If you’ve had some success at a trade show or two, it’s natural to consider an expansion of your trade show presence.  With an expansion comes more questions.  Should you continue to rent your trade show display, or should you purchase one?  How do you know you’re ready to make the leap from rental to purchase?  You might be ready to leave behind renting if the following applies to you:

You’re Exhibiting at Multiple Trade Shows

If you will be exhibiting at multiple trade shows, it may be in your best interest to purchase your trade show display rather than continue to rent one.  Businesses with large volumes of trade shows often decide to purchase their display so they can be nimble.  They don’t want to have to contact their exhibit house every month or two and try to rush a design through in time for the show.  Owning their trade show display offers them the freedom to pick up new trade shows within a short period of time. It also offers businesses branding consistency.  This branding consistency will help you to become a recognized brand at industry trade shows.

You Want a Truly Custom Trade Show Display

 When you rent a trade show display, there’s only so much customization that you can do to make it stand out.  Customized rentals are often hybrid designs, but they can’t go too far out of the box because they’re a rental.  The really unique displays- shaped like a barn, an apothecary, or a piece of technology are purchased.  This is because the details a business has envisioned simply couldn’t be created with a rental.  When your vision is grand, you should consider purchasing your trade show display. Only then can you create something truly unique that will stand out in the exhibit hall.  Consider how you want to establish yourself and if this can be accomplished with a rental or a purchased trade show display.

You’ve Got a Budget to Purchase What You Want

Often, trade show budgets are constrained.  However, when a trade show expansion occurs, more funds are generally allocated towards costs such as the trade show display, installation and dismantling, drayage, travel, accommodations, collateral, and more.

To make the best use of a larger budget, consider purchasing your trade show display.  Over time, this makes the most sense because your purchased display will last for years to come over hundreds of shows.  This eliminates the rental fees per show and allows more room in your budget to treat customers and prospects, or to expand the amount of staff at each trade show.

If your business is seeking to expand its trade show program, then it might be time for you to consider purchasing your trade show display instead of renting it. Consider whether you are ready for the freedom a purchased display can offer.