What a stallholder
is responsible for

What you bring, what you do on the day, and what you leave behind. The first part applies to everybody whatever you are selling. After that there is a page for each kind of stall, so find yours and read that one too. If anything here contradicts what your organiser has told you, theirs wins.

Everyone, whatever your stall

When	What is yours to do
Before the day	Send your public liability certificate, with an expiry after the event date. Pay your fee. Get your details in by the closing date. Read the pack you were sent, including the bump in time and the site map
Bump in	Arrive inside your window, not before and not after. Check in and collect your stall card and lapel badge. Unload, then move your vehicle before you set up, so the next person can get in
Setting up	Be ready to trade before doors open. Stay inside your boundary. Keep the market aisle completely clear, including your A-frame, your bags and your chair
During the day	Stay staffed. Handle your own money and your own customers. Keep your own space clean. Tell the organiser early if something is wrong rather than at pack down
Pack down	Not one minute before the stated time, however quiet it gets. Pack your stall entirely. Take your rubbish with you. Leave your space exactly as you found it
Leaving	Return the kit bag with everything in it except the disposables. Be off site by the stated time. Say goodbye to whoever is on the gate, so they know you are out

Three that get people in trouble.

Packing up early. It empties the market, it tells every customer still browsing that the day is over, and it is unfair to the stall beside you who is still trading. If you have sold out, stay and talk to people.

Creeping into the aisle. Your stall is the space you were allocated, not that space plus a bit. The aisle is a continuous accessible path for everybody at the day, including prams and wheelchairs, and it is not yours to narrow.

Leaving your rubbish. Your boxes, your packaging, your coffee cups. The venue's bins are for the day, not for one stall's cardboard.

Insurance, said plainly

What is usually asked for	$10 million public liability is the standard baseline that councils and market organisers commonly ask for
When more is asked	$20 million is commonly required for higher risk: a busy metropolitan venue, historic grounds, or commercial hot food catering
Is it the law	No. It is a contractual requirement imposed by the venue, the council or the organiser. That is why it varies, and why the answer comes from your organiser rather than from a website
What you must do	Send a certificate of currency that does not expire before the event date. Some days cover their stallholders under their own policy. Ask, early, because it changes what you have to buy

Power, and why they keep asking

A venue has a fixed number of circuits. The organiser is adding up everything every stall wants to plug in, against what the building can carry. Answering "just a small fridge" is the reason days trip a breaker mid morning.

Your job	Why
Declare what you are plugging in	The appliance, not a guess at the watts. A urn, a pie warmer, a bar fridge, a phone charger. They will work out the draw
Bring your own lead, and a long one	You will be further from the outlet than you expect. A 10m lead and a power board
Have it tested and tagged if asked	Some venues insist. Find out before, not at the door
Cover or tape any lead crossing a walkway	It is the most likely trip hazard at any market day
Have a plan for no power	Eskies, a paper receipt book, cash. Power fails

Laying out a 3m x 3m, and why the choice matters

The standard stall is 3m x 3m, which is a 10ft by 10ft plot and the footprint of an ordinary pop up gazebo. There are two ways to lay it out, and most first timers do not know there is a choice. Pick by what you sell, not by taste.

	Front counter	Walk in
Shape	Tables at the very front edge, you standing behind, the back two metres private	Tables and racks pushed to the back and sides in a U or an L, front left wide open
Best for	High volume smaller items: prints, packaged food, jewellery, anything breakable	Clothing, larger homewares, art, anything people need to hold or try
Why it works	Maximises people walking past. Nobody has to commit to stepping in, and nobody feels trapped	Feels like a small shop rather than a table. Worth more per customer, and fewer customers
Watch	Table depth of 60cm to 80cm, so you still have a lane behind you	Keep the entrance completely unobstructed, put the best thing at the back, and leave at least 80cm to walk between things inside

The 80cm is inside your stall, not the market's aisle.

That number is about comfort moving around your own space. The market's aisles are set by the organiser and are much wider, because they have to let a wheelchair pass another person. Never use your internal figure to judge how much of the aisle you can borrow.

Your kit bag, and what comes back

Where the organiser provides one, it is handed over at bump in and collected at pack down. Everything goes back in the bag and the bag is left in your spot when you leave.

In the bag	Yours to keep, or returned
Your documents and the day's information	Keep
Lapel badge, with your stall name and your code on the back	Returned. Wear it all day: it is how customers scan you for the passport
Extension cord	Returned
Water bottle	Keep
Toothbrush and toothpaste kit, hand sanitiser, wipes	Keep
Bin bag	Use it, and take it with you

Now find your stall type

Everything above applies to you whichever of these you are. This is what is different about yours.

Stock stall

3m x 3m · the standard

Anything selling physical product off tables or racks. Most stalls at most market days are this one.

You are responsible for

Display at three heights, with a hero product people can see from the aisle
A price on everything. An unpriced item is one somebody will not ask about
Depth of stock in whatever sells, not one of everything
A float, a card option, and a paper backup for when the signal drops
Staffed at all times. A stall with nobody behind it is a stall people walk past
A way to capture customers past the day: a sign up sheet or a code
Following up your own new customers within 48 hours

What to bring

Tables and a cloth that reaches the floor, so your boxes live underneath
Risers, crates or shelving to get height
Price tags or signs, and a marker pen
Float with plenty of small change
Card reader, charged, and a charger
Bags for customers
A chair, water, sunscreen and a trolley
Weights for your gazebo if you are outdoors. Never pegs on hard ground

Pre loved stall

3m x 3m, or a car boot bay

Second hand, clear outs, trash and treasure. The rules are the same, the presentation is where it wins or loses.

You are responsible for

Everything priced, because browsers will not ask about a jumper
Sizes visible without unfolding, if it is clothing
Clean stock. One musty box loses the whole table
A plan for what does not sell. It goes home with you, it does not go in the venue's bin

What to bring

A rack or a line if you have clothing
A mirror, even a small one
Bags, and tissue paper if it is nice
Price stickers or a bowl priced sign
Boxes to repack into, and something to cover it if it rains

Lead generator stall

3m x 3m, or 2m x 2m indoors

Also called an awareness stall. A website, an app, a local service, a trade. Nothing is sold on the day. You are collecting names, not taking money, and that changes what good looks like.

You are responsible for

A one line answer to what do you do, that a stranger understands
A way to capture details that works with no wifi. Paper is not a fallback, it is the primary
Somebody standing at the front of the space, not behind a table at the back
Declaring any power you need for a screen, well before the day
Following up every name within 48 hours, while they still remember you
Not blocking the aisle to hand things out. Your space is your space

What to bring

A printed sign up sheet on a clipboard, and spare pens
A code block at reading height, not lying flat on a table
Information packs or cards to give away
A screen or tablet only if you have declared the power
Something to give people who are not ready to sign up
A table, a cloth, and a chair

Food stall

3m x 3m minimum, often 3m x 6m

The most regulated type, and the one with the most to go wrong. Extra depth is not a luxury: you need prep space, a hand wash station, and somewhere to stand that is not in front of a hot surface.

You are responsible for

Notifying your local council, or confirming you are a community group selling low risk food and do not have to. Ask them, do not assume
Whoever is handling food having done food handling training
A hand wash station with running water, soap and paper towel
Temperature control. Cold stays cold, hot stays hot, and you can show it
Declaring every allergen, in writing, on the stall
Keeping raw and cooked separate, at every stage
Gas bottles secured and within date, if you use them
Your own bin, and taking your waste and your oil away with you

What to bring

Hand wash setup: water container with a tap, soap, paper towel, catch bucket
Thermometer, and a log if you are asked for one
Gloves, sanitiser, cloths, and a spare set of everything
Eskies, ice, and chiller bricks
Fire blanket, and an extinguisher if you have a flame
Serving containers, cups, serviettes, bags
Allergen signage and an ingredients list
Bin bags, and a container for waste oil

Drinks stall

3m x 3m

Simpler than food but with the same handling rules. The thing that catches people out is power and ice, not the drinks.

You are responsible for

Declaring your fridge or chiller power before the day, in amps not adjectives
Ice, and somewhere for the melt water to go that is not the floor
The same hand washing and food handling rules as a food stall, if you are preparing anything
Cleaning up spills straight away. A sticky patch in an aisle is a fall
No alcohol, at any point, unless it is explicitly permitted in writing
Taking your empties and your waste with you

What to bring

Eskies or a chiller, and a plan if the power fails
Ice, more than you think
Cups, lids, straws, serviettes
A bucket, a cloth and a mop for spills
A bin for empties
A float, because drinks are the classic small cash sale

Workshop stall

2m x 3m, or 3m x 3m with depth

A display at the front and three or four stools behind, where you teach a fifteen minute thing. Card making, macrame, a knitting basic. It sells your skill and your kit at once.

You are responsible for

Publishing your slots ahead and sticking to them. A fifteen minute workshop that runs twenty five collapses the whole afternoon
Materials for everyone booked, plus spares, because someone always brings a friend
A second pair of hands, so the display is staffed while you are teaching
Something for people waiting, or they wander off
Cleaning up after each session, so the next one starts on a clear table

What to bring

Stools or low chairs, and a table at a working height
Materials kitted per person, in advance, in bags
A finished example people can pick up
A sign showing the next slot time and how to book
Scissors, glue, spares of everything small
A bin and a dustpan

Service or booking stall

3m x 3m, screened or in a corner

Massage, hair, photography. Anything where somebody sits still and would rather not be watched by the whole aisle.

You are responsible for

Appointments booked ahead, with a visible running order
A screen, or a corner site, so the person being worked on has some privacy
Hygiene between clients, visibly. People are watching even when they are not looking
Your own professional insurance for the service itself, which is not the same as public liability
Finishing on time, because the next person is standing there

What to bring

A screen, a curtain or a banner to close one side
A chair or table appropriate to what you do
Sanitiser, fresh towels, and a bin
A printed running order, on the stall
Your certificates, if your trade requires them to be displayed

Community or not for profit

Usually 3m x 3m, often a trestle

A school club, a charity, a local group. Present rather than selling, and usually priced at nothing or near it. The lower fee does not mean lower expectations.

You are responsible for

Being staffed. A free site that sits empty is worse than an empty space
Knowing your own insurance position, or confirming the day covers you
Packing up entirely, the same as everybody else
Not spilling into the aisle with banners and A-frames

What to bring

A trestle and a cloth
Your banner, and a way to stand it up that does not need the wall
Information, and something for people to take away
A donation tin, if you are collecting, and two people to count it

Creche

An enclosed room, one way in, no through traffic

Not a stall. It is care of other people's children, and it is the one part of a market day where getting it wrong is not a bad afternoon, it is serious.

You are responsible for

Every volunteer's working with children check sighted in person, before the day, not ticked on a form
A sign in and sign out register, with one named coordinator who owns it for the whole day even as volunteers change shift
Staffing to ratio, and capping the numbers to it. The cap is set by staff, never by demand
An allergy list, visible, for every child present
Logging nappy changes, food and drink, so a handover is clean
Photo consent from the parent at booking, in writing, and nothing published anywhere
Somebody with current first aid, present the whole time
Every child signed out by a parent or caregiver. No exceptions without a logged supervisor action

What to bring

The register, printed, on a clipboard, as well as whatever is on a screen
Name stickers for each child and a matching one for their bag
A first aid kit, and a list of who holds current training
Nappies, wipes, gloves, bin bags
Activities and something quiet for the ones who need it
A phone that is charged, and the parents' numbers

Kids activities

Varies. Say what you need when you apply

Face painting, craft, games, a jumping castle. Fun to run and easy to under-plan.

You are responsible for

Working with children checks for anyone left alone with children
Saying plainly whether children must be supervised by a parent, or whether you are supervising. Put it on a sign
A cap on how many at once, and a way to hold the queue
Materials that are safe, non toxic and allergy considered
Clearing up as you go, not at the end
Agreeing before the day whose money any tokens or charges are

What to bring

A sign stating ages, cost, and whether parents must stay
Materials, aprons or smocks, and wipes
A bin, a dustpan and something to cover the floor
A queue marker or a ticket system
Spare everything, because it goes faster than you think

Showcase spot

A share of one long table

Not a stall. You are not there in person. Somebody else is representing your product, so everything they need has to arrive in the box.

You are responsible for

Getting your stock there by the arrival deadline. Late is the same as absent
Everything priced and labelled before it is packed
A manifest listing exactly what is in the box, so it can be checked in and checked back
Prepaid return postage, or a clear note that you are collecting in person
Nothing fragile without proper packaging. Nobody at the other end knows it is delicate

What to bring

Your stock, priced, labelled and packed
A printed manifest inside the box and one emailed ahead
A small card or sign with your store name and a link
Return label, or your collection arrangements in writing

Unmanned brochure slot

About 30cm on a shared table

The cheapest spot on the day. A brochure holder, a card stack, a sign with a code. Nobody stands with it, and a volunteer minds the table.

You are responsible for

Staying inside the stated width and height. An oversized poster takes three people's space
Checking whether you are allowed to come mid day to restock. It is a yes or no the organiser sets, not a favour to ask on the day
Material that stands up on its own without leaning on anything
Collecting what is left at the end. Anything still there goes in the bin

What to bring

A freestanding brochure holder or a weighted card stand
Enough material for the day, in one drop
Your name on the underside, so it can be matched to you

Your own day, in order

Before you leave home	Once you are on site
Stock priced. Float counted, with small change. Card reader charged, and its charger packed. Extension lead and power board in. Weights for the gazebo. Bags, pens and a marker. Your certificate, if they still want to see it.	Checked in, stall card and badge collected. Vehicle moved before you start setting up. Ready to trade before doors open. Aisle completely clear. Any lead across a walkway taped down. Bin bag out. Badge on.

The six that matter most

1	Certificate in before the deadline Expiring after the event date. Without it you cannot set up, and that is the organiser's hands being tied rather than their choice.
2	Move your car before you set up Not after. The person behind you cannot unload until you do.
3	Stay inside your boundary Including your A-frame, your chair and your boxes. The aisle belongs to everybody.
4	Declare your power honestly The appliance, not an adjective. Somebody is adding it up against what the building can carry.
5	Do not pack up early It empties the market and it costs the stall next to you. If you have sold out, stay and talk to people.
6	Leave it exactly as you found it Your rubbish goes with you. So does anything that did not sell.

What a stallholderis responsible for

The six that matter most

What a stallholder
is responsible for