Choosing the Cheap Exhibition Stand Contractor: The Hidden Cost

Exhibiting can be a game-changing opportunity for your brand. It gives you access to untapped business, enhances brand visibility, and positions your brand alongside industry leaders.

For SME’s and start-ups, exhibiting is a significant investment that demands a fair amount of time, effort and money. In an attempt to keep costs low, many are tempted by cheaper exhibition stand contractors, without realising the quality control measures they are sacrificing in the process.

In this guide, we explain the genuine differences between cheaper and more expensive stand providers.

On a surface level, exhibition stand contractors can all appear similar. You see a design concept at the start, and a stand at the end, but you don’t see what happens to get from A to B. These processes, along with stand quality, have a significant impact on exhibition stand costs.

So what are you really paying for, when you select a high-quality stand builder?

Your stand is the physical representation of your company at a show, and it’s important that it represents you well.

Unfortunately, buying cheap often comes at the sacrifice of quality, which can impact anything from the vividness of the colours, or quality of the lighting, to the durability of the graphics, weakening brand representation.

If you’re looking at reusing the stand, this quality is particularly important, as the stand needs to be able to withstand repeat use, without sacrificing impact. Otherwise, you risk spending more in the long run on replacements.

The biggest differences between a cheap contractor and a higher-quality one is the risk mitigation factors. Quality-driven contractors charge more to fund the infrastructure and robust risk mitigation processes needed for events to run smoothly. These usually include – 

⟶ In-House Processes

High-quality stand builders often work in-house, rather than subcontracting and relying on third parties. Maintaining experienced staff year round has its costs, especially in such a seasonal industry, however, it enables them to maintain control of every step in the process from design, and production to the build on the day.

⟶ Full Pre-Build

Quality stand builders also conduct a full pre-build, ensuring that stands are quality-check in full, before they are sent to the exhibition. This means that if there are any issues, they can be caught and rectified before the event. Clients are always invited to these visits to ensure that they are also happy with the exhibition.

⟶ Buffer Time

Since exhibitions involve tight, non-negotiable deadlines, quality stand builders will build in buffer time, so that there is no last minute rush or panic before the show. This means that if any unexpected issues or delays come up, there is plenty of time to fix it.

When you invest in high-quality contractors, you gain access to more experienced designers, who can help you bring your brand to life on large-format. Exhibition stand design is distinct from other marketing assets.

This is because stands are more than just flat resources or informational pamphlets; they are functional 3D spaces that need to both attract and inform visitors on who you are and what you do.

With this particular industry, specific expertise is extremely valuable for maximising return on investment, and memorability post-show. This doesn’t just apply to the design, but also to the expertise when reconfiguring an exhibition stand.

Likewise, with quality stand builders, you should receive a dedicated and experienced project manager to ensure that every step of the project timeline, from the design and production to the logistics and build, runs smoothly.

Not only does this ensure that the stand is perfect on the day, but it significantly alleviates stress and cognitive load during the show prep.

While it often goes unmentioned, one of the biggest differences between a high-quality and low-quality exhibition stand contractor is the response time and customer experience.

High-quality contractors place more resources and greater emphasis on the customer experience, offering prompt responses, knowledgeable advice, and faster turnaround on designs and production.

In an industry that is so heavily deadline based, this efficiency is invaluable.

Hopefully we have been able to shed light on the key differences between low-quality and high-quality exhibition stand contractor.

While every solution has its place, it is important to understand that lower prices have to come at a cost, be that the quality of the stand, or the risk-management procedures in place.

We love to help exhibitors get the most out of their budgets. If you would like to explore your options, contact us for a free consultation or design proposal. Contact us on today at +44 (0)1202 723 500 or email design@quadrant2design.com to get the ball rolling.