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It is often assumed that if you exhibit, you must own the exhibition stand or that it can only be used once. In fact, there are lots of options including renting your exhibition stand – or exhibition booth and combining exhibition stand ownership with furniture rental. So, should you rent or buy an exhibition stand?
Here are 6 questions to ask yourself before you buy an exhibition stand
1. How often will I use it?
Is it a one-off product launch; are you out to make an impression at an exhibition your target audience will visit or do you want to try exhibiting with no follow-up events booked in the diary yet?
If you are focused on your stand fulfilling one purpose, you may find you achieve flexibility and cost savings by renting. If you are looking to launch a new product, for example, renting a stand could save you quite a bit of money.
You can still pack a punch with a rented stand and design it how you like without the cost of buying. In addition, renting your stand for a one-off event is far better from a sustainability point-of-view.
If you are looking at doing a series of events, for example, a roadshow at several different locations with different capacities, then renting your exhibition will enable you to adapt it for specific events and stand sizes whilst still handing it back to the exhibition builders at the end of the run of events.
exhibition stand help and inspiration
> A-Z of exhibition terminology
> 25+ inspirational exhibition stand ideas
> shell scheme vs space only - what's the difference?
2. Where will I store it?
As more companies work remotely, you might not have the space to store an exhibition stand in between events at the office or warehouse. Storage costs can mount up, particularly if you are storing screens and bulky furniture too. If you plan to exhibit regularly and want to own your custom exhibition stand, you might consider a combination of what you own and rent i.e owning your stand whilst renting bulky furniture if and when you need it.
3. Will it work for future exhibitions?
Unless you’ve bought and paid for all of your exhibition space for a year and beyond and know exactly what you will be promoting on each, it is hard to know for sure.
Identifying several exhibitions and stand spaces you want to book can ensure your custom stand will be fit for every purpose with a budget to accommodate any variations. Modular stands allow the most flexibility and adaptability and can be reconfigured according to your needs.
If you’ve only booked one exhibition to dip your toe in the water, you might find that renting is more cost-effective and will give you the flexibility to test different ideas out at each exhibition. By the time you decide to invest in your own stand, you will know what has worked best for you and your business and can incorporate those learnings into a stand that you own.
4. Do I have the budget?
Businesses often start out with a long list of things they would like on their stands, which are dialled back to adapt to meet a budget. We have a few resources that you may find useful for briefing and budgeting purposes.
For businesses who have not exhibited before, it is a big financial commitment and renting a stand can make the process less overwhelming. If you give an exhibition a go and decide it’s not for you, renting your stand ensures you’ve no further commitments with the stand you own such as storage.
5. Will we rebrand in the next couple of years?
It’s hard to predict the future but renting an exhibition stand is great if you know your brand has a limited shelf life and know they will rebrand within 12 months of their planned exhibition.
It is also useful to consider whether:
- your company will promote different products at exhibitions under the same brand
- you have different departments/ business partnerships who plan to share the cost of exhibiting or an exhibition stand and will need to include dual branding
6. Are you exhibiting in the UK but located Internationally?
Renting a stand is ideal if you are located outside the UK. A pre-build in our workshop can be done via video call, so you know exactly how your stand will look when you arrive at the exhibition hall. We can manage the entire project and coordinate everything you need for the stand to give you total peace of mind.
need exhibition stand inspiration?
Not sure where to start with an exhibition stand? From outdoor exhibition stands to large island exhibition stands; we’ve put together 25+ inspirational ideas and examples along with tips on how to make the most of your exhibition stand.
Still not sure whether to hire or buy an exhibition stand? Give David or Ed a call and they would be happy to help.
they listened to exactly what we needed”
“Motive were amazing from start to finish. I approached them with a stand design for an exhibition and they listened to exactly what we needed and then added some brilliant elements to really make it amazing. We had so many positive comments about the stand.
Genuinely lovely people who put everything into it and were just easy to work with.”
Tillie Mabbutt, LuxFilms
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get your free exhibition stand design today
David Hennessy
David Hennessy is our Managing Director and co-founder of Motive Exhibitions. Based in St Neots we help businesses across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire exhibit across the UK and beyond.
exhibition stand help and inspiration
> A-Z of exhibition terminology
> 25+ inspirational exhibition stand ideas
> shell scheme vs space only - what's the difference?
Motive Exhibitions, 3 Orion Court, Ambuscade Road, Colmworth Business Park, Eaton Socon, St. Neots, PE19 8YX
