So if you had a table last year, you automatically get one this year?
It really does not seem fair. I thought everyone had a chance to be part of it, now it seems like there is no chance maybe one or two new vendors are allowed if there is space and so many will be vying for those few spots. I have been waiting to hear
Why doesnt everyone get to apply and get the same opportunity?
Returning vendors are given first right of refusal. It has always been this way with every show I have ever done. KDS does it the same way and IDTS did too. I get that it is disappointing to those trying to get in but there is also merit to building your support base for those who have been regular vendors. Both shows always have a waiting list and many times people do get in on the waiting list. I think the new spots will open up as soon as the returning vendors have paid in full or declined. The deadline to pay off oneās spot is Feb 1 so I assume it will be after that she will open the new spots.
So if you get a table just one year do you have to do it every year or you wont get a returning vendor spot, you will be on the wait list spot? Or is it once you are in, you are in forever and can always get a table and skip years ect.
This is very disheartening especially to newer artists when we are not even allowed to promote our own nurseries by just attending the show. We dont get a chance at all.
Its frowned upon unless you are a vendor, even to sell dolls out of your hotel room or car because it takes away from the paying vendors even though we would like to be a paying vendor.
Just because it has always been done, doesnt make it right
I have never done a show, but I guess limiting participants boosts purchases for those who have a table or booth. Otherwise, it would seem more space is needed if they are turning artists away. I have never done a show so I had no idea getting a table or booth was so competitive. If I go I would be a shopper but I doubt it is going to happen 
At KDS you had to be a vendor the previous year to get first opportunity for the following year. My friend had been a vendor for several years and had paid for a booth 2 years ago. She had health issues and had to cancel shortly before the show. The next year, she had to get on the waiting list.
If you give up your spot, you go back on the waiting list like everyone else. And I get that itās disappointing to people who donāt have a spot. But customers come back year after year to our tables. Having everything change yearly would mess up the family atmosphere between vendors and guests. As for selling out of your room, think of it from vendorās perspective. We spend thousands preparing for the show. But what if half of the guests just bought from other guests? What would be the point of us paying to be vendors? I personally would be fine with guests being able to wear their nursery t-shirt. That way we could all spot each other easily. And I love when artists who arenāt vendors bring one of their babies to show off. But they definitely shouldnāt be selling or passing out business cards.
As for those waiting lists for vendorsā¦get on them. Cancellations happen all the time. You never know when you might be able to grab a last minute spot.
They have to work with the space they have. Kansas Doll Show will never grow. They are dead set on their location right next to the airport. Itās extremely convenient. If they found a bigger place it would not be so convenient or homey.
As for dotwe they did find a bigger space. But thereās a balance between having just enough or too many vendors. If thereās too many, it actually hurts sales for everyone. Rose used to be really big. I guess it worked for them. But thatās not what Bobbi and Melody want for Dolls of the World.
I was a vendor the 1st year at DOTWE. Due to health reasons I had to give up my spot the next year, therefore someone off the waiting list was able to take my place. Thatās how it works, so get on the waiting list. When people have to pull out new people are brought in. Trust us when we say cancellations happen and thatās the entire reason for the wait list. Iām not the only one who pulled out for health issues, family issues, etc. It is a fair approach and it works for the show founders. By getting on the wait list and checking in occasionally you show them that you are serious about being a vendor. Complaining about it not being fair will not increase your chances, if anything it makes it look like drama, which they try hard to stay away from. Thatās what makes it such a great atmosphere.
I understand. If I ever attend a show it would be as a shopper or maybe to take a class, so I just have never been concerned with tables/booths. I hope that the surviving shows continue to be successful and that alternatives arise for those who are not able to participate as vendors.
When a show reaches a point that itās big enough to have a vendor waitlist, thatās when the kindest and most fair thing to do, is to prioritize the vendors who made the show successful.
If you have a plan for a more āfairā system then youāre welcome to make your own show. I think the way all these shows are being run right now is plenty fair.
If you want a show without a waitlist try the Yophi show in Orlando.
Rose happened last summer and had a bajillion empty spots too. Perhaps if those spots had been filled, the show would have been more successful. But anyway, Rose and Yophi were both options. Itās not really fair for someone to complain about the two shows not having room for new vendors when the other two definitely had room and the complainers didnāt bother to give those two a shot.
As for Rose, it was a flop. However my sales at Rose were better than my sales at DOTWE. So thereās no reason ro automatically reject unpopular shows. You truly canāt predict the outcome of any show. Kansas was by far my best show of 2024. DOTWE was by far my best in 2023. Itās all a gamble. 
I feel like some of those who were lucky enough to secure vendor spots are jumping on this lady (perhaps without even realizing it) for simply expressing her opinion. You all have valid points, but as a bystander, itās coming across a bit mean spirited. Thereās a way to make a post informational without making it feel like an attack.
There could be very valid reasons that one wouldnāt want to (or couldnāt) vend at a specific show. Travel, proximity, and cost all come to mind. For instance, if I started painting last year and lived within 50 miles of a specific show, Iād be very disappointed that I had next to no real chance (or at least no certainty) of being able to vend at that show.
It reminds me a bit of the long SOLE kits issue. Yes, those who were in the hobby in time to get them are pretty lucky. Itās ok for those who didnāt get that chance to be disappointed without being lambasted for it.
I wasnāt lucky I secured a vendor spot, I was dogged and determined. I sent multiple messages to the admins of show expressing how much I wanted to be a vendor, got on the wait list and kept on the show pages for any changes/info on vending spots. Iām sure some got in with some luck or less work, but others had to work for the spots. No one is trying to be mean or lambast anyone, if it comes across that way thatās unfortunate. We are all just expressing our opinions the same way she did. If people would be less sensitive it would go a long way in using all the valuable information & opinions we have to offer. Opinions are allowed to be expressed on both ends, thatās how conversations that contain information go.
Thank you for your well written reply, yes.
Iām not sure what else we can say to help Sunflower now, they brought it up before in 2022 and I guess the replies then didnāt help either.
For the record I havenāt been a vendor at any show since 2019. When I did have a spot at KDS 2019 I was picked from the waitlist because I was available last minute.
I agree. And I just dislike anytime you reply with facts, clear intentional good advice, and your opinion on their opinion you get called mean or bullying or lambasting. Definitely not what any of us do.
Look at you teaching me new words 
I googled it 
I though I was the only one
I even listen to pronunciation and it sound completely different if I would pronounce it. It sound ālambeastingā.
I think I like ālambeastingā better 
This is how itās actually sounds.
Hmmm what I found here says it like I always do
https://youtu.be/-ZP6Lcuz61Y?si=MhNsKZ3sIouMDobr
But I also found one that said Lam-Bay-sting