Starting Off
Firstly can you make the stock at a price which will sell (this includes your time for making the items) ? You may be lovely greetings cards but if it takes you 2 hours to make each one and their selling price has to be £15+ is that really going to happen?
Do you have a "Unique Selling Point"? This is particularly important if you work in the more popular craft areas, at the moment these seem to be Card Making and Jewellery. Many Craft Fair organisers have either closed their books or have waiting lists for Card Makers and Jewellery makers who wish to exhibit.
Can you make the stock?The amount of stock you need to carry will depend on what you are making, the number of "variations", what size craft fair you intend doing, how much your items cost and even basic thing like how much you can transport to the venue. (a new stall holder once turned up at a show and set their stand up. Even if they had sold every single item on their stand they would still have made a loss!)
Visit the show you want to do or at least another by the same organiser.There is nothing to beat a visit to the same craft fair or at least one put on by the same organiser. Have a good look round, notice how other exhibitors display their goods, how their stands are covered. Talk to the organiser, if it isn't the same venue you want to go to, ask how the other differs. Will there be a long walk to unload your car / van? Are there steps, can you use a trolly? If its a marquee will you be able to bring your car right up for loading / unloading? Will the ground be covered or will you need you own bit of carpet? Have a set of question written down and take notes of the answers.
Likewise, if they aren't too busy, talk to some of the exhibitors, they will have a different take on the shows from the organiser. It is etiquette NOT to pump potential competitors for information so pick someone with a different craft to your own and let them know early in the conversation that you do something different to them. If you do pump a competitor for information they will not be happy if you turn up the next weekend and use the information they gave you to compete with them!
You will need to take a peek at any potential competitors stands to have a nosy at their prices, if their products are very similar will you be able to compete on price? (It would be nice to be ever so slightly lower but don't think about coming in at a very low price, you wont make any friends if you come in new with prices which totally undercut any competition. Whilst you may say you're not there to make friends you may very well need these peoples help especially in your early months in business.)
Finally with your booking form for the show the organiser should give you a list of Rules or terms. Read these carefully and make sure you can fulfil them before you book the show.
There are lots of items which you will need to look into which we are not qualified to give advice on, they include: tax, insurence, working from home, NI etc. We will try and put some links in our link section which can help you with these.