VENDOR INFORMATION

WAITLIST APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN

WHEN AND WHERE IS THE FAIR?


Makers Arcade will be held inside the Port Pavilion at the Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego, 1000 N Harbor Drive, San Diego CA 92101.

This two-day event will be held Saturday, December 2 and Sunday, December 3 from 10AM – 5PM. Set up for makers will take place on Friday (amaaaaazing). Makers will have the option to set up first thing Saturday morning if they need it.

 

HOW CAN I APPLY?


 

Applications will be open from August 18 to September 1, 2023.

All interested makers must complete the application linked at the bottom of this page. There is a non-refundable $20 application fee. If accepted, this application fee does not go toward your booth fee. Acceptance emails will be sent out the week of September 5.

If you have missed the cut-off date you may still apply, but your application will be automatically added to our waitlist.

 

WHY DO YOU CHARGE AN APPLICATION FEE?


 

There are two reasons for our application fee. Just like you, we are a small business that needs income to operate. The application fee helps cover our pre-show expenses. Preplanning, booking venues and talent, pulling permits, reviewing applications, building out applications on the website, preshow marketing to vendors, vendor outreach, etc. all take time, money, and manpower. The application fees we receive help cover these expenses so we can put on the show. Otherwise, we would have no income to pay for any of what goes into this process. Believe it or not, putting on a large-scale event like this is very costly. 

Additionally, vendor booking and coordination for these large markets take a ton of time. The application fee ensures that those who apply are serious about being in the show, and not just applying to apply. If we didn’t have the fee, we may have twice as many applications, and the administrative time it would take to go through all of this would be astronomical, with no income to pay anyone to do it. We welcome vendors to email us before applying to see if we think they would be a good fit for the show so they can avoid paying the fee.

As always, we do our best to keep things fair for all, and transparent when it comes to costs!

 

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN APPLICANTS?


 

Many things are taken into consideration during the application process including booth setup, skill level, style, branding, website design, ethical practices, and price point. We are looking for artists and makers that are heavily or entirely involved in the design and production process of their handmade goods. We also strive to represent a diverse selection of artists and makers from various racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities. Our events are a safe space for all.

Take a look at photos of past makers on our instagram account for an idea of the type of vendor and quality of set up we generally choose for our events. 

While the majority of our artists live in Southern California, you do not have to be a resident here to participate.

If you are unsure if you should apply, feel free to email us at events@makersarcade.com with any questions you have!

 

WHAT WILL IT COST TO PARTICIPATE AS A MAKER? 


 

The booth rental fee varies on size:

Standard Booth 5’x9′ – $395
Standard Shared Booth- 5’x9′ – $215 (Each Vendor)
Double Booth – 5’x18′ – $790
Small Booth – 4’x6′ – $295
Outside Booth – 10’x10′ – $425
Outside Shared Booth – 10’x10′ – $250 (Each Vendor)

This year will be bigger than usual as we will be heavily activating the outdoor front pier with more vendors, a better layout, coffee, live music, art, and more. Outdoor booths will be able to leave their setup up on the Pier overnight and we will have security all night. All items you don’t want to be left at your booth overnight can be placed a few feet away inside the pier building overnight. Please note that we have a VERY limited amount of small-size booths. If you are ONLY interested in a small-size booth, please only select that option. Vendors applying for a shared booth must each complete their own application.

All artists are also required to donate 10 items for swag and VIP bags. The value of the ten items TOTAL should be a minimum of $75 wholesale.

These donations are a great way to market your products and gain exposure so please include items you currently make and sell. If you only have larger, higher-priced items, you can either make something specifically for this purpose or donate fewer, larger items that can be used for our pre-show promo raffle. If donating to the giveaway is a significant hardship for you, please let us know so we can work with you. Any items that go unused from the event will be used for future Makers Arcade VIP bags or giveaways. No coupons will be accepted.

 

DO I NEED TO HAVE AN ONLINE PRESENCE IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE?


 

Yes, you will need to either have a website or social media presence that accurately reflects the work you intend to show and sell at the fair. New businesses are welcomed and encouraged so don’t worry if your website is simple or your social media is newly growing.

 

WHEN WILL I BE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR MY BOOTH SPACE?


 

Accepted makers will be notified of their acceptance status and receive their invoice the week of September 5.

August 18 – Open applications
September 1 – Close applications
Week of September 5 – Accepted vendors notified and Invoiced*
September 15  – Payments due 
 
Vendors not accepted or who apply after the deadline will be put on a waitlist. Waitlisted vendors will be notified as spots open up due to cancellations and will continue to be chosen until the week before the event if space becomes available.
 
If you are on our waitlist, we ask you to please refrain from reaching out to see if a spot has opened. If you don’t hear from us, then a spot has not opened up, unfortunately. We definitely don’t want to leave you hanging but we never know if someone is going to drop until they do. If you don’t make it into this event, we will do our best to get you into a future one.
 
Thank you in advance!
 
 
WHAT IS THE CANCELLATION POLICY? 

 

Any cancellations before October 1 will result in a 50% refund. Unfortunately, we are unable to issue refunds after that time. 

 

CAN MAKERS APPLY FOR JUST ONE DAY?


 

Unfortunately, all accepted makers must participate both days. However, if you would like to share a booth with another accepted maker you could share the cost and split days. Both makers must apply and be accepted individually. Please include your arrangement details on your application.

 

ATTENDANCE, MARKETING, AND PROMOTION


 

We do our best to promote our events so that they are successful for everyone! Our venue is amazing but costly, so we rely on ticket sales to make a profit, so attendance is key. Some of our efforts include enlisting the help of a Public Relations professional, running extensive social media ad campaigns, printing flyers and posters, hanging banners, and running google ad campaigns. In addition to our efforts, we ask our vendors to take part in promoting the event as well! The more we come together to spread the word, the more successful we all will be. Our team will provide you with graphics, videos, flyers, posters, and promotional tips, and we will also do our best to feature as many vendors as possible on our Instagram account!

In terms of expected attendance, we can never guarantee numbers, but our last, two-day Holiday Fair had roughly 3,000 in attendance, for reference!

Thanks for your interest and reading this far!

A couple quick reminders if you need any more convincing to apply…

  • Enjoy two days of shoppers to really make all of your hard work and set up worth it!

  • Friday Set Up! Need we say more?!?! No more ultra early and super stressful event morning set up (unless you so choose).

  • We promise to do our best in promoting this event, bringing out the community and making it even better than our years before (though we have loved those years as well!)