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Trade shows require a lot in terms of investments and resources. You have to plan ahead and even put a brake on some other activities just to focus on it alone. The returns, however, are usually great. One area that causes headaches for people taking part in a trade show is the choice between buying and renting trade show displays.
Important as these visual aids are, we are going to explore the good and the bad of either buying and renting and the factors you have to keep in mind when going with either choice. If you are planning your first trade show rodeo, then this could be of great informational value to you.
Renting Trade Show Displays
Renting takes place when you get in touch with a good trade show rental company, pay them an agreed amount of money in exchange for having the full use of all their display equipment. Most of the companies that deal with trade show displays for rent are usually stocked with all types of displays; all you have to do is find the one that suits your business model the best. The following are the advantages and disadvantages of an exhibition stand rental.
Advantages
- You don’t have to worry about storage or being liable to insurance claims. All you have to do on your part is pay up, show up, use the rent trade show exhibit displays without damaging them, and return them in one piece and that’s it. This level of freedom gives you the room to focus instead on making your show a success.
- You get the full package from shipping logistics, setup and dismantling, security, and cleaning. For most rental companies, the client only makes a choice through a website and only shows up at the venue to find everything set up. This is the level of convenience that saves you time and money.
- You are not limited by choices when it comes to trade show rentals. Most rental companies usually stock all types and sizes of what you need. Depending on the scope of your trade show booth, you can have trade show displays as big and as small as you want. Just be aware that bigger ones cost more than smaller ones.
- There’s the flexibility involved in custom exhibit rentals, you can always add removable logos on top of them quickly. This is cheaper than having to buy your own staff and having them engraved with branding permanently with no way of modifying them in the future.
Disadvantages
- You are limited to what you can do as far as serious modifications go. The displays are not technically yours, and they will need to be sued by other people some other time; therefore, the changes you can make are only temporary, and those never pan out so well.
- The displays sometimes come chipped or worn out due to constant use by other people. This could make your trade show booth less spectacular, and those are some of the things that visitors are quick to notice.
- You may end up having the same type of displays in your booth as your next-door neighbor if you both end up renting from the same company. This can be confusing to the visitors who happen to pass by.
Buying a Trade Show Display
Sometimes, companies that have the means and the resources usually prefer to buy everything they need for a trade show presentation, from booths to display screens. There are certain privileges that buying your own equipment gives you, and at the same time, there are some unique risks that you are exposed to, as discussed in detail below.
Advantages
- You have full control as far as modifications are concerned. You can customize it the way you want to suit your needs, and there will be no one lording over you to see if you have damaged anything. This level of freedom can help get the best out of the trade show.
- You don’t have to make many changes every time you attend a trade show. All you have to do is use what you had last time. This makes setting things up much faster and more efficient compared to having to figure out a new setup from scratch every time.
- You get the benefit of keeping the displays with you for a very long time with continued usage. This saves you money since all you will have to ever pay is the initial purchase amount and a few repairs along the way. If you are good with handling things, you could easily squeeze ten years out of your trade show displays.
Disadvantages
- There’s a high level of monotony involved when using trade show displays you have bought as opposed to renting. With bought equipment, you are forced to use them in every trade show for the investment to make financial sense, and with time, regular attendees will start noticing the same displays, and that will cut down the number of interactions you get.
- You have to shoulder the risks of storage, insurance, shipping on top of having to handle the setup and dismantling. This ends up costing a lot more since you have to factor in all these extra charges, and that can counter all the benefits you sought to take advantage of in the first place.
- The plan only works well if you are a big company that takes huge teams to trade shows. If you are a small-scale company, investing this kind of money in purchasing trade show displays is not a sound idea. You are better off renting.
How to Buy or Rent Exhibition Displays
Making the decision to either buy or rent can be a hard one for most first-timers, and that’s why breaking the factors that you have to keep in mind is important. The following are what you should focus your attention on before making that big decision.
Budget Size
Big companies can afford to buy their own trade show displays, among other things. It makes more financial sense that way. However, if you are strapped for cash after getting all the essentials, then trade show rental displays are the best option for you. By renting, you will cut down the costs of storage, insurance, and shipping. All you have to do is simply show up with your wares, and you are good to go.
Capacity
How big is your presentation? Do you intend to showcase 100 products or just a few of them? The scope of your presentation should help you figure out whether to go with buying or renting. If you are dealing with a lot of products, then you may have to buy trade show exhibit displays to allow you the freedom to make as many modifications for all the products. If you are dealing with a few products that only require half a day, then rental trade show displays should be on your cards.
Location of Venue
The distance to the venue also matters a lot; if you are flying in from another country, then carrying trade show displays with you doesn’t make sense. You will be better served with hiring from rental companies when you land. But if the venue is somewhere close to your business, then you are free to buy trade show display equipment rather than renting.
Conclusion
Taking part in a successful trade exhibition is not an easy feat. You have to go through all kinds of hoops to get things done, but the rewards at the end of it are totally worth it. If you have been planning to participate in one but are unsure of where to start, then check out our website. We are a trade show booth rental in Las Vegas, and you will have all your questions answered by our team of experts.
