When you’re first starting out with exhibitions, it can be difficult to decide whether you want to hire products or buy them. There are pros and cons for each, and it’ll differ depending on business structure and popularity.

Hiring an exhibition stand is a quick and easy process, with stands tailored to the needs of each business. There are multiple options to choose from to make your business stand out, and we’ve put together a guide to help you decide whether you need to hire or buy.

Exhibition stands: Hiring vs buying

If you don’t have many exhibitions to attend in one year, the best way to save money would be to hire the stands to save you investing in an asset you don’t require. However, if you’re doing many exhibitions in a small space of time, it’s worth the investment.

It is possible to buy an exhibition stand that can be adapted to different circumstances. If you commit to buying one you won’t be stuck with the same display until you can afford to get another, which can be beneficial if you’re attending all sorts of different events. That’s especially pertinent for people who feel that hiring is the only way to secure flexibility.

The ability to hire a stand does help you on both flexibility and size, though, and allows you to get more creative with props and accessories, given the small amount of money you’ll be saving from hiring over buying.

Among the many other advantages, it’s easy to adjust your preference depending on venues, budget and objectives if you decide to hire, this means your stand can always look fresh and appealing.

However, the cost of hiring an exhibition stand more than three times per year can be an expensive exercise, so if you know you will be exhibiting more frequently, then the capital investment in a bespoke exhibition stand may be a good financial option.

When you’re hiring, the entire stand design can be different each time, but it’s a little harder to have a completely new design when you already own a stand. If you do make the decision to buy, make it a stand design that can adapt to all sorts of environments to ensure you get a good return on your investment.

Unless you have a lot of space in your own business premises you will also need to factor-in the storage costs that come with buying an exhibition stand. Hire stands have the bonus that you pay no ongoing storage costs.

There’s an additional sense of professionalism that comes with an exhibition stand, and you can spend time and money to ensure it always stands out from the crowd.

Considering the other costs of an exhibition

When looking into budgeting for an exhibition, there are a lot of costs that come with it that may take priority over your stand. Floor space alone will take up a hefty percentage of the cost. Travel and accommodation is something many people might forget when it comes to budgeting, but if the event is far away, it needs to be taken into consideration.

In order to get even more interest in your business, many people opt for promotions and giveaways at events, if that’s something you’re interested in, they need to be worked into your budget. Ensure the giveaways you decide to do suit your target audience, it may gather interest but it still comes at a cost.

Once you’ve worked out what your priorities are at events, then you can work out whether it’s worth paying extra to buy, or just hire.