Many of us who have worked professionally in the realm of the Renaissance frequently hear patrons exclaim, “This must be the best place to work! You’re always surrounded with the magic of the place!” And that is very true. Nonetheless, it’s a business endeavor with many facets: entertainment, vending, advertising, marketing, human resources, and site management all wind their way into this crazy world. Periodically, we’d like to invite you to learn a little bit about how it works, and maybe you’ll discover an avenue where your own talents can flourish!

Rhonni DuBose is an entrepreneur who has decades of successful Renaissance business development and leadership in the Renaissance festival sphere. She’s also been part of our team since its inception in 2020, and in that span of years has launched a coaching business that specializes in equipping vendors and crafters to thrive in the biz. We asked her to introduce some basic concepts about getting started as a vendor. Rhonni, what’s your mission and your process?

I am doing what I can to make this information available to the masses, whether it’s an article in Lady Faire magazine or it’s within a paid container for someone who wants to address the specifics of their own personal businesses. This is what I do for 3/4 of the year. 

In the final quarter of the year, my team and I are managing my nine restaurants within the Texas Renaissance Festival. While I used to work at multiple festivals around the country, I’ve consolidated my festival investments to free up travel time, allowing me to go to shows where I am NOT working. During TRF you’ll find me in the Kingdom of Aberfeldy, overseeing my team of 130 employees. 

What makes Renaissance faires a uniquely effective venue in which to set up a business?

Festivals, or Renaissance faires if you’d rather, are a proven industry. For over 50 years, Renaissance festivals have been delivering experiences as an umbrella for retail.

Individual festivals have their own focuses, their own flavors, and their own expressions because they’re going to express the preferences of their owner and management teams. However, the general operations and industry norms are pretty consistent.

At a time when experiential retail is in such an upswing, Renfaires are coming into prominence and multiplying exponentially as are the number of people that want to know the hows and whys of being a part of this industry from a business perspective.

How does a crafter get started in Renfaires without suffering losses due to assumptions or misconceptions about how the shows work?

These parks have an economic ecosystem. And that ecosystem is distinct from many other business models. It is also one of the reasons why there has been such pushback against the trinket trading fad that has popped up in the last couple of years.

What should faire owners and managers know about setting vendors and artisans up for success?

Permanent parks are much different than your standard arts and craft shows. Craft coordinators and vendor coordinators have the responsibility of organizing (coordinating) the vendors within the park, which is quite akin to herding cats. They are not business coaches, nor are they expected to educate vendors on all of the intricacies of the industry. A new crafter is expected to exercise due diligence.

The individuals that want to own Renaissance festivals also need to understand the economic ecosystem. There are specifics of park layout that help a new show owner forge the relationships with vendors that will help to get a permanent park built and keep a renaissance village community thriving for years. Crafter mix and placement of physical elements within the park help drive the traffic to specific corners of a venue.

On the business side, all levels of festival participation need people with whom they can talk about the nerdy business side of their involvement with their own festivals. Best practices specific to this industry are not easy to find with a simple Google search. 

Rhonni DuBose’s 30-year journey through the Renaissance Festival circuit has seen her evolve from a shop designer and builder to a multifaceted entrepreneur dedicated to industry advancement. Rhonni.com hosts articles by industry experts (Festival Prose), and educational resources for Renaissance Festival professionals. Resources include the Renfaire Vendors Blueprint (a comprehensive program that demystifies the unique business ecosystem of Renaissance Faires for aspiring merchants); a growing collection of specialized guides, and the forthcoming launch of the Renfaire Foundry (a database specifically designed for faire founders and administration teams.