Should I Rent or Buy a Trade Show Booth?

Renting vs. Buying a Trade Show Booth: What Are the Costs?

When getting a trade show display, you have the option to rent or buy. Each has different costs and benefits — and those costs often go beyond the financial. Which is going to be the most cost-effective solution for your company? Today, we’re looking at renting vs. buying trade show booths and what factors to consider.

Pros and Cons of Booth Rental

• Pro: Upfront trade show booth rental costs are much lower.
• Pro: You don’t have to pay for storage or shipping, which helps keep costs down.
• Pro: When renting, you typically are not financially responsible for normal wear and tear.
• Pro: Rentals make it easier to update your exhibit’s look and layout at each show, keeping your branding adaptable.
• Pro: You don’t need to spend time figuring out how to process capital expenses on your corporate taxes since you’re not buying anything.
• Con: If you exhibit at trade shows frequently, rental costs can quickly add up, making them more expensive in the long run.
• Con: Rented booths are often made from used materials, so they won’t look as fresh.
• Con: Availability of certain materials and components can be limited, requiring careful planning and making reservations well in advance.
• Con: Rental and accessory costs can vary widely from location to location, requiring adjustments to each show’s budget.

Pros and Cons of Buying a Booth

• Pro: For active trade show attendees, owning a trade show display usually costs less over time than renting.
• Pro: You get to choose every material, graphic, dimension and accessory.
• Pro: You know the booth will look fresh and accurately represent your brand.
• Pro: You can buy modular trade show displays that adapt to various booth sizes and layouts.
• Con: You will have a much higher initial investment that you must budget for, and your taxes will be more complicated due to figuring out capital expenses and depreciation.
• Con: You’re also responsible for the costs of maintenance, repairs, shipping and storage.
• Con: Even with modular displays, you won’t have quite as much design flexibility.

The Verdict

What does this all mean? Here’s what our trade show experts recommend on when to buy vs. rent.

You should rent a trade show booth if:

• You only exhibit at 1-4 shows a year.
• You are a newer business that has a tight budget.
• You have frequently changing layout needs or want to test a new design.
• You want to exhibit at multiple trade shows simultaneously.

You should buy a trade show booth if:

• You go to at least five shows a year.
• You plan to have the same general look and layout for a few years.
• You want the most possible control over the design.
• You never want to worry about whether certain components are available.

At Monster Displays, we can help you design the perfect custom trade show booth, whether that’s a tension fabric display, backlit display, tabletop display or digital AV display. Contact us today by phone, email or live chat to get started.