What to Do the Week Before Your First Show

The week before your first show is when all the planning either pays off or falls apart. You've had months to prepare and somehow it's still down to the wire. Here's how to spend those last seven days so show day feels manageable instead of like a scramble.

7 days out: do a full practice setup

Set up your entire booth at home exactly as you plan to at the show, same table dimensions if you can mark them out, same display, same signage placement. Time yourself. This is the single most useful thing you can do all week, because it's when you'll discover the panel that doesn't click in the way you remembered, the sign that's unreadable from six feet back, or the display that's slightly too tall for the space you measured. Fix these now, not at 7am on show day with a line of vendors waiting behind you for the loading dock.

6 days out: finalize inventory and pricing

Count what you actually have versus what you think you have. It's shockingly common to discover you're short on your best-selling print size or you never restocked the medium tote bags. Print your price list and double check every tag matches. Nothing kills momentum at a table like fumbling to figure out what something costs while a customer waits.

5 days out: charge and test every piece of tech

Card reader, phone, portable battery pack, any lights you're using. Actually run a test transaction on the reader if your processor allows it, refunded immediately, just to confirm it's working and connected to the right account. Discovering a dead reader mid-show costs you real sales in the time it takes to sort out.

4 days out: pack your non-negotiables bag

This is the bag that goes in last and comes out first. Put in it:

• Cash float, $150 to $200 in small bills and coins
• Tape (both painter's and clear), scissors, zip ties
• Spare pens, a phone charger, portable battery
• Business cards or catalog
• Basic first aid, blister pads especially
• A printed copy of your vendor confirmation and load-in instructions

3 days out: confirm logistics

Re-read your vendor packet for load-in time, parking situation, and anything you might have skimmed the first time (badge pickup location, WiFi passwords for card readers, whether you need a printed vendor permit). Map your route and parking if you're driving. Confirm hotel or accommodation details if you're staying overnight.

2 days out: prep your body, not just your booth

Break in your shoes now if you haven't already, not the morning of. Prep easy meals or snacks for the day so you're not relying entirely on con food, which is expensive and eats into time you could be selling. If you're not usually on your feet for eight-plus hours, this is worth taking seriously. Sore feet by 2pm will affect your mood and your sales pitch more than you'd expect.

1 day out: pack the car and sleep

Pack in reverse order of how you'll need things, so the last item loaded is the first one you unload. Lay out your outfit. Set two alarms. Resist the urge to do one more "quick" project the night before, whether that's printing extra stock or building one more display piece. Rushed last-minute additions are the ones most likely to fall apart on show day.

Show day morning

Eat something before you leave, even if you're too nervous to feel hungry. Get to load-in earlier than the packet suggests, since it almost always takes longer than advertised once you factor in parking and finding your actual table among identical rows. Set up methodically: structure first, then product, then signage and price tags last, since those get knocked loose easiest while you're still building everything else around them.

By the time doors open, the hard part is already done. Everything from here is just talking to people about the thing you made, which is honestly the fun part.

Curious what a Shapeshift kit actually looks like in person? Head to the Artist Booths homepage to see the full lineup and find the one that fits your table.