What Vendor Emails Have to Do
Most market and fair vendors are small businesses, often one or two people, who work several events a season and read your email on a phone between customers. They need fewer words and more specifics than trade show exhibitors: what they got, what they owe, where to park, and what happens if it rains.
- The business name and space number in every email after acceptance
- Dates with the day of the week, and times with the time zone when vendors travel
- One deadline per email, with a direct link to pay, upload or confirm
- A decision date stated in the call for vendors, then kept
- A day-of phone number that someone actually answers
- Short paragraphs and lists that read well on a small screen
| Stage | What it asks for | |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment | Call for vendors | Apply by the deadline |
| Applications | Application received | Nothing yet; wait for the decision date |
| Decisions | Accepted | Pay and send documents |
| Decisions | Waitlisted | Stay available in case a space opens |
| Decisions | Declined | Nothing; apply again next time |
| Pre-event | Space assignment and map | Check the space and plan the setup |
| Pre-event | Load-in instructions | Arrive in the window, at the right gate |
| Event week | Weather update | Watch for a go or no-go decision |
| Post-event | Thank you, then next season invitation | Give feedback, then rebook |
When to Send Each Vendor Email
The timing below suits a one-day craft fair or a seasonal market that recruits two to four months ahead. Large festivals and holiday markets often open applications six months or more out, and a weekly farmers market may run the same sequence once a season. Set your dates from your own application deadline and the date your layout is final.
| Typical send | Send to | |
|---|---|---|
| Call for vendors | 3–6 months out, once the layout and fees are set | Past vendors first, then maker groups and local business lists |
| Application received | Immediately, automatically if your form allows it | Every applicant |
| Accepted, waitlisted, declined | On the decision date you published | Every applicant, on the same day |
| Space assignment and map | 2–4 weeks out, once the layout is final | Confirmed, paid vendors |
| Load-in instructions | 5–7 days out | Confirmed vendors and their helpers |
| Weather update | 48–72 hours out, then on decision day | All confirmed vendors |
| Thank you and survey | 1–2 days after | Every vendor who attended |
| Next season invitation | Before applications open to the public | Vendors you want back |
Call for Vendors Template
The call for vendors is a sales email, but vendors read it like a job listing: they want to know whether their products fit, what it costs, and how many shoppers to expect. Name the categories you want and the ones that are full, and link straight to the application. Our vendor application form template covers what to ask, and seasonal markets can start from the farmers market vendor application.
Send it to last year's vendors a week before you post it publicly, so the vendors you want back get the first chance. New vendors often ask how to stand out; our post on vendor booth ideas is a useful link to include.
Application Decision Templates
Four emails cover every application: a receipt when it arrives, then one of accepted, waitlisted or declined on the decision date. Send all three decision types on the same day. A vendor who hears nothing while others post their acceptances assumes the worst, and usually emails to ask.
| Situation | What to say | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Category full | Name the category and say it filled | Implying the products weren't good enough |
| Not a fit for the event | Say what the event focuses on, such as handmade only | Critiquing their work in detail |
| Incomplete application | Name what was missing and the next deadline | Silence, so they never learn why |
| Rules or past problems | State the rule or issue plainly, once | Arguing, or listing every past complaint |
Keep every applicant's status in one place so the right email goes to the right vendor. The vendor list template has a status column and a separate tab for the waitlist, ranked so you can offer openings in order.
Space Assignment and Load-In Templates
Send the space assignment once the map is final, and the load-in email separately in the week of the event. Combining them buries the arrival time in a long email vendors read weeks earlier. The load-in email is the one they will open again in the parking lot, so keep it short and put the times first.
For a one-page handout to give vendors at check-in, use the vendor day-of information sheet in our pop-up market guide. Food vendors may need a health permit and an inspection before they open; rules vary by city and county, so check with the local health department, and see our food vendor permit guide for what to ask. Insurance requirements are covered in the vendor certificate of insurance guide.
Weather Update Template
Outdoor markets need a weather plan before they need a weather email. Decide in advance who makes the call, what conditions delay or cancel the event, when the decision is made, and what happens to fees, then put it in the vendor agreement. The email only reports the decision.
- 1
Set a Decision Time
Pick a fixed time, such as early evening the day before or a few hours before load-in, and tell vendors in the load-in email when to look for news.
- 2
Name Who Decides
One person makes the call, using the forecast, your event safety plan, and the venue or local authorities where they have a say.
- 3
Tell Vendors First
Send the email and a text message at the same time, then update your website and social accounts. Vendors should never hear about a cancellation from a shopper.
- 4
Follow the Fee Terms You Published
Refund, credit or no refund, as your refund policy and vendor agreement already say. Don't improvise the terms in the email.
Our post on planning an outdoor event covers the rest of an outdoor contingency plan, from shade and water to backup power.
Thank You and Next Season Templates
Thank vendors within a day or two, while they still remember the day, and ask how sales went: vendor sales are one of the best measures of whether shoppers came to buy. Save the rebooking offer for a second email, sent before applications open to the public.
Vendor Email Subject Lines
| Example subject line | Why it works | |
|---|---|---|
| Call for vendors | Vendor applications open: [EVENT], Sat Dec 6 | Event and date before the reader opens it |
| Received | We received your application for [EVENT] | Confirms nothing got lost |
| Accepted | You're in: [BUSINESS] at [EVENT], Dec 6 | The answer is in the first two words |
| Waitlisted | [EVENT]: you're on our vendor waitlist | Clear, without reading as a no |
| Declined | Your application to [EVENT] | Neutral, so the news is read in the email, not the inbox |
| Space | [EVENT]: [BUSINESS] is in space B14 | The detail they'll search for later |
| Load-in | Load-in for [EVENT]: Sat Dec 6, 7–9 a.m. | Date and window without opening it |
| Weather | [EVENT] weather update: on as planned | The decision fits in a phone notification |
Vendors get emails from several markets each week. Put the event name near the start of every subject line so yours is easy to find.
Vendor Email Mistakes to Avoid
- Missing your own decision date, or sending acceptances days before declines
- Taking full payment with the application at a juried event, then refunding everyone you decline
- Sending space numbers before the layout is final, then moving vendors
- Hiding the arrival window in the third paragraph of a long email
- Announcing a weather cancellation on social media before emailing and texting vendors
- Deciding refunds or credits in the weather email instead of following the agreement
- Inviting vendors back without saying when the returning vendor window closes
If applications, payments and the map still live in separate spreadsheets, vendor fair software puts them in one place and gives vendors one link to book from.