do try and check all links are working, but it is up to you to let us know of any problems with our link to your site.

WIFI: Kensington Town Hall WiFi isn’t great, but we can now hopefully make this a little better!  If you register your MAC address with us in advance, we can add you to a stronger wifi signal at the venue.  It is vital you register the MAC address for the phone or payment device with us before November 10^th.  If you do not register your MAC address in advance, you will not be able to access the faster wifi.

The MAC address (also called WiFi address) can be found in the ‘About’ page in the settings on an iphone. Payment devices etc will have the MAC address on a printed label on the box.  The MAC address will look similar like this – 12:34:A1:B2:56:78

FLOORPLANS: The floorplans for the Christmas Show will be available to view from mid November.  Please check your position before travelling to the show. 

We have had a huge number of exhibitors requesting tables in the Ground Floor Foyer & Hall. Part of the reason our show is popular is because our venue is unique & much more intimate that the large exhibition halls other shows use.  This does mean that our show has different areas all of which have advantages & disadvantages. We feel strongly that all areas of the show should have a varied mix of exhibitors, new & old, UK & overseas a variety of items etc, Customers do visit all areas of the Show – they pay a high entrance fee & will want to get their money’s worth.  

The café & toilets are on the 1^st floor, the cloakroom & toilets are in the Lower Foyer so the footfall will be busy everywhere, but not necessarily at the same times (for example, when the doors open, the ground floor is busy 1^st while visitors arrive, but then the footfall spreads out more evenly. ( we do monitor the footfall in all areas regularly throughout the show ) Also, there is a misconception that the Lower Foyer is lacking in light but it is the ONLY space apart from the Ground Floor Foyer that has any natural light at all (the Ground Floor Hall & 1^st Floor Hall have no natural light)

The one place we put specific exhibitors is the Ground Floor Foyer.  This is where most of the large stands will go for logistical reasons. Otherwise, we like to spread out exhibitors over the 3 floors. Of course, we will do our best to position you where you have requested, but it is impossible to squeeze everyone into the Ground Floor Hall ( we then get complaints about overcrowding! ) so if you do not get your chosen position, please remember we are doing our best & there will be lots of reasons ( that you may not have thought about ) as to why we position you as we do. We are always happy to promote your stand in advance of the show on our soclal media, so please send us some interesting/beautiful photos & I can assure you that visitors will hunt you down no matter where you are!  

If you find you are in a darker area of the Town Hall, remember we have lights that you can borrow to make your table stand out; lots of lighting in a darker room is very effective!

VEHICLE PASSES: EVERYONE who unloads & loads on the loading bay will need a Vehicle Pass. Vehicle passes will be emailed to you in November.

UNLOADING: We are now able to offer unloading on Friday evening between 19.30 – 21.30.  This is because there is a Saturday market taking place on Phillimore Walk, just next to the Town Hall so this road will be closed on Saturday.  If you can, we strongly suggest that you use our Friday night unloading slot to drop of stock etc if you are driving to the show.  If not, the loading bay will open from 08.15 on Saturday but BE AWARE getting onto the loading bay & then driving from the loading bay to the car park will take longer than usual as there may be a diversion. ( we will provide a map )  The show will still open at the later time of 13.00 (12.00 for LDF members) so there is plenty of set up time on Saturday morning.

We only allow one van/per exhibitor unless agreed in advance. We do not expect any exhibitor to spend longer than 20-30 MINS on the loading bay & once you have unloaded, the parking of your vehicle is your responsibility.  Please check out parking options in advance (see below). 

PARKING TICKETS: We offer reduced price tickets for the Town Hall car park. The usual rate for 24hrs is £30-£33. The tickets available will be a 24hr tickets for Saturday & Sunday & a we hope to have a Friday eve ticket valid from 6pm in case you need to park your car securely overnight. You do NOT have to book tickets in advance.  As soon as they have confirmed this year’s rate we will let you know ( last show it was £10 for Fri eve & £20 for 24 hrs ). The car park no longer has paper tickets, as it uses number plate recognition.

HOTELS: If you need to book a hotel, please visit our list of hotels used in the past by visitors & exhibitors to our show.  We have 2 Hotels that are very close to Kensington Town Hall, that give us a special rate.  The Copthorne Tara & Holiday Inn- London Kensington.  If you want to book either of these hotels, our special rate will not be available after October 27th, so make sure you book before then ( note you may get a cheaper rate on a hotel comparison site, so check these too ). Please note, we do not officially recommend the Copthorne Tara Hotel any more as we have had complaints, but we do still get a discount rate & it is the cheapest hotel in the area.  Check out the Hotel List on our website for more options.

OVERSEAS EXHIBITORS:  If you need any help or advice on travelling to our show please contact us. We have many exhibitors who have done this journey recently & can give you valuable advice.  Any European exhibitors will need to apply for an ETA. This can be done online very easily & is valid for 6 months. We have a link HERE to the correct website. Here is what we can offer you to help make your suitcase a little lighter too…

LIGHTS ETC TO HIRE: We have a selection of items available to hire/borrow/buy if you need.  These are particularly useful for overseas exhibitors who have limited space in their suitcases.  PLEASE BOOK THESE WITH US IN ADVANCE TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.

If we run out of lights, overseas visitors will be allocated their lights 1^st & any remaining can be offered to UK exhibitors

Electricity extension leads:                Free of charge (we also have some converter sockets)
Blue damask tablecloths:                  Free of charge
Clip on lamps & lamps on stands:     £10/€10 deposit per lamp + £2.50 hire charge per lamp
Cardboard “Risers” or steps:             £12 white . £14 black (these are good to give some height to your display)
Cash Float:                                   £25 of change (must be booked in advance)

You can book a maximum of 2 lights in advance, but if there are any spares, you can take more.  Please CLICK HERE for more details.

YOUR WORK: It is very important to us that your work IS your work.  We do not allow exhibitors to sell/display miniatures made by other makers at the show unless there is an agreement with KDF & the other craftsmen involved in advance of the Festival. If you work uses kits or components made by another maker, please discuss this with them & us before the event, as we will ask you to remove any items that we feel are breaching this agreement from your table. The Festival remains one of the top events in the world because of your fantastic work.  We want all the work on show to be of the highest level, so please do not bring along anything to sell which is below standard. This will be taken in to account next year when sending out contracts. 

CATALOGUE & ADVERTISING: We produce a beautiful A4, full colour catalogue for our show.  This has been really popular with our visitors who all receive a free copy with their entry ticket. We have also begun sending out copies of the catalogue to collectors who were unable to attend the show. The contact details we print for each exhibitor are as follows: Name, phone number, email, website & other social media addresses. If you do not have email contacts etc, we will print your postal address. If your contact details have changed since sending filling in your contract, please let me know ASAP. Deadline for changes is October 25^th .  

If you have booked an advert space already, please make sure you send your artwork to us by October 25^th. If not, we do have a few spaces left in the Christmas Catalogue so let me know if you want to reserve a space now! We always run out of space.

PIMA Juniors 2026:  We will have the entries into the PIMA Juniors on display at the Christmas Show.  This was a popular display last year & we would love to have tonnes of entries this time so PLEASE can you spread the word to any young miniaturist aged under 25.  All info on how to enter is on our website.

The Perfection in Miniature Awards 2027: Please think about entering this fantastic competition.  First prize is £6000 with a runner up prize of £2000 & the People’s Choice Award prize of £2000.  Information can be found on the COMPETITIONS page of our website.  This year the competition will be open to everyone, not just KDF Exhibitors.

UNICEF STAND: Our Unicef stand has been incredibly popular over the last few shows & we have raised 1000 £’s for this great cause. If you are able to donate a few items for this we would be so grateful.  You can drop off any donations to our Reception Desk when you arrive at the show, please mark with your name & the value of the items to sell.

CAFÉ: Our incredible “Miniature Kitchen” Cafe will be open throughout the show. All food is made freshly on site. The Miniature Kitchen will be opening for Exhibitors from 10am on Saturday. They will have a selection of sandwiches available before the doors open to the general public. Exhibitors will receive a 20% discount off purchases in the cafe.  We recommend you go to the cafe early to purchase your lunch as it gets very busy with show visitors when the show opens.

SUNDAY WALKABOUT: Please remember we have an exhibitor walkabout on Sunday morning. It is mandatory that your stand is open from 9am.  This gives you a chance to look at other stalls at the festival before the show opens.  It is a great time to catch up with other craftsmen & discuss collaborations. 

We are also happy to offer all exhibitors a FREE breakfast during our walkabout. This will be available from the 1st Floor Bar after 9am while stocks last!

CREDIT CARD FACILITY: Please consider getting a card reader for the show so you can accept card payments.  We are now all used to paying by card or with our phones.  We use “Square” which is excellent, but there are plenty of other providers.  It looks very unprofessional to ask collectors, who can be spending hundreds of £’s with you, to go to the cash point to draw out money.  What if they don’t come back?!.  

If you are unable to accept card payments yourself, we do offer a credit card service for you where we take payments on your behalf.  We do have to charge for this service to cover our costs & it would be cheaper for you to use a professional provider, but it can be  useful for overseas exhibitors or if you do not have a card payment facility.  You do not have to register for this in advance, but if you do want to use this service, please just speak to us at the Reception Desk & we will give you the necessary forms.

SPAM EMAILS: Please be aware that exhibitors are still receiving emails from various companies saying they can give you advance access to the attendance list for the KDF show or offering cheap hotel rooms.  Any email that is officially from KDF will be signed by me or Lola & be sent from the @dollshouseshowcase.com email address. Any emails about the show from other email addresses are SCAMS!

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES: We will once again be holding our “KDF TREASURE HUNT” throughout the show.  This is incredibly popular with children.  You may be asked to have a ‘precious jewel’ on your stand.  If you don’t want to be part of the hunt that is fine, just say no!  We advise that you place the jewel in a visible place on your stand so children can spot them easily.  The Gingerbread Craft Club will be running from 12 noon – 3pm on Sunday & will be running an up-cycling workshop for the children.  If you think you have any useful bits & bobos that could be used in the workshops please leave at the front desk. 

LDF MEMBERS: We are currently renewing memberships for the LDF Loyalty card.  We have a maximum of 60 members who can enter the show early at (Sat 12.00, Sun 10.00) with one guest. We like our members to feel a little special, so if you were able to offer them a discount or free gift if they make a purchase with you, it would be really appreciated. If you are a new exhibitor, this is a great way to encourage our regulars to visit your stand. Please let me know soon so I can inform them in their newsletter.

BBH/PIP VISITORS: A limited number of Blue Badge & PIP card holders will be allowed in to the show 30 mins early on both days.  This will enable them to have a quiet moment in the show to view items up close before it gets too crowded.

FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM: Please ‘like’ us on facebook (London Dollshouse Festivals) & INSTAGRAM (kensingtondollshouse).  We try to put out 3-4 posts a week in the run up to the show, so if you have any stories or new products etc that you would like us to include in our posts please let us know.

STALL SITTERS: If you are attending KDF by yourself, we can loan you a KDF staff member to look after you stand while you have a break. Please come to the KDF Reception Desk at the beginning of the show to book your slot.

KDF RECEPTION DESK: The KDF Reception Desk at the show is always very busy.  This desk is primarily for the use of visitors during the show, so please note the times that the Reception Desk will be open to KDF Exhibitors 

Friday:                19.00-21.30
Saturday:            8.00-11.30 + 16.00-18.00
Sunday:              08.30–10.00 + 14.00–19.00

You may, of course visit the Reception Desk at any time if it is an urgent matter, but please try to visit the desk within these set times for non-urgent reasons (returning contracts, paying invoices etc). 

GOING GREEN: In an effort to cut down on waste, we are keen to make all LDF shows as green as we possibly can & we urge you to do the same. The Miniature Kitchen is already almost plastic free, & they are happy for you to use your own mugs for tea & coffee etc. If you have any good ideas on how to cut down on waste, please let us know so we can pass information on to others.

OFFICE OPENING TIMES:  The LDF office is usually open between 11.00 – 15.00, but if we are out, please email. We only check answer machine messages sporadically but emails are generally answered within 48 hours.  For anything urgent, you can call me directly on 07976 715 679.

We look forward to seeing you all in November.

Charlotte Stokoe

LDF organiser
charlotte@dollshouseshowcase.com