As an exhibitor, you have the option to either buy your exhibition stand or to rent it for the duration of the show. As a major modular exhibition stand hire company, we have great options to hire or buy, and generally find that our customers prefer to hire a stand.
This is because our free hire plan removes most of the negatives of hiring while providing a fully managed stress-free experience.
However, for a number of clients, buying their exhibition stand makes perfect sense, and around 20% of our clients choose this option.
If you would prefer to buy your exhibition stand, you can take advantage of our Buy2self-build™ plan. This plan gives you the advantages of buying and owning your exhibition stand while providing a full support package that includes one-to-one training and online training animations.
Whether you hire or buy your exhibition stand depends on the nature of your company, how hands-on you intend to be and the particular circumstances and nature of your exhibiting.
Before we delve into the pros and cons of each, it is worth considering the following factors:
Use
It isn’t worth buying an exhibition stand if you intend to use it less than 3 times a year.
Hiring will generally be the cheaper option if you only intend to exhibit once or twice a year. The cost of updating a stand you own can mount up. However, if you want the freedom and flexibility to exhibit at multiple events, buying a stand might be the most cost-effective solution.
Storage
Exhibition stands can be bulky to store so you need to take this into consideration. If you hire your stand you have no need to store it. If you buy it you will have to have space at your office or rent specialist storage.
Type of stand
It will also depend on the type of exhibition stand you choose. If you want a custom-built stand, these generally have to be purchased and are difficult to reuse. If on the other hand you choose a modular stand, these are available to rent or buy. Our custom modular stands will give you the look of a custom-built stand with the advantages of a modular stand. Hiring or buying a modular stand will give you these benefits:
- They are easy to assemble by one or two people with no need for specialist tools.
- The end result is an impressive, unique 3D stand with seamless graphics.
- You can have integrated product display cases or literature racks.
- You can incorporate AV equipment into them to draw attention.
- You can go tall to tower above the competition.
- They pack away into boxes which are easy to store.
- You can transport them easily in an estate car or small van.
- They are reusable, so a sustainable option, and can be reconfigured for a fresh look.
3D Stand Proposal
So what are the pros and cons of buying or renting your exhibition stand?
Why buy your exhibition stand?
Advantages of buying
- Flexibility – owning your own stand will allow you the flexibility to exhibit at different events at short notice.
- Freedom – you have the ultimate freedom to exhibit any place, any time or anywhere, without the involvement of exhibition stand contractors. Try new shows with little risk as you already own the stand.
- Cost – of course, if you own your exhibition stand and self-build, you are not using an exhibition stand contractor, and your costs can be dramatically reduced over an exhibiting programme.
- Lower cost per event – buying your exhibition stand makes far more sense if you exhibit at a lot of shows and events, and you’re comfortable with self-managing and self-building your stands.
- Easy to update – for a fresh look, simply change the graphics, there is no need to buy a new stand.
Disadvantages of buying
- You’re invested in one exhibition stand solution, which may restrict your ability to use other (maybe more suitable) solutions. The costs of updating your stand can quickly mount up.
- You have money tied up in exhibition hardware, that could be better spent elsewhere.
- You need to find space at your premises to store your exhibition stand and graphics.
- You will need to self-manage your exhibition stand projects and deal with the organiser’s and venue’s administration. Everything from arranging electrics to sorting out the flooring and lighting will be down to you.
- You may consider the amount of time, energy and space required to self-manage your stands is not a good return on investment.
Why rent your exhibition stand?
Advantages of renting
- Financial Flexibility – with no money tied up in exhibition stand hardware you have the ability to change your stand for future events.
- Lower up-front costs – with our free hire plan, you pay nothing for the stand hire (you only pay for graphics and installation).
- As long as you’re using a premium company like Quadrant2Design, and not a cheap ‘display-type’ supplier, your exhibition stand should be of the same custom-designed standard as a purchased stand
- You will have access to a Project Manager to oversee the whole process for you.
- You have a more stress-free experience, with no installation or administrative concerns.
- No need to store the stand in between shows.
- Renting from a reputable contractor can often be considered more sustainable than purchasing. The stands have a lifetime of 15 years so are used multiple times.
Disadvantages of renting
- Very few if you’re using our free hire plan!
- If you intend to exhibit at a lot of shows it can be more expensive to hire.
- Be concerned about and investigate the quality of the exhibition stand hardware. If you’re using a reputable ‘premium-quality’ exhibition stand contractor they will supply you a stand that looks and feels brand new.
- Beware of hiring anything from a ‘Display’ type company, as the hardware will often be beaten-up, scratched and clearly ‘used’.
Our free hire plan
Still can’t decide whether you want to hire or buy an exhibition stand? Quadrant2Design’s free hire plan is the solution for you. Why would you want to pay to rent your stand, when we will let you use the hardware for free?
With the free hire pricing plan, you will get:
- The whole stand structure free of charge
- Project Management
- Professional installation and dismantle
- Floor-to-ceiling custom graphics
- Lifetime free design
- Free storage of graphics
You get all of the benefits of a purchase stand as well as the great value associated with a rental exhibit. But you don’t pay to rent the hardware. Every free hire exhibition stand is fully customised according to the brief that you provide. Our team can also integrate audiovisual elements, product showcases and unique design features to bring your brand to life.
Conclusion
Whether you decide to rent or buy your exhibition stand will depend on how many times you intend to exhibit, your storage facilities, the type of stand you want and your budget.
Our free hire option gives a low-cost introduction to exhibiting without the commitment of purchasing a full stand. To find out more, call us on 01202 723 500 or email design@quadrant2design.com.