Collecting Booth Fees for Your Art Festival Without Chasing Checks
Application fees paid before submit, booth invoices sent the moment you accept, and one screen that shows who still owes. Here is how booth fee collection works on Brakebee.
Ask any festival promoter about the least fun part of the job and booth fees come up fast. Checks arrive late or not at all, payments come through three different apps, and by June nobody is quite sure who has paid. Meanwhile an artist on the waitlist would happily take the spot if anyone knew it was open.
Brakebee is an art marketplace and event platform where independent artists sell their work and festival promoters run their shows from one dashboard.1 Fees are part of the same flow as your applications: artists pay to apply, accepted artists get an invoice for their booth, and paying it confirms their place.2 Here is how each step works.
How the money moves, from application to confirmed booth
| Step | What the artist does | What happens on Brakebee |
|---|---|---|
| Apply | Pays any application and jury fee through Stripe | Receipt sent, application submitted |
| Accepted | Receives an email with a payment link | Booth fee and selected upgrades invoiced, due on your date or in 30 days |
| Pays the booth invoice | Pays online from the link | Spot confirmed and a paid invoice emailed |
| Doesn't pay | Nothing | You can remind, extend, mark paid or revoke and move to the waitlist |
Set your fees once, on the event
On your event, you set three fees: the application fee, the jury fee and the booth fee. Date-based fee tiers let those amounts change for early or late applicants, so you can reward artists who apply early.2 If you offer booth upgrades, the ones an artist picks on their application are added to their booth invoice automatically.2
You choose the amounts, and they belong to your show. Setting up your call for artists, categories and deadlines is covered in our guide to artist applications and jurying.3
Artists pay to apply
When you charge an application or jury fee, the application stays a draft until the artist pays both through Stripe. The artist gets a receipt, the application is submitted, and the payment is transferred to your connected Stripe account after Brakebee's platform fee.2 If you don't charge either fee, the application submits with no payment at all.2 Platform fee details are on Brakebee for promoters.
Because every submitted application is already paid, you never jury work and then chase the fee afterward.
Accepting an artist sends the booth invoice
The moment you accept an artist, Brakebee invoices their booth fee plus any upgrades they selected. The due date is the one you set for the show, or 30 days if you haven't set one.2 The artist gets an email with a payment link, and when they pay, their spot is confirmed and they receive a paid invoice.2
If you comp an artist's booth with no booth fee, they're confirmed as soon as you accept them.2 That's handy for featured artists, sponsors' picks or a returning favorite.
See who has paid at a glance
On Applicants, the payment view shows what you've collected and what's still outstanding.2 From there you can:
- Send a reminder to an artist who hasn't paid.
- Move a due date when someone asks for a little more time.
- Mark a payment received when an artist pays you another way.
- Confirm an artist before they've paid, when you've agreed to it.
For a friendlier nudge than an invoice reminder, you can also email every accepted artist who hasn't confirmed yet, with their booth fee filled in for each one. Our guide to artist communications shows how, including drips that start when an artist pays.4
Filling a spot from the waitlist
Sometimes an accepted artist goes quiet and never pays. When you revoke an unpaid offer, Brakebee accepts and invoices the next artist on your waitlist, when there is one.2 The open booth gets filled without you having to work through a list by hand, and the artist who was waiting gets their invoice and payment link straight away.
Tips for smoother booth fee season
- Publish your fee and cancellation policy with your call for artists, so nobody is surprised later.
- Set a due date that fits your timeline, early enough to backfill from the waitlist before your map is final.
- Use early tiers sparingly. One early deadline is easy to explain, and several can confuse applicants.
- Send one reminder before the due date and a second a few days after, then decide whether to extend or move to the waitlist.
- Record outside payments right away, so your payment view stays accurate.
- Keep a few strong artists in mind for open spots. Our guide to finding artists for your festival covers inviting them directly.5
When do artists pay the booth fee?
Artists pay the booth fee after you accept them. Brakebee sends an invoice with a payment link, and paying it confirms their spot.
Can I offer early and late fees?
Yes. Date-based fee tiers let the application, jury and booth fees change for early or late applicants.
What if an artist pays by check?
Mark the payment received in the payment view, and their record stays accurate.
What happens if an accepted artist never pays?
You can send a reminder or move the due date. If you revoke the unpaid offer, the next artist on your waitlist is accepted and invoiced.
Can I give an artist a free booth?
Yes. With no booth fee, the artist is confirmed as soon as you accept them.
1 Source: Brakebee for Festival Promoters, brakebee.com/promoter.
2 Source: Brakebee Booth Payments feature overview, Brakebee promoter dashboard.
3 Source: Artist Applications and Jurying for Art Festivals, brakebee.com/articles/art-festival-artist-application-management.
4 Source: Artist Communications for Art Festivals, brakebee.com/articles/art-festival-artist-communications-platform.
5 Source: Finding Artists for Your Art Festival Beyond the Application Pile, brakebee.com/articles/art-festival-artist-recruitment.