What I Wish I Knew Before My First Vendor Event

If you're getting ready for your first vendor event, craft show or market, I want you to do something first:

Breathe. It's going to be okay.

I know the dream.

You set up your booth, customers swarm in, and by the end of the event you've sold every single thing you brought. You pack up nothing but empty bins and attempt a celebratory backflip your body has absolutely no business attempting.

Sounds perfect, right?

Except now you have to make all of that product again.

And your next vendor event might not be a month away. It could be tomorrow. It could be next weekend.

Suddenly, the event you thought was an enormous success has also created a pretty impressive production problem.

One of the things I've learned after years of setting up at vendor events—and now organizing them, too—is that success doesn't always mean selling out.

Your first events are where you learn.

You'll learn which products people stop to look at and which ones they walk right past. You'll figure out whether your display actually works once real customers are standing in front of it. You'll discover things you forgot, things you didn't need and probably at least one thing you'll swear you're never doing again.

You'll meet other vendors. You'll learn how different events operate. You'll start figuring out which types of markets make sense for your business and which ones don't.

And yes, hopefully you'll make some money while you're doing it.

But you do not have to sell everything you own for your first vendor event to be successful.

Also, please don't attempt the backflip.

Before You Apply: Is This the Right Event?

Maybe you've already been accepted. Maybe you're still hovering over the application button.

Either way, make sure this is actually an event you want to do.

Especially when you're new, it's easy to get excited about doing a vendor event without stopping to ask whether this particular event makes sense for you and your business.

I've already gone much deeper into this in How to Choose the Right Vendor Market (And the Red Flags I Watch For), so I'm not going to repeat all of it here.

Consider this your checkpoint.

Do your research. Ask your questions. Make sure you feel good about the event you've chosen.

Okay.

Now let's do this.

Congratulations! You've Been Accepted!

Now you're panicking, right?

DON'T!

We've all been there.

And there's a pretty good chance when you show up, you won't be the only person there doing their first vendor event.

It's also completely okay to tell the organizer that this is your first event.

Seriously. We were all new once.

If you have friends who have done vendor events before, find out if they're doing this one too. If they are, reach out to the organizer as soon as possible and ask if you can be placed next to—or at least near—each other.

Notice I said as soon as possible.

Don't wait until the morning of the event when the organizer has already spent hours figuring out the layout and assigned everyone a space.

They may not be able to accommodate your request, but you've given them a much better chance to try.

And if you don't know anyone?

That's okay, too.

You might be about to meet them.

Find Your Vendor People

I have my own group of vendor friends now.

Sometimes two of us are at an event together. Sometimes there are six of us.

Some of my very best friends are people I met through vendor events when I was first starting out. Years later, we talk almost every day. We congratulate each other's successes. We help each other when someone needs it. We share advice, laugh about the ridiculous things that happen at events and look out for one another.

It becomes a little family.

Over time, that trust becomes pretty practical, too.

These are the people I trust to watch my booth while I run to the restroom, grab a drink or find something to eat. Some of us have worked together for so long that we know each other's products, know how to use each other's point-of-sale systems and can actually make a sale for one another if needed.

But let me be very clear:

That did not happen overnight.

I didn't show up at my first craft show, introduce myself to the person beside me and hand them access to my point-of-sale system before running off for lunch.

Those relationships were built over time and across a LOT of events.

So at your first event?

Start with hello.

You don't need to find your entire vendor family on Day One.

But the person setting up beside you today could eventually become one of the people you trust most.

Network, Don't Compete

There's another reason to talk to the vendors around you:

Networking.

Ask them where they're going next.

Events don't need to be gatekept.

That doesn't mean you should immediately apply for every event another vendor mentions. Ask questions. Get a feel for the event, the organizer and whether it sounds like somewhere your business would actually fit.

And pay attention to vendors who have regular customers following them from event to event.

That's a GOOD thing.

It means they're telling their community where they're going to be.

If someone comes to an event specifically because they know their favorite vendor will be there, that customer didn't somehow become off-limits to everyone else.

They came for the one thing they wanted from that vendor—and while they're there, they're probably going to walk around.

That helps the vendor they came to see.

It helps the other vendors.

And it helps the event as a whole.

It's not stealing customers.

If you're set up next to the vendor they specifically came to see? Congratulations.

With the right branding and setup, their eyes saw your booth—even if they didn't step inside your space that day.

Maybe they remember your name.

Maybe they recognize your booth at the next event.

Maybe they follow you afterward.

Maybe the third time they see you is when they finally stop.

Not every interaction at a vendor event ends with someone handing you money.

Sometimes you're simply getting seen.

Your First Booth Is Just the Beginning

I wish I could tell you that I showed up to my first vendor event with the setup I have today.

I did not.

I was using thrown-together tables I'd borrowed from other people. I even had some of those outdoor fake-wood plastic tables that weren't particularly sturdy.

My buffalo plaid tablecloths were there—some things apparently were destined to stick around.

Pretty much everything I was selling was laying flat across those tables.

I hadn't figured out height, displays or customer flow yet.

I was also selling products I don't even make anymore, and some of those were literally blowing around when the wind picked up.

But here's the important part:

There was nothing wrong with starting there.

I was working with what I had, putting my products in front of customers and learning.

You do not need to build the booth you'll have five years from now before you're allowed to set up the booth you can create today.

You're going to learn things by actually standing in that space that you can't learn from looking at vendor booths online.

You'll notice customers can't see something.

You'll realize a table isn't sturdy enough for what you're putting on it.

You'll watch something blow across your booth and think, Well, we're not doing THAT again.

You'll move things around. You'll add displays as you need them. You'll stop making some products and introduce completely different ones.

Your booth will evolve because your business will evolve.

Mine certainly did.

And apparently the buffalo plaid will survive all of it.

One of my earlier vendor setups. There was nothing “wrong” with this booth—it got me out there selling my products. Over time, I learned what worked for me, what didn't and how I wanted my setup to function differently.

And when you're looking at other vendor booths, take inspiration from them—not comparison.

What works beautifully for someone else's products may make absolutely no sense for yours.

If you're trying to figure out the practical side of setting up—tent, tables, displays, payment options and all the other things you may actually need—I have a separate guide for that: First Vendor Fair? Here's What to Bring.

I Also Showed Up Late

Yep.

I overslept.

Why?

Because I had stayed up most of the night making things for the event.

In my head, I needed to make sure I had enough inventory.

And by “enough inventory,” apparently I meant every item I could possibly make so I would have something for absolutely everyone who might walk through the event.

Or at least one of everything I could potentially make.

Don't do this.

You cannot make something for everyone.

And here's the part I didn't understand yet:

I didn't need to have something for everyone sitting on my tables.

It's completely okay for someone to love what you make but not find exactly what they're looking for in your booth that day.

Hand them a business card.

“I have more options on my website.”

Or:

“Email me. We can talk about making something custom.”

Your booth can introduce someone to your business without containing your entire business.

So make what you reasonably can.

Pack what makes sense.

Then go to bed.

Rest is part of preparing for a vendor event, too.

You're going to need that energy to set up, talk to customers, answer questions, process payments, solve problems, tear everything back down and get yourself home.

There is no prize for having the most inventory while functioning on two hours of sleep.

Trust me.

I've tried.

And one thing I understand even better now that I've organized events myself: setup times matter.

There's a lot happening before an event opens. Vendors are arriving. Vehicles may need to move through the event area. Problems need to be solved. Depending on the event, vehicles may need to be completely out of the vendor area before customers can safely come in.

Showing up on time matters.

Did I always get it right?

Clearly not.

I overslept.

Make the Most of Your First Event

You're there.

Your booth may not look exactly how you pictured it. You probably already have a list in your head of things you want to change next time.

Good.

Learn all the things.

Look around.

If you see another vendor using a display and you're wondering where they got it, ASK.

Remember, you're surrounded by crafters.

A lot of vendors have made, modified or completely invented their own ways of displaying their products. Others have found something intended for an entirely different purpose and figured out how to make it work perfectly inside a vendor booth.

Take inspiration from other booths, but don't use them as a measuring stick for whether yours is “good enough.”

Start thinking about where you'd eventually like your own booth to go.

I said eventually.

Not Event #2.

Upgrading a vendor booth takes time and money.

The vendor three spaces down may have an incredible setup—but they may also have been doing events for ten years.

You're seeing the booth they have today.

You didn't see the first one they ever set up.

Give Yourself Realistic Goals

When I was starting out, my goals were pretty simple:

Make my vendor fee back.

And:

Find the next event.

That was it.

And honestly? Those were my goals for quite a while.

I wasn't measuring every event against some massive sales number. If I could cover what it cost me to be there, learn something and figure out where I was going next, I was moving forward.

I can remember being afraid to sign up for a craft show that cost $50.

Fifty dollars.

But it was also a 12-hour event on Memorial Day, and at the time that felt like a BIG commitment.

About That $50 Event...

I remember that event vividly.

It was HOT.

And I was terrified to sign up for it.

The $50 vendor fee was part of it. At that point, I think the most I'd ever spent on a vendor fee was around $25. Many of the events I was doing cost less than that, and some were free.

But it wasn't just the money.

I do this solo.

It's me.

Signing up meant committing myself to a 12-hour event on Memorial Day.

It meant knowing myself well enough to know I'd probably convince myself the night before that I needed to make just a few more things.

Then a few more.

Then suddenly it's an ungodly hour, I've barely slept, and I'm trusting six alarms to accomplish something six alarms have historically not always been successful at accomplishing.

The nerves and anxiety were on absolute max.

What if I overslept?

What if I forgot something?

What if I couldn't handle the whole day by myself?

What if I spent $50—which felt like a LOT of money to my business then—and didn't even make it back?

At the time, I was used to doing events where I might spend $25 on my space and make somewhere around $300–$500 in sales.

I was FLYING HIGH.

I could spend $25 and sometimes make ten times my booth fee back.

And now you want FIFTY WHOLE DOLLARS from me?!

For TWELVE HOURS?!

But I did it.

And I remember pieces of that day so clearly.

I remember the heat.

I remember taking my cash box into the restroom with me because I didn't know anyone well enough to leave it behind, and there wasn't anyone to watch my booth.

I remember a vendor friend stopping by because she wanted to pick something up from me. She helped me get food and something to drink.

She checked on me.

And up until very recently, that scary $50 event held the record for the highest-grossing single sales day my business had ever had.

I'm glad I took the risk.

But the lesson isn't “spend more on vendor fees and you'll make more money.”

Please don't take that from this.

I've spent money on events that were fantastic, and I've spent money on events that absolutely weren't.

The lesson for me was that sometimes the thing standing between me and trying something new wasn't that I wasn't ready.

I was scared.

And there's a difference.

You don't have to stop being nervous before you're allowed to try something new.

You just have to learn the difference between “this isn't a good decision for my business” and “I've never done this before, and that scares me.”

Sometimes You Can Do Everything Right

There's something I wish someone had told me when I started doing vendor events:

There are no guarantees.

You can research the event.

You can choose an event that seems like a great fit for your business.

You can bring the right products, create a great display, promote that you're going to be there, show up on time and do everything you're supposed to do.

The organizer can do everything right, too.

They can choose a good venue, communicate with vendors, advertise the event, promote it consistently, create a great vendor mix and spend months trying to make the event successful.

And sometimes?

It still doesn't go the way anyone hoped.

Weather changes.

People make other plans.

Crowds don't always spend money.

The product you were convinced would sell out doesn't move, while something you almost left at home suddenly becomes the thing everyone wants.

There are variables neither you nor the organizer can control.

I've been on both sides of that now.

And let's be clear:

Sales matter.

We're running businesses. Vendor fees, inventory, travel, food, supplies and our time cost money. I'm never going to tell you that the amount you made doesn't matter.

But I've also learned that the reward from a vendor event doesn't always show up in the amount of money you made that day.

Sometimes it's a customer who discovers you and comes back later.

Sometimes it's an organizer who remembers you and invites you to another opportunity.

Sometimes it's another vendor who tells you about an event that becomes one of your favorites.

And sometimes the person in the booth beside you eventually becomes the person who knows your products, celebrates your wins, checks on you when you're struggling and watches your booth when you desperately need to use the restroom.

You can't put all of that into the sales total at the end of the day.

There is risk in doing vendor events.

Lots of it.

Sometimes that risk pays you back in money.

Sometimes it pays you back in experience, opportunity, relationships or simply knowing what you would do differently next time.

And sometimes?

An event just sucks.

Learn what you can from that one, too.

When an Event Isn't Going Well, I Ask Myself One Question

Did I do my part?

Because we all have a part.

The vendor has a part.

The organizer has a part.

And then there are all those things neither one of us can control.

So before I decide an event is terrible, I start with myself.

I'm here.

That's a start.

I'm set up. I'm open. I'm ready for customers.

Did I tell people I was going to be here?

Did I promote the event leading up to today?

Did I post this morning?

I actually like posting a picture on my drive to an event—usually featuring my vehicle PACKED completely full of everything I apparently believe can fit inside it.

Did I post after I finished setting up so people can see where I am?

If I haven't?

There's something I can still do.

Then I look at what's happening around me.

What time is it?

What day of the week is it?

What season are we in?

What's the weather doing?

What's the temperature?

All of those things can affect when—or whether—people decide to leave their houses and come wander around an event.

Honestly, those are things I usually start thinking about before I ever apply.

Where you live matters.

The time of year matters.

The day of the week matters.

The event hours matter.

The temperature can matter a LOT.

What I can control is whether I showed up, whether I promoted where I was going to be and whether I'm doing my part while I'm there.

And if I've done those things?

Sometimes I have to accept that it's just a slow event.

That doesn't automatically mean I failed.

It doesn't automatically mean the organizer failed.

If I Said I Was Going to Be There, I Was Going to Be There

I honestly can't remember ever leaving a vendor event early.

Even when I was starting out, I understood that packing up before the event ended could affect whether an organizer wanted to invite me back.

But there was something else that mattered even more to me.

What if someone came looking for me?

If I posted online that I would be at an event from 10 AM to 4 PM, and someone made the decision to come because they wanted to shop with me, what happens if they arrive at 3:30 and I'm gone?

What does that say about me?

They don't know that sales were slow.

They don't know that I was frustrated.

They just know that I said I would be there—and I wasn't.

I didn't want that.

Posting about my events wasn't only promotion.

It held me accountable.

If I told my customers where they could find me and when I would be there, I wanted them to be able to trust that information.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Emergencies happen. Unsafe weather happens. Sometimes leaving isn't really a choice.

But being disappointed in my sales wasn't enough for me.

And now that I've also been on the organizer side, I've watched what happens when someone starts packing early.

Other vendors notice.

You can actually see them watching.

One vendor starts putting things into bins. Another vendor looks over and starts thinking, Well...are we packing up now?

Then another follows.

Customers notice, too.

I've heard people walking through an event say:

“Oh, it must be over.”

Or:

“We came too late.”

Except they didn't.

The event wasn't over.

They weren't too late.

They were standing inside an event that was still supposed to be open, but the visual of vendors packing told them something completely different.

That's the ripple effect.

One vendor deciding their day is finished can unintentionally influence the vendor beside them, the vendor across from them and the customers who are still arriving expecting to shop.

If something genuinely happens and I need to leave, I communicate with the organizer.

But if the event is still open and it's safe for me to be there?

I'm there.

I said I would be.

And someone might still be on their way looking for me.

It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect

If I could go back and tell myself one thing before those early vendor events, it would probably be this:

It doesn't have to be perfect.

Actually, it never will be.

There will always be something you can improve.

Your products will change.

Your displays will change.

Your booth layout will change.

You'll see another vendor angle their tables in a way you've never considered and think, Wait...that's actually really smart.

You'll learn a better way to set up your tent.

You'll discover something that makes load-in easier.

You'll change something you were convinced you'd never change.

And just when you think you've finally got this whole vendor-event thing figured out, you'll learn something new.

That's part of it.

Adapt.

Try things.

If something works, great.

If it doesn't?

Go back to what worked before—or try something else.

But don't be afraid to experiment just because you've finally gotten comfortable.

The booth I use today looks nothing like the booth I started with.

The products aren't all the same.

The displays aren't the same.

The events aren't the same.

I'm not the same vendor I was when I started, either.

And I'm still learning.

So if you're staring at your first vendor application, getting ready for your first craft show or sitting awake the night before convincing yourself that you need to make just one more thing...

Breathe.

Go to bed.

Show up.

Talk to the people around you.

Learn everything you can.

Do your part.

And when the day is over, don't only ask yourself how much money you made.

Ask yourself what you learned.

Then find the next event.