Finding Your Perfect Shows: Research Strategies That Actually Work

Picking the right events is the difference between a profitable weekend and an expensive lesson.

I sell across three product lines (books, tabletop RPGs, and cosplay costumes), and I’ve learned that “a show with vendor tables” isn’t a strategy. The right show matches your audience, your price points, your logistics, and your energy.

This post is a practical, repeatable research process you can use to find shows worth your time—and filter out the ones that aren’t.

Start With the Only Question That Matters: Who’s Buying?

Before you look at a single application, get specific about your best-fit customer.

• What fandoms/hobbies do they already spend money on?

• Do they buy for themselves, gifts, or both?

• What’s your “easy yes” price point (impulse buy) and your “considered buy” price point?

• Do they need to touch/try your product to understand it?

Quick example: My cosplay items sell best where people are already thinking about costumes (cons, ren faires, Halloween-heavy events). Books do better where readers are already browsing and talking to authors, and tabletop games do best where attendees are there to play.

If you don’t define the buyer first, you’ll end up choosing shows based on vibes, not outcomes.

Build a “Show Shortlist” in 3 Places

You don’t need a secret database. You need a consistent system.

1) Follow your audience

• Search for local/regional conventions and festivals tied to your niche (gaming, cosplay, fantasy, romance, comics, craft, etc.)

• Look at where your ideal customers already gather (Facebook groups, subreddits, Discords, local shops)

• Check venue calendars (civic centers, fairgrounds, libraries, colleges)

2) Follow other vendors (especially your “adjacent competitors”)

Find vendors who sell to the same people (not necessarily the same product) and see where they’re booked.

• Look at their Instagram posts and event tags

• Check their “Events” highlight

• Search their website for “upcoming shows”

If the same names show up at multiple events, that’s a signal the circuit is real.

3) Follow the organizers

Good organizers run multiple events or have a track record.

• Look for past event pages

• Check if they have consistent branding, a real website, and clear vendor info

• See if they post year-round or only when they need vendor fees

Your Research Checklist (Use This Before You Apply)

Here’s what I look for before I commit.

Attendance and buyer intent

• Is this a shopping event or an entertainment event? Both can work, but you need to know which you’re walking into.

• Do they publish attendance numbers? If they don’t, ask.

• What’s the audience there to do? (Buy, browse, play, attend panels, drink, watch performances.)

Tip: A show can have big attendance and still be a bad fit if the audience isn’t in a buying mindset.

Marketing effort (the make-or-break factor)

A “great venue” doesn’t matter if no one knows the show exists.

Look for:

• Regular posting schedule (not just the week before)

• Paid ad indicators (boosted posts, partner promos)

• Vendor spotlights (they help you sell)

• Local media outreach (radio, newspapers, community calendars)

• Clear branding and consistent messaging

Fast test: Scroll their socials. If you can’t tell what the event is, when it is, and why someone should attend within 10 seconds, the public won’t either.

Vendor mix and saturation

You want a healthy mix—not a wall of identical booths.

• How many vendors total?

• How many are in your category?

• Are they curating, or is it “anyone with a table fee”?

Rule of thumb: If the event is flooded with your exact product type, you’ll fight for the same dollars.

Booth placement and layout

Ask for details that affect sales:

• Indoor vs outdoor

• Corner booths available?

• Aisle width and traffic flow

• Lighting and power access

• Load-in access (dock? stairs? long carry?)

A “cheap booth” can become expensive if you’re hauling inventory a quarter mile.

Fees, add-ons, and what you actually get

Don’t just look at the table fee.

• Table included or bring your own?

• Chair included?

• Electricity cost?

• Wi-Fi reliability?

• Parking fees?

• Required insurance?

• Percentage-of-sales clause?

Get the full cost picture before you decide it’s “affordable.”

Policies that protect vendors (or don’t)

A professional event has clear policies.

Look for:

• Weather plan (for outdoor events)

• Refund/cancellation policy

• Load-in/load-out windows

• Security overnight (multi-day)

• Code of conduct and enforcement

If the organizer can’t answer basic operational questions, that’s a red flag.

How to Vet a Show in 20 Minutes (My Quick Process)

When I’m evaluating a new event, I do this:

1. Google the event name + “vendor” + “reviews.”

2. Search the event name on Facebook and look at past years’ pages.

3. Check Instagram tags for attendee photos (not just organizer posts).

4. Look for vendor posts: “Great show!” vs “Never again.”

5. Check the organizer’s history: have they run events before?

6. Estimate the real cost (fee + travel + hotel + meals + parking).

7. Decide if the audience matches my best sellers.

If I can’t find evidence of real attendance and real marketing, I don’t apply.

Questions to Ask Organizers (Copy/Paste)

If you’re on the fence, email the organizer. Their response tells you a lot.

• What was attendance last year (paid attendance, not “foot traffic” estimates)?

• What is your marketing plan and ad spend (even a range)?

• How many vendors are you accepting total? How many in my category?

• Is the event juried/curated?

• What are load-in/load-out times and access like?

• Are tables/chairs included? Is electricity available?

• What is your refund/cancellation policy?

• Do you have security overnight?

• Can you share a floor plan or typical booth layout?

A good organizer answers clearly. A bad one gets defensive or vague.

Red Flags That Usually Mean “Skip It”

I’m not saying every new event is a scam—but these patterns are expensive.

• First-year event with no proven marketing reach

• Organizer can’t provide attendance numbers or a marketing plan

• Social media is mostly “vendor call” posts (not attendee-focused)

• No clear vendor packet, contract, or policies

• Constantly changing details (times, venue, rules)

• Overpromising (“Thousands guaranteed!”) with no evidence

• Vendor categories are a free-for-all (saturation risk)

If you’ve ever done a show where the organizer didn’t advertise, you already know how that ends.

Green Flags That Signal a Strong Show

• Consistent history (multiple years, stable venue)

• Clear vendor packet and contract

• Vendor spotlights and promotional assets

• Strong attendee-facing marketing

• Organized load-in/load-out and communication

• Curated vendor mix

• Photos/videos of packed aisles from past years

When organizers treat vendors like partners, everyone sells more.

Make the Decision With a Simple Scorecard

If you want to remove emotion from the decision, score each show 1–5:

• Audience fit

• Buying intent

• Marketing strength

• Vendor saturation risk

• Logistics (travel, load-in, parking)

• Total cost vs expected sales

Then set a rule:

• 20+ points: apply

• 15–19 points: only if low cost or strategic

• Under 15: skip

This keeps you from booking a “maybe” show that eats a full week of your time.

The Bottom Line

The best shows aren’t always the biggest. They’re the ones where the right people show up ready to buy—and the organizer does the work to make that happen.

Do the research once, build your shortlist, and you’ll spend more weekends making money (and meeting the right customers) instead of paying tuition to learn the hard way.

Next in this series: Decoding vendor contracts—what to look for, what to negotiate, and what to run from.