As I have said in other posts, I've been doing craft shows for almost 30 years. They haven't all been good experiences but they have all been learning experiences. I never ask another crafter how they did at a show that I might be interested in attending. An opinion just based on how this other crafter did is really kind of useless unless we made the exact same thing, the same exact way, and sold for the same exact price. And if we did copy each other, unless it's a huge show, we are going to hurt each other's sales significantly. So when I do talk to another vendor about an event I will ask more general questions like, how was the attendance, the advertising, and were people carrying bags with purchases? I feel these questions give me a better idea of what the event was like in general. I have never yet heard two vendors give the same account of a show if all you ask is how was it? Too many "hobby" vendors don't care if they make any money or not. As long as they make back their spot fee they're happy. If you judge a show based on this person's opinion, you could be in for a surprise. Get some facts about a show. Ask attendance numbers, how many vendors will be there, how many vendors will be selling something similar to what you make, what do they do for advertising, and maybe the most important thing to know is what else is going on in the immediate area. Other local happenings can help bring more people to an event while some will leave you wondering where everyone is. A little research can save you alot of frustration.
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