How Many Vendors Should You Book for Your Event?

One of the trickiest questions for event organisers is: how many food and drink vendors do we actually need?

Book too few and you risk long queues, overwhelmed vendors and frustrated attendees. Book too many and vendors may struggle to make enough sales to justify the stock, staffing and time required to attend.

There’s no perfect formula, but there are some useful guidelines that can help you get the balance right.

A good starting point: 200-300 food customers per vendor

As a general guide, aim for around 200-300 purchasing customers per food vendor when attendees are expected to eat at the event.

The important word here is purchasing.

If you’re expecting 2,000 attendees, that doesn’t necessarily mean 2,000 people will buy a meal.

For example:

2,000 attendees x 50% expected to purchase food = 1,000 food customers

1,000 customers / 200-300 customers per vendor = approximately 4-5 food vendors

From there, adjust based on your event type, duration, audience and other food options.

Quick reference guide

This is a planning guide, not a guarantee. A lunchtime food festival will behave very differently from a school fete, sporting event or afternoon community event.

Attendance isn’t the same as food demand

Before telling vendors that you’re expecting 3,000 people, think about how many of those people are actually likely to buy from them.

Consider:

• Time of day: Will attendees be there over breakfast, lunch or dinner?
• Length of stay: Are people staying for one hour or six?
• BYO food: Can attendees bring their own?
• Other catering: Is free food being provided to VIPs, volunteers or guests?
• Nearby competition: Are cafes, restaurants or fast-food outlets within walking distance?
• Past events: If you’ve run the event before, what actually happened?

Sharing this information with vendors is far more useful than simply providing an attendance number.

More vendors doesn’t always mean a better event

It can be tempting to book lots of vendors to give attendees maximum choice. But more isn’t necessarily better.

Vendors have significant costs before they even make their first sale - stock, preparation, staff, fuel, packaging, insurance, permits and sometimes event fees.

Too many vendors competing for too few customers can turn a busy-looking event into an unprofitable day.

On the other hand, too few vendors can mean 30-minute queues, vendors running out of stock and unhappy attendees.

The goal is enough capacity and variety without unnecessarily diluting the opportunity.

Get the mix right, not just the number

Five vendors selling similar meals isn’t necessarily better than four complementary vendors.

Think about your overall mix:

Meals + Coffee + Drinks + Dessert

Consider different cuisines, dietary options and price points, while avoiding unnecessary duplication.

Capacity matters too. A high-volume coffee van may serve hundreds of customers quickly, while freshly prepared meals can take considerably longer. Ask vendors about their service capacity if you’re expecting a concentrated rush.

What great organisers do differently

You can’t control everything. Weather changes, attendance forecasts can be wrong and customer behaviour is unpredictable.

But the organisers that vendors want to work with again tend to get a few things right:

Don’t overpromise. Give realistic attendance estimates and be clear about how you’ve calculated them.

Communicate frequently. Keep vendors updated about attendance, trading times, bump-in, site changes and anything else that could affect their day.

Promote your vendors. Tell attendees in advance what food and drink will be available. Tag vendors on social media and encourage them to promote the event too.

Plan your vendor map carefully. Allow plenty of room for service and queues, and give vendors reasonably equal access to foot traffic.

Create variety. Aim for a good mix of cuisines, dietary options, coffee, drinks and dessert rather than simply increasing vendor numbers.

Be transparent about other food. If attendees can BYO food, nearby cafes will be open or you’re providing free catering elsewhere at the event, tell your vendors.

The goal is a balanced event

Getting vendor numbers right isn’t an exact science.

A simple place to start is:

Attendance x % likely to purchase food = estimated food customers

Then:

Food customers / 200-300 = approximate number of food vendors

From there, use your knowledge of the event to make the final call.

The goal isn’t to squeeze in the maximum number of vendors. It’s to create an event where attendees have great choices without excessive queues, vendors have a fair opportunity to trade successfully, and quality vendors want to come back next year.

Need vendors for your event?

Post your event on the Vendaly job board and let local food and drink vendors apply directly.