How to run a card show: the complete checklist

A good card show comes down to three things: a full room of vendors, a steady stream of collectors, and a day that runs without surprises. Everything below serves one of those three. Work through it in order, and use the checklist at the end to keep track.

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Card show checklist

Every task from booking the venue to announcing the next date, phase by phase. Print it and tick it off.

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Start 3 to 6 months out

A first show needs more lead time than you'd think. Vendors plan their weekends months ahead, and the best venues book early. Three months is workable for a small room. Six months gives you a real shot at a full one.

Before anything else, write down what kind of show you're running:

• Size. 20 tables in a community hall is a different job from 150 in a convention center. Start smaller than you think you can fill. A packed room of 30 tables beats a half-empty room of 80, for vendors and collectors alike.
• Focus. Sports cards, TCG, or both. A mixed show draws a wider crowd. A focused show draws more serious buyers.
• Admission. Free entry, paid entry, or paid early entry with free general entry later. More on this below.

Pick a date that doesn't fight the calendar

Look at every other card show within a two-hour drive for the months you're considering. Collectors and vendors in a region overlap heavily, so a show the same weekend as an established one splits both crowds.

Also check:

• Holiday weekends. Some draw families, many empty the town. Know your area.
• Local events. A big game or festival nearby can fill parking lots and hotels.
• Product releases. A major set release that weekend can help a TCG show, since people are already out buying.

Saturday is the default for a reason. A Saturday-and-Sunday show only makes sense once a one-day show sells out.

Find and book the venue

The venue sets your ceiling on tables, so it's the biggest single decision. Good options include hotel ballrooms, community centers, union and legion halls, fairground buildings, school gyms and church halls.

Get these answers before you sign:

1. Usable floor space, in square feet, and a floor plan if they have one. The floor plan guide shows how to turn that into a table count.
2. Tables and chairs. Are they included? How many, and what size? Six-foot and eight-foot tables are both common, and the difference changes your layout.
3. Hours, including load-in before doors open and tear-down after. Vendors need at least an hour to set up.
4. Power. Vendors with lighting or card readers will ask about outlets.
5. Parking and loading. Vendors carry heavy cases. A loading door near the hall matters.
6. Cell signal and Wi-Fi. Vendors take card payments on their phones. A dead zone costs them sales.
7. Insurance requirements. Many venues require you to carry liability insurance and name them on the certificate.
8. Total cost, including deposits, cleaning fees, security and anything charged per table.

Get it all in writing, and don't announce the show until the contract is signed.

Insurance, permits and sales tax

These vary by city, state and province, so treat this as a list of questions, not answers.

• Event liability insurance covers you if someone is hurt at your show. Short-term event policies are available, and venues often require one.
• A temporary event permit may be needed from your city or county for public events, especially larger ones.
• Sales tax may apply to admission and table fees where you are. If you collect it, CardMap shows it as its own line and pays it out to you to remit.

Set your budget

Add up every cost before you set a single price. A show only works if table sales and admission cover the room, with something left over. The budget guide walks through every line and includes a spreadsheet that works out your break-even.

The short version: list your costs, divide by the number of tables you can realistically fill, and that's the least each table has to bring in. Admission is a bonus on top until you know your crowd.

Price your tables and admission

Tables are most of your income. Price them by working back from your budget, then adjust for position. Corner tables and tables by the entrance are worth more than the back wall. The table pricing guide covers this in detail, including whether vendors or you should cover the card fees.

Admission is a choice about who you want in the room:

• Free entry maximizes foot traffic, and vendors love foot traffic.
• Paid entry of a few dollars covers costs and filters for people who plan to buy.
• Early entry at a higher price lets serious collectors in an hour before general admission. It's a popular way to make money from admission while keeping the main door cheap or free.

Kids free with an adult is a common, crowd-friendly rule.

Plan the floor

Your floor plan decides how many tables you can sell and whether every vendor gets foot traffic. Leave aisles wide enough for crowds, keep the entrance clear, and avoid dead ends where shoppers turn back.

Draw it before you open table sales, so vendors can see exactly what they're buying. The floor plan guide has the measurements.

Fill the room with vendors

Vendors decide whether collectors come back. Start recruiting as soon as table sales open:

• Vendors you've bought from. Walk other shows and hand out a card.
• Local game stores and card shops. Many vend at shows, and they'll tell their customers.
• Buy-sell groups and collector communities in your area.
• Past vendors, once you have them. Offer them first pick before you open to everyone.

Make booking easy. Vendors should be able to see the floor plan, pick a table and pay in one go, without emailing you back and forth. Post the growing vendor list publicly; collectors come for the vendors, and vendors come for each other.

Promote the show

Start promoting the day the vendor list has enough names to be worth sharing, and post something every week until the show:

• Your show page, with the date, address, hours, admission and vendor list, as the one link you share everywhere.
• Local game stores and comic shops. Ask to leave flyers on the counter.
• Local collector groups and your own social accounts. Photos of what vendors are bringing work better than plain announcements.
• Vendors' own followers. Give vendors something easy to share, and many will post it.

In the final week, post a reminder with the time, address and parking, then one more the day before.

Run the day

Arrive before load-in. Tape table numbers down so they match the map, and set up a check-in desk where vendors get pointed to their table.

At the door, scan tickets from a phone and sell admission on the spot. Keep a cash float in small bills for people who pay cash. Once doors open, walk the floor every hour. Keep aisles clear, check on vendors and deal with trash before it piles up.

Close on time. Vendors are tired, and the venue is watching the clock.

After the show

The week after decides whether there's a next one:

• Thank everyone, vendors and attendees, and share the photos.
• Ask vendors how it went. Ask how their sales were, how busy their aisle was, and what they'd change. They'll tell you more than any number.
• Review your numbers: tickets sold, tables filled, profit.
• Announce the next date while the show is still fresh in people's minds.

The full checklist

Every task above, phase by phase. Download the PDF to print it or tick it off on screen.