{"slug":"activate-your-first-event","title":"Activate Your First Event","description":"Create your first application, layout and event, then activate it so vendors can start applying.","section":"market","sections":["market"],"tags":["market","event","activate"],"aliases":[],"author":"Farmspread Support","updated":"2026-09-11","published_datetime":"2020-05-31T16:09:52.000Z","promoted":true,"related":[],"links":["creating-applications","layout-designer-howto"],"images":{},"video":null,"source_commit":"da55c2c","body_format":"markdown","nav":{"section":"market","group":"Create your events","previous":{"slug":"creating-an-event","title":"Creating and Activating an Event or Event Season"},"next":{"slug":"activate-your-next-event","title":"Activate Your Next Event"}},"related_articles":[],"body":"Before vendors can apply to your market, you need an application for them to fill out, a layout of your booths, and an event to put them on. Then you activate the event. This walks through all four, in order, for a market setting up its very first event.\n\n## Create an application\n\n1. In the left menu, click **Event Configuration**, then **Applications**.\n2. Click **+ Add application template**.\n3. Fill in the application — vendor types, fees, questions and any documents you need — then click **Save application**.\n\n!!! tip\n    Click **Preview** to see the application the way a vendor will. If you'll reuse the same application every year, open it and click **Clone** instead of building a new one from scratch.\n\nSee [Creating Applications](https://articles.marketspread.com/v1/articles/creating-applications) for how to fill out each section.\n\n![The new Vendor Application, saved and ready to use](https://articles.marketspread.com/images/activate-your-first-event/01-new-application.png)\n\n## Create a layout\n\n1. Click **Event Configuration**, then **Layouts**.\n2. Click **+ Add layout template**.\n3. Add a booth for every space in your market and set its size and price.\n4. Click **Save**, then **Exit**.\n\n![Main Field in the Layout Designer, with a booth sized and priced](https://articles.marketspread.com/images/activate-your-first-event/02-new-layout.png)\n\nSee [Layout Designer Overview](https://articles.marketspread.com/v1/articles/layout-designer-howto) for how to build out the map.\n\n## Create your event\n\n1. Click **Event Configuration**, then **Events**.\n2. Click **+ Add event**.\n3. Choose the **Application** and **Layout** you just created, fill in the rest of the event's settings, and write an **Event Description** — it's shown publicly on your market's event detail page, and is required before you can save.\n4. Click **Save & add days**.\n\n!!! note\n    You need at least one application and one layout before you can add an event. The **Events** page prompts you to create them if you haven't yet.\n\n![The new event's form, with Vendor Application and Main Field chosen](https://articles.marketspread.com/images/activate-your-first-event/03-new-event.png)\n\n## Add days to your event\n\nSaving your event's settings takes you straight to its **Days** tab.\n\n1. Click **+ Add day**.\n2. Enter the **Date**, **Start time** and **End time**.\n3. Click **Save days**.\n\n![The event's days, with one day's date and times set](https://articles.marketspread.com/images/activate-your-first-event/04-event-days.png)\n\n## Activate your event\n\nOnce your event has its days, click the **Activate** tab. Choose how the activation fee is paid:\n\n- **Market Based** — the market pays a fixed price based on the number of booths, no matter how many vendors sign up.\n- **Vendor Pass-through** — each vendor is charged a one-time fee when they're accepted or waitlisted, added automatically to their application. The market also pays a flat $25 activation fee.\n\n![The Activate tab, comparing the Market Based and Vendor Pass-through activation fees](https://articles.marketspread.com/images/activate-your-first-event/05-activate.png)\n\nClick **Select** on the option you want. If you're offered more than one payment plan, choose one, then click **Pay** to finish.\n\n!!! important\n    Vendors can't apply or book a booth until you activate the event."}