What Vendor Fair Software Handles
A vendor fair lives or dies on its vendor list, and the admin behind it is heavier than it looks. Applications arrive by email, booth fees by check, insurance certificates as phone photos, and the map is a spreadsheet someone redraws every time a vendor swaps spaces. Vendor fair software replaces that with one record per vendor and one map everyone sees.
- Sell or assign vendor booths on a map with live availability
- Collect payment online or offline, including deposits
- Gather vendor details, answers and documents at booking
- Track insurance and the paperwork each vendor still owes
- Publish a map and vendor directory shoppers can browse
It suits craft fairs, makers markets, holiday markets, home shows and any vendor event where many small businesses each rent a space. For festivals with stages, ticketing and an app, see festival management software.
Set Up Vendor Booth Types and Prices
Booth types are your pricing tiers. Each has a name, a public description, a size, a base price, its own colors on the map, included services, and add-ons buyers of that type can purchase. Here is how a holiday market might set them up.
| Booth type | How it is set up in Map D |
|---|---|
| Standard indoor space | Commonly 10x10 ft; base price set on the type; a table included as a service |
| Corner space | Same size, higher base price, distinct color so vendors can spot it on the legend |
| Outdoor stall | On a second map for the outdoor lot, with its own base price |
| Food vendor | Electricity offered as an add-on that applies to this booth type only |
| Nonprofit table | Its own price for a nonprofit registration type, or a discount code you share |
Services cover everything else: electricity, extra tables, chairs, sponsorships. Each can require a booth, carry a per-order limit and track limited inventory, so checkout shows how many are left. Dated prices handle early bird rates, and quantity prices reward vendors who take more than one vendor booth.
How Vendors Book a Space
- 1
Open the Registration Page
Vendors open your public registration link. If you use registration types or access codes, they choose one before seeing prices.
- 2
Pick a Space on the Map
Every booth is colored by status. Selecting an available one reserves it with a countdown, so nobody else can take it during checkout.
- 3
Add Services and Details
Vendors add services, fill in company and contact details, their public profile and your custom questions, which can include a file upload.
- 4
Review and Pay
They apply any discount code, accept your terms if required, and pay online or submit for offline payment.
- 5
Handle Insurance
If your show asks for liability insurance, they upload a certificate, buy a policy, or choose to do it later from their portal.
Approve Vendors or Sell Directly
Juried craft fairs and curated markets often review every vendor before taking money. Map D supports both approaches with the Sales mode setting.
| Setting | Options | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Sales mode | Direct purchase or Manager approval | Approval for juried events, direct purchase for first-come markets |
| Booth assignment mode | After payment, after approval, or manual | Manual when you place vendors to balance categories |
| Max booths per order | Any limit you set | Stops one vendor taking a whole row |
| Registration opens and closes | Start and end dates | Match your application window |
Mark booths Reserved to hold them back for sponsors or anchor vendors. For the questions to ask at application, start from our vendor application form template.
Collect Payment, Insurance and Paperwork
Vendors pay by card or bank account online, or by check, wire or invoice with your instructions. Deposits and balance reminders suit events that open sales months ahead. See event payment processing for the details.
When your show includes Insurance, Map D works with Vertical Insure: vendors buy a policy or upload a certificate they already have, and the COI Compliance tab shows who is compliant, in progress, declined or not started, with flags such as Expires mid-show. Our guide to the vendor certificate of insurance covers what to require.
Publish the Market Map and Choose Your Tool
Once published, the floor plan appears on your Homebase, in the embed on your own website and in the mobile app. Shoppers search vendors by name, filter by category and find restrooms, entrances and food areas you named on the map.
Event vendor management continues after the booking. Each vendor keeps their own profile up to date from their portal, with a logo, description, photos and products where your show includes them, so the directory fills itself in. When a vendor swaps spaces, you reassign the booth in Map D, and the map, the directory and the vendor's portal all show the new space, instead of a spreadsheet someone has to redraw and a handout someone has to reprint. Vendors also see the documents you share, such as load-in times and market rules, in their portal and on the floor plan while they choose a space.
- Can vendors choose and pay for a space without emailing you?
- Can you approve vendors before they pay, for juried events?
- Are add-ons like electricity sold with limited inventory?
- Does insurance tracking show who is missing coverage at a glance?
- Can returning vendors keep their space with a code?
- Does the same map serve vendors at booking and shoppers on the day? Compare options in our booth sales software overview.
