1. Thou shalt respect the artist without whom there would be no show.
Remember that some crafters have been attending shows for many years and their experience and input can be valuable. Offending crafters will cause them to find another show and you will eventually fail.
2. Thou shalt keep the gate fee low so more people attend.
Increasing the gate fee will cause more people to stay away and you will actually make less than if you were to keep the gate the same. The best way to make more money is to make the show better and draw a bigger gate.
3. Thou shalt endeavor to keep thy booth rents low.
Vendors have many other expenses like fuel, lodging, food and the like. If you need to raise more money please try increasing the attendance or adding a few more booths.
4. Thou shalt limit the number of vendors in categories so no more than 85% of show shall be jewelry.
No vendor would mind a few competing booths but too much is too much. This is why great shows use categories and limit the number of vendors per category.
5. Thou shalt advertise thy show profusely and professionally.
The old saw that “everybody knows about the show” doesn’t cut it. To reach new people a show must advertise.
6. Thou shalt provide clean bathrooms for both vendors and public with hand washing facilities.
Port a potties are nasty when they are clean and after a few hours baking in the sun they can be down right repulsive. The best shows have them pumped and cleaned out through out the day. It is especially nice when a number of units are set aside for vendors only.
7. Thou shalt provide thy vendors with complete welcome packet including contact location, map of grounds and hours of operation.
Vendors are under enough pressure just getting to the show and setting up. We need to know where to go with problems, what the layout is, where the parking is etc. Some shows include complementary coffee and doughnuts or food tokens. Nice.
8. Thou shalt provide ample and close parking for shoppers and vendors
Vendors do not necessarily need to park close but they should have a designated area so they need not park the furthest away. RV and tent sites are a good gesture.
Likewise shoppers do not want to walk a mile. If necessary provide a shuttle bus and charge a small fee to park.
9. Thou shalt encourage and recruit a wide variety of foods and food vendors.
When one vendor holds the contract for a large show the results can be good or bad and the problem is when it’s all bad it’s all bad. If there is a variety in types and quality everyone comes out on top. Vendors sell more, if they are quality, promoters make out better since the sales are higher and the vendors who rely on the show food are not condemned to a weekend of gastrointestinitis.
10. Thou shalt thoroughly and ruthlessly jury vendors according to preset conditions.
No vendor has the right to question the preset conditions of a show. If the show allows buy/sell or imports or simple embellishments, it should be stated up front so the vendor can decide for him self whether or not to attend.
The trouble is many shows claim to accept hand crafted items, to be sold only by the artist themselves, but one trip around the grounds usually reveals a number of violations.
Artist who hand craft their wares bitterly resent those who bring imported or buy/sell goods to a juried show. Keep it up and the best vendors will stop coming leaving you with a slate of crappy goods and the show will suffer.