How Do I Build a Booth Layout or Map for a Market or Event?
You build a booth layout by designing your space on a visual canvas — placing booths, backgrounds, and arrival zones — then assigning approved vendors to specific spots before publishing the finished map so everyone knows where they’re set up. That’s the short version. The long version is that most organizers are still doing this […]
Best Vendor Management Software for Markets and Pop-Up Events
The best vendor management software for markets and pop-up events handles six things well: event and series setup, vendor applications and approvals, booth and floor-plan management, payments and payouts, event-day operations, and reporting — all in one place, priced in a way that doesn’t punish you for growing. Here’s what to actually look for in […]
The Vendor Waitlist Problem No One Talks About
Picture this: the vendor of your dreams applies to your market. It just so happens to be your busiest season yet, so they get added to your waitlist. As a market manager, having a waitlist should feel like an indicator of success. A long waitlist signals demand, and that should be a good thing. Here’s […]
What It Actually Costs to Run a Weekly Market
Every Saturday morning, members of your community wake up with a specific goal in mind: a visit to their local farmers market. No one can blame them… it’s the perfect start to a relaxing weekend after a long week of work. Fresh produce, handmade jewelry, baked goods, and bright bouquets of flowers draw a wide […]
How to Optimize Your Farmers Market Booth Layout for Better Foot Traffic (Whatever Shape You’re Working With)
It’s 7:45 on a Saturday morning. Your vendors are set up, the coffee is hot, and shoppers are already trickling through the gate. Everything looks great, until you notice what always happens: they walk straight through, buy from the two or three booths they already know, and leave in under 20 minutes. It doesn’t matter […]
Hot Take: Market Managers Are Brand Builders, Not Just Business Owners
Picture a busy Saturday morning at your local farmers market. The smell of fresh bread, the towers of strawberries, the easy feeling of a community doing what communities do best. It looks effortless. It isn’t. Someone built that — and they were up at 5am to make it happen. Market managers don’t just run events. […]
CASE STUDY: From Operational Chaos to One Unified System. How a Multi-Market Operator in Indiana Streamlined Vendor Management with Hivey
If your market operations still live across forms, spreadsheets, and inboxes — you’re not scaling. You’re managing chaos. That’s where most multi-market operators end up. The first market is fine. The second one stretches things. By the third, you’re holding a duct-taped backend together with sticky notes, browser tabs, and the kind of hope that […]
Where Did All the Vendors Go? The Farmers Market Recruitment Slump in 2026 (And What Managers Can Do About It)
It’s 9pm on Sunday. You’re at the kitchen table, laptop open to a vendor application spreadsheet, and the math isn’t mathing. You have 18 confirmed vendors for 30 spots. The market opens in six days. If this scene feels uncomfortably familiar, here’s the first thing you should know: it’s not just you, and it’s not […]
3 Things Farmers Market Managers Should Set Up in the Offseason (Now) to Avoid Chaos
The most organized farmers markets don’t get that way by accident. They’re built in the offseason. If you’re a farmers market manager, the weeks (or months) before opening day are your biggest opportunity to prevent in-season stress. Once the market starts, you won’t have time to rebuild systems — you’ll just be reacting. Here are […]
It’s Application Season: 5 Ways to Attract Better Vendors At Your Farmers Market This Season
Application season is here, and if you’re like most farmers market managers, you’re fielding inquiries from vendors of all kinds. But here’s the thing: not all vendors are created equal. The best vendors—the ones who show up consistently, engage with customers, and elevate your entire market—are selective about where they invest their time and energy. […]