At a conference I attend there is always vendors setup providing raffles for merchandise for which you submit a business card to enter. Even though examiners are at these conference and some of the vendors are compliance auditors I never see flyers containing the advertising requirements for sweepstakes. Is there a difference that I am missing because when we setup a booth at any event and provide a give away I always make sure we have contest rules and include retail price and other required disclosures on the ad?

A conference is a closed audience. I am assuming the booth you are talking about is open to the general public.

Yes, it is limited to those that sign up and pay for the conference but would that still not apply?

Well, who is going to complain. The rules? - we draw your card and call your name and you come over and we embarrass you while giving you your $6 trinket. If it is a mortgage lending conference, I am sure the RESPA police are hiding in the corner also. Sometimes, it is just not worth the effort.

When marketing though dont you need the required disclosures such as no purchase necessary the retail value odds of winning statement?

I know no one will complain but if we create marketing flyers and auditors and examiners review marketing it would be against the state sweepstakes laws.

I have never seen anything more than a fishbowl at a conference that says - deposit your business card here - drawing a 5pm. Why would you create marketing flyers?

would the sign next to the fish bowl not be a marketing flyer? If we put a fish bowl in a branch with a sign in front of it saying drawing for gift card I would think disclosure rules would apply. I guess though I think the booth drawings at conferences should be ok I cannot figure out what separates it. Thanks for your input you are always helpful

Nothing really separates it, but something are just not worth the effort to bother with the hassle. Putting a fishbowl out in the branch for a drawing available to the general public has exponential risks above a simple giveaway at a conference attended, by what I assume would be a limited number of fellow professionals of some sort.