We’re beyond excited to share a huge step forward for The Makers Market: our brand-new directory and booking platform is now (almost) ready to launch — and behind it is a fantastic partnership with Cybergogo, who have worked closely with us to bring this vision to life.
In this post, we want to walk you through:
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Why we chose to build this
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What Cybergogo has contributed
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What’s changing for traders and visitors
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What’s coming next
Why We Needed to Level Up
Over recent years, The Makers Market has grown faster than we ever imagined. More markets, more makers, more visitors — but our existing site and booking system was beginning to show its limitations:
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Traders couldn’t be discovered easily between events
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Booking tools were fragmented and manual
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We lacked a central directory or map for visitors to explore local makers
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Many of the features traders asked for (dashboards, visibility, upgrades) just weren’t possible
Because our Maker Market information site already draws thousands of visits, we realised it was time to build something that works smarter — not harder. A site where traders are fully represented and visitors can browse, discover, and book with ease.
Enter Cybergogo.
Who Is Cybergogo — and Why We Chose Them
Cybergogo is a North West–based team specialising in websites, apps, and bespoke software. cybergogo.co.uk+1 They pride themselves on building solutions that are tailored to their client’s needs, demystifying technology and delivering tools that work reliably. cybergogo.co.uk+1
From our first meetings, their approach impressed us:
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They asked smart questions to understand exactly how our markets and traders operate
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They suggested scalable building blocks rather than one-size-fits-all templates
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They were open and collaborative — we made decisions together, not one side dictating to the other
Thanks to Chris, Matt and the team at Cybergogo, what was once just an idea is becoming a reality we can all benefit from.
What the New Directory & Booking Platform Will Do
Here’s a sneak peek at what the new system will deliver (for traders and customers alike):
For Traders
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A beautiful directory profile where your business is always visible
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Ability to manage your bookings and track your schedule
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Option to upgrade listings (gallery, feature spots, better visibility)
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Notifications, reminders & stall assignments handled in one place
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Integration between your booking and your directory profile — no double work
For Visitors / Customers
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Searchable directory by town, category, and maker
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Interactive market lineups (who’s trading where, when)
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Easier to find makers you loved at past markets
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More discoverability for small makers you haven’t seen yet
For Us (the Makers Market Team)
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All trader bookings in one system, centrally managed
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Analytics on trader signups, bookings, popular markets
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Flexibility to introduce tiers, premium features, special placement
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Faster onboarding / approval workflows for new traders
What’s Already Done — and What’s Next
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The core directory structure and booking backend is built
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We’ve migrated many existing traders into the system
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We’re testing workflows (payments, notifications, upgrades)
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We’ll soon send you instructions for setting up your profile
In the coming weeks, you’ll get more communication from us with:
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Your login and onboarding walkthrough
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Instructions and tips on creating your directory profile
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Opportunities to upgrade early for special rates
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FAQs and support to help you get comfortable with the new system
Thank You, and Let’s Do This Together 🙌
This is a big moment for The Makers Market — one that will benefit our entire community: traders, visitors, collaborators. We couldn’t have done it without Cybergogo’s expertise, patience, and collaborative spirit.
To all our traders, thank you for your patience and feedback over time. This new site is about putting your business front and centre. To our local makers who will join us soon, we can’t wait to help you shine.
Watch this space — we’ll be rolling out access very soon, and we can’t wait to see your profiles go live.
Warm wishes,
The Makers Market Team
