---
title: Setting Category Availability and Limits
description: "VendorHearth Pro allows organizers to control which vendor categories are available for each event and how many vendors may be accepted within those categories. Category limits are managed separately from booth capacity. ## Making Categories Available for an Event Your…"
url: "https://vendorhearth.com/docs/setting-category-availability-and-limits/"
updated: "2026-09-22"
category: "Booths & Categories — booth types, capacity, category limits, booth selection/assignments"
---

# Setting Category Availability and Limits

VendorHearth Pro allows organizers to control which vendor categories are available for each event and how many vendors may be accepted within those categories.

Category limits are managed separately from booth capacity.

## Making Categories Available for an Event

Your VendorHearth installation can contain categories that are not offered at every event.

When configuring an event:

1. Go to **VendorHearth Pro → Events**.
2. Open the event you want to manage.
3. Locate the category settings.
4. Choose which categories are available for that event.
5. Enter any applicable category limits.
6. Save your changes.

This allows each event to have its own category configuration.

## Setting a Category Limit

A category limit controls how many vendors from that category the event is intended to accommodate.

For example:

**Jewelry — Limit 3**

**Candles — Limit 3**

**Baked Goods — Limit 4**

These limits help VendorHearth track category availability as applications are processed.

## Using Save All Limits

When managing multiple category limits for an event, VendorHearth provides a **Save All Limits** option.

After entering or changing your limits, use this option to save the category settings together.

Verify your changes before leaving the page.

## Category Limits Are Separate From Booth Capacity

This distinction is important.

**Booth capacity** answers:

> How many of this type of booth space are available?

**Category limits** answer:

> How many vendors of this category can participate?

An event could therefore have available booth space while a particular category is already full.

## Example

Suppose an event has:

**Outdoor Booth Capacity: 50**

and:

**Jewelry Category Limit: 3**

After three jewelry vendors have filled the available category capacity, there may still be many outdoor booth spaces available.

The remaining booth capacity does not automatically create additional jewelry availability.

## Different Events Can Have Different Limits

Category limits are configured according to the individual event.

For example:

**Spring Market**

- Jewelry — 3
- Candles — 3

**Holiday Market**

- Jewelry — 5
- Candles — 4

Changing the category configuration for one event does not mean every event must use the same limits.

## Changing a Limit

If your event capacity changes, you can update the appropriate category limit.

Before reducing a limit, review the vendors already associated with that category.

Avoid creating a situation where your configured limit is lower than the number of vendors already committed to the event without first reviewing those records.

## When a Category Is Full

When a category reaches its configured availability, you may still have other categories and booth types available.

A full category does not necessarily mean the entire event is full.

Depending on the circumstances, vendors may also be managed through VendorHearth's waitlist tools.

Waitlists are covered in the **Applications & Waitlists** documentation.

## Review Categories Before Opening Applications

Before opening an event for applications, confirm:

- The correct categories are available.
- Categories you do not want for the event are unavailable.
- Category limits are correct.
- Booth capacities are also correct.

Reviewing both systems helps ensure VendorHearth is working with the availability you actually intend to offer.

## Category Limits Can Help Prevent Overbooking

Category limits provide an additional layer of availability control beyond physical booth space.

This is especially useful when an organizer wants to restrict the number of vendors offering similar products or services.

VendorHearth handles the configured limits; your organization determines which categories and limits are appropriate for each event.

## Next Step

Continue to **Vendor Booth Selection** to learn how VendorHearth allows available booth locations to be presented and selected.