I am still relatively new to doing craft shows, but I already know much more walking into one now than I did before my first event.
Before those first shows, most of my attention went into inventory. How many pieces do I need? Which designs should I make? Do I have enough variety?
Those things matter, but I learned quickly that the products are only part of the job.
Your booth has to explain itself
Can somebody walking down the aisle tell what you make without asking? Can they see the artwork from several feet away? Are prices visible? Is there enough room to pick something up without knocking into something else?
Those questions sound obvious after you have done a show. Before the first one, there are a hundred little things you do not know that you do not know.
Current craft-show guides consistently emphasize the same basics I had to learn firsthand: visible branding, clear pricing, varied display height, enough booth weight and equipment for the venue, and a setup that does not make customers work to understand what is being sold.
The crowd will correct your assumptions
I have also learned not to judge a show only by what I expected before I got there. A design I thought would get attention may barely get noticed, while another one starts conversations all day.
That is useful information even when it does not immediately turn into a sale.
I am definitely not at the point where I would tell somebody I have craft shows completely figured out. I do not.
But I know this much: pay attention to what actually happens in the booth. You will learn things there that you could not have planned from home.
If you want to see where we are setting up next, the schedule is on the Events page. You can also browse the pieces currently available in the shop.