Rhonni

For everyone who's ever felt like they're the only one dealing with impossible vendor personalities, permit nightmares, and site logistics: 

You're not alone, and it's not unsolvable.

Everyone says: 'Our Renfaire is too unique for best practices.' 

I fixed it: Standards create space for uniqueness by solving the universal problems first.

To the faire vendors wondering why some shows feel smooth while others feel chaotic: 

It's not luck. 
It's systems. 
It's shared knowledge. 
It's intentional design.

Stop romanticizing the struggle at the Renfaire and telling yourself it means you are more dedicated to the show. 

Chaos behind the scenes isn't charming, it's expensive. Professional results require professional systems, not just professional passion.

Raise your hand if you've ever had to coach professional builders through permit processes because they'd never worked with building codes before.

What actually makes a renaissance festival sustainable: 

1. Vendor management that creates community 
2. Site design that serves both magic and logistics 
3. Teams that speak the same operational language 
4. Systems that scale

From carpenter's helper building with scrap wood in the forest to consultant preventing million-dollar site mistakes.

The renfaire industry has been my university and my calling.

I am proof that industry knowledge can be systematized and shared. What took me decades to learn doesn't have to take you decades to access. That's the whole point.

Shout out to everyone who's had to explain why Renfaire festival stages need different safety codes than residential decks. 

We're a very specific kind of person.

The loneliest part of festival management is making decisions that affect thousands of people while knowing you're learning as you go. Imposter syndrome hits differently when livelihoods are involved.

Everyone says: 'Just work harder and figure it out.' 

I fixed it for Renfaire Pros: Work smarter with proven systems. The answers already exist - you just need access to them.

To the Renfaire site managers juggling vendor relations, construction oversight, and daily operations: 

You weren't meant to be an expert in everything. Specialization exists for a reason.

Your team at the Renfaire doesn't need more passion or harder work.

They need shared training, consistent language, and systems that prevent the same mistakes from happening every season.

Things Renfaire Pros have to pull off that no one would ever guess: 

Having to cut & make a brand new wedding cake on the fly because one got dropped while walking across the park.

Signs your faire needs actual systems: 

1. Vendors thank other shows for being organized 
2. Every season feels like starting over 
3. Team meetings are just damage control 
4. You're proud of your show but secretly worried

The Renfaire industry has evolved from posting weather reports on bulletin boards because nobody had internet on their phones yet, to building resource databases that prevent five-figure mistakes.

I’ve been there through it all.

I build systems that turn chaos into legacy.

Not theory from a textbook, but battle-tested strategies from moving entire festivals and managing teams of 130.

This is what decades of real-world experience looks like.

The hardest part isn't managing construction or dealing with permits.

It's convincing passionate people to trust systems when they've been surviving on adrenaline and duct tape solutions.

If you've ever felt like you're the only one who doesn't have this renfaire thing figured out, welcome to the club.

The difference is some of us stopped pretending and started learning from each other.

Everyone says: 'Experience will eventually clarify things.' 

I fixed it: Experience without structure just creates expensive chaos.

Knowledge sharing prevents you from making mistakes already solved.

To the faire founders who think their chaos is just 'part of the magic': your burnout isn't romantic. Your stressed vendors aren't charming. 

Systems exist so the actual magic can happen.

Can we please stop telling people every Renfaire is so unique that industry standards don't apply? Vendor complaints, site problems, and admin chaos repeat across every show. 

If other shows solved these problems, so can you.

I love telling normies about doing machete tours of raw land, asking vendors to envision their new shops where there's currently just trees and creek beds. Trust is everything when you're asking people to invest in a new show.

If you are a Renfaire professional who hasn’t had to explain building codes to a carpenter twice your age while you wonder how you became the person everyone looks to for answers… 

Your time is coming.

5 things that keep renfaire founders up at night: 

1. Vendor complaints they can't fix 
2. Site layouts that feel like chaos 
3. Teams speaking different languages 
4. Every season starting from scratch 
5. That sinking 'am I winging this' feeling

It’s crazy to realize I went from a carpenter's helper at 30 to building coordinator managing construction crews twice my age because of the Renfaire Industry. 

Skill expansion is rewarded, but nobody tells you the learning curve feels like drinking from a fire hose.

I am the woman who moved an entire Renaissance festival in 12 months. 

Raw land to thriving village. 
60 vendors trusted me with their livelihoods. 

That's the kind of project management that changes an industry..

Nobody talks about how 'winging it' in the renfaire industry costs you five to six figures in mistakes. 

We romanticize the hustle, but there's a difference between creative problem-solving and reinventing wheels.

3 things Renfaires guard more than state secrets: 

1. Actual gate counts 
2. Vendor profit margins 
3. How much profit margin there is on a keg of beer

Food vendors, raise your hand if you've ever thrown away what should have been your profit margin because you couldn't get accurate gate counts. 

Show Runners: Weather forecast plus real numbers equals less food waste. Do right by your vendors and they’ll stick with you for the long haul.