Everything you need to bring to a convention as a vendor. Check items off as you pack.
Packing for a convention is stressful, especially your first time. There are the obvious things (your products) and then the dozens of small items you do not think about until you are already at the venue and it is too late.
This is the list convention artists wish they had before their first event. It is organized by category so you can pack in sections. The checkboxes are interactive, so use this page as your actual checklist while you pack.
The stuff you are there to sell.
What makes your table visible and professional.
Everything you need to accept payment and make change.
Keep your devices alive all day.
The small things that save you when something goes wrong.
You will be at your table for 8 to 10 hours. Take care of yourself.
The paperwork and info you might need at the venue.
Before the convention, set up your entire table at home or on any table that is roughly the same size. This is the only way to know if everything fits, if your display works, and if you are missing anything. Take a photo of your final layout so you can recreate it quickly at the venue.
The first thing you need at the venue (tablecloth, display stands) should be the last thing you pack. This way you unpack in order instead of digging through boxes to find what you need first.
Plastic storage bins stack in your car, protect your products, and slide under your table for storage during the convention. Bags are harder to organize and offer no protection. Label each bin so you know what is inside without opening it.
Convention venues are big. You may have to walk your supplies from a parking garage across a convention center. A folding cart or hand truck saves your back and cuts your setup time significantly. This is the one item that vendors consistently say they wish they had brought to their first convention.
A small bag with tape, scissors, zip ties, a marker, extra clips, and a phone charger. Something will break, fall, or need fixing at the venue. Having a quick-access repair kit means you fix it in 30 seconds instead of scrambling.
Write down exactly how many of each product you are bringing. After the convention, count what is left. The difference is what you sold. This is the simplest form of sales tracking and it takes 10 minutes. Without it, you are guessing about your performance.
Overpacking is almost as common as underpacking. Leave these at home:
The quick sanity check before you head to the convention:
Instead of counting inventory by hand before and after, Conventory tracks your sales in real time at the booth and calculates profit per convention automatically. Know exactly what sold, what to restock, and whether the convention was worth it.
Try Conventory Free30-day free trial. No credit card required.
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Conventory is an inventory and sales tracker built specifically for convention artists. Learn more