| “A budget takes the fun out of money.”
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Mason Cooley |
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| Renting Questions ... |
Must I rent from the show contractor? Absolutely not! While the show contractor provides an assortment of
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nice-looking "safe for everyone's taste" packages – do you consider yourself part of "everyone?" Think about it – that show manual with the rental packages went to every company exhibiting at your show. Selecting one of those allows you to blend in with everyone else – is that really what you want to do?
Does it cost more to rent from an independent company? That depends. If the company you are working with also holds a union-affiliated contract for installation and dismantle – you are probably way ahead of the budget game. The best way to answer this is to compare – but always remember to compare apples to apples.
Can I sign a contract for multi-shows or multi-years? Yes with most independents. Remember your show contractor may not be your show contractor next year. So even though you may get your drayage bill included this year – that may not happen next year.
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As an exhibition sales house of long- standing we are going to take a huge leap and tell our clients and prospective clients that it is time to reconsider purchasing. As your needs change, your exhibit changes and as your company grows, so does your exhibit. As your show schedule evolves, so do your needs for a variety of booth configurations. In Europe – it seems most companies do not own an exhibit. In fact, once the economics are understood, the concept of renting is extraordinarily logical. Renting has been in practice in Europe for so long they think we’re foolish to "sell exhibits".
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The average life of an exhibit is about five years. Prior to each show it is taken out of storage and refurbished, but it is still the "same old booth". Refurbishing gets expensive and the booth can look its age, which begins to limit and reduce trade show objectives.
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Exhibit renting provides clients with a professional presence at a show while avoiding the responsibility of owning. Renting reduces the cost of exhibiting— saving up to 75 percent of the up-front cost of ownership. That frees up more funds for related sales and promotion efforts. Renting also eliminates the cost of storage, maintenance and retrieval costs, and avoids other "back end" costs that can come with the cost of ownership. A rental exhibit allows a company to expense the actual rental costs associated whereas a purchase is generally a
large capital investment, which then must be expensed according to a depreciation schedule.
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Reselling a used custom exhibit is very difficult. Exhibit builders sell solutions. The exhibit display is merely a marketing aid to promote our client’s products and services. A rental exhibit can have impact and prestige without an up-front financial commitment. The client has an exciting exhibit with custom graphics and the possibility of a new exhibit for each show, possibly for less than the cost of owning one booth.
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