How to Find a Craft Fair to Sell At

Apr 27

Craft shows and fairs are the primary revenue source for many small businesses and artists. One of the most challenging parts of jumping in and getting started with shows is finding the good ones. You may be asking yourself how to find a craft fair to sell at. If you're looking for tips to selecting shows, here three you can use to ensure those you do select are valuable to your businesses.

Look for participation numbers

If you’re curious how to find a craft fair to sell at and be successful, look at the participation numbers. If you're attending a show for the first time, expected attendees is one of the key stats to pay attention to. Veteran sellers swear by this number and use it to help justify the cost of the space and anticipate revenue.

Total vendor counts

Similar to the total number of participants, you can learn a lot about the number of vendors that are expected to be at the event. If you're in a high competition craft like jewelry, it's also helpful to know if the show limits the number of like-vendors. While this raises the competition to get into the show, it will improve your sales if you’re not competing during the event.

Ask around

Typically, vendors that have participated in certain shows know best. If you’re a part of maker groups, ask around to learn how well everyone performed and to learn other craft show tips. If different vendors have a bad experience it's worth sharing. In my experience, shows that have a bad reputation do for a certain reason, be it a bad show promoter or poor attendance. While the advice is helpful, remember to always balance other’s opinions; while other vendors may not do as well at a show it doesn't mean that you would.