From William T Lasley,
Your Guide to Arts / Crafts Business.
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Though many times a “bad show” is blamed on the event promoters, this is certainly not always the case. A craft show promoter has several responsibilities to vendors such as providing great marketing to increase the numbers of people who attend as visitors. But even the best promoter in the world who does all the right things to get people to the show cannot guarantee that every vendor will be successful.

• “Stingy” Crowds – Several factors can cause large crowds to be “lookers” vs. buyers. Bad local/national economies can affect how people buy. Sometimes a particular locality can be saturated with too many craft shows. There’s not much you can do to influence the buying habits of a crowd once you get to a show. However, you can do your homework before registering for the event to gauge the economy in a particular area and how many shows take place back to back in that region.
• Lack of Inventory – You can’t sell what you don’t have. If you only have a small amount of stock on hand, you are limiting your sales period. Especially make sure your best sellers are plentiful when attending shows.
• Booth Location – Not everyone can have that coveted corner booth at the busiest junction of the show. While you can request certain spots at some events (talk to the promoters beforehand) it is pretty much impossible to pick “the best spot” in the show before the event is held.
• Hidden Competitors – When convention centers charge for parking and charge $6 for a hot dog, it will affect the purchase decisions of some shoppers. Check for high “attendance costs” for customers before you apply for a show to help you decide whether you want to attend the event or not.
• Wrong Type of Show – No matter how many people attend a large street festival, someone selling high-end original $700 vases will not do as well as at an art show. This is an example statement to say: make sure that you match the type of show to your craft.