Festival vendor management software: keep traders, plots and the public map in one system
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Festival vendor management software: keep traders, plots and the public map in one system

Stop juggling forms, folders and website updates. Eventplot festival vendor management: shared apply link, accept/reject, custom questions, plot placement, draft until publish — website and visitor map stay in sync.

Stuart Eaton
Stuart Eaton
Festival vendor management software: keep traders, plots and the public map in one system
Photo by Barnaby Woodrow / Unsplash

Festival vendor management software should hold applications, trader profiles, plot placements and what the public sees — in one place. Most teams still chain email, PDFs, shared drives and a separate website CMS. That is the pain People in the Park described before Eventplot: endless copy-paste and a brittle chain where one mistake breaks the next step (their case study).

Eventplot is outdoor event and festival planning software where vendors, the planning map, the visitor map and the event website share the same data. Official how-to: Managing vendors.

a crowd of people walking around a park with tents
Photo by Juho Luomala / Unsplash

Key takeaways

  • Invite vendors by email or share an application URL so traders apply themselves.
  • Configure custom questions, categories, required fields and terms before you open applications.
  • Review new signups in Inbox — Accept or Reject.
  • Assign plots on the map (with swap if a pitch is taken); keep vendors Private until you are ready to Publish.
  • Published vendors appear on the public map and website — no separate manual website database update.

The real pain: multi-step vendor admin

Industry guides for food festivals still assume heavy organiser-side admin: collecting insurance, menus, pitch sizes and images, then placing traders on a site plan (Tickts guide to running a local food festival; trader application packs such as St Fagans Food Festival 2025 trader guidance show how much detail events collect).

Street-food organisers also warn that last-minute lineup changes and poor information sharing damage trust with vendors (Indi Local tips for street food events).

When that workflow lives in email threads, every change means chasing someone to update the website or reprint the map.

a large group of pink tents sitting next to each other
Photo by Peyman Shojaei / Unsplash

On the Vendors page you can:

  • Click + to create a vendor profile yourself
  • Use Invite Vendors to email signup links or share the application URL
Eventplot vendors and performers — keep traders in one system
Eventplot vendors and performers — keep traders in one system

Before you open applications, use the settings menu for Categories, Custom Questions, Required Fields, Terms and Invoicing — so every applicant answers what you need once (Managing vendors).

Accept, reject and customise the application

New signups land in Inbox under Vendors. Review each application and Accept or Reject.

Custom questions let you ask for pitch size, power needs, insurance references, cuisine type — whatever your event requires — instead of a separate form tool.

The Eventplot FAQ notes that organisers can invite vendors so they can upload images and manage public-facing information, while organisers stay in control of what goes live (FAQ — vendors & performers).

a group of people standing on top of a lush green field
Photo by Matthew Ball / Unsplash

Plots on the map: place, move, swap, keep draft

Each vendor needs a plot to appear on the Planning Map and Public Map.

  • From the vendor profile, use Plot in the Site section — or drop a vendor onto a plot on the Planning Map
  • If a plot is already taken, Eventplot offers to swap vendors
  • Switch Private / Published at the bottom of the profile — unpublished vendors stay internal until you publish
Assign vendors to plots on the Eventplot planning map
Assign vendors to plots on the Eventplot planning map
Line up stall rows with alignment paths while you place traders
Line up stall rows with alignment paths while you place traders

That means you can rearrange the site as planning changes without republishing a PDF map for every tweak — and only go public when ready.

Visitor map and website stay connected

When a vendor is Published (and plotted), they can appear on the interactive visitor map and event website vendor listings. Unpublished stays off the public experience.

Public visitor map updates from the same vendor and plot data
Public visitor map updates from the same vendor and plot data
Event website vendor section fed from published profiles
Event website vendor section fed from published profiles

You do not need a separate “web person” to re-enter the same photos and blurbs. Change the profile or plot in Eventplot; publish when it should go live. See also static vs interactive festival site maps.

FAQ

Is Eventplot festival vendor management software or only a map?

Both — vendors, plots, public map and website share one workspace. Overview: Vendors & performers.

Can vendors update their own information?

Vendors can apply via your shared link and upload their own details and images. Organisers review applications and control publish. See FAQ and Managing vendors.

Do unpublished vendors show on the public map?

No. Keep them Private until you publish.

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