If you exhibit once or twice a year, or your booth size changes from show to show, rent. If you're doing three or more shows a year at the same size and your message isn't about to change, buying usually pays for itself inside two years. A rough rule in our industry is that buying a booth costs about three times what you'd pay to rent a comparable one for a single show, and that once you own it you'll spend something like 3 to 5 percent of its value every show on freight, storage and repairs. Our own prices land close to that: a 10x20 rental here runs $16,000 to $24,000 a show, and a custom 10x20 build runs $35,000 to $70,000.
That's the short version. Here's how to check it against your own show calendar.
You need three numbers
What one rental costs at the size you need. What a comparable purchase costs. And what owning costs you per show once it's yours, which is the number people forget to ask for.
Rental times the number of shows you're planning is one side. Purchase price plus (per-show cost times the same number of shows) is the other. Whichever is lower over the years you expect to use the booth wins.
About that 3x rule
It's a rule of thumb, not a quote. Materials, finishes, built-in technology and how much structure you want can push a purchase well above or below three rentals. But it's a useful sanity check when a number looks off.
The upkeep half matters just as much. On a $60,000 booth, 3 to 5 percent is $1,800 to $3,000 a show, and that's before anyone sets it up. For a custom 10x20 that we store and install, owners typically budget $3,000 to $5,000 a show for storage, maintenance, and installation and dismantle.
A 10x20, worked through
These use our published prices. Your quote will move with the design and the show.
| Rent each time | Buy once | |
|---|---|---|
| Up front | nothing | $35,000 to $70,000 |
| Each show | $16,000 to $24,000 | $3,000 to $5,000 |
| One show a year, three years in | $48,000 to $72,000 | $44,000 to $85,000 |
| Three shows a year, one year in | $48,000 to $72,000 | $44,000 to $85,000 |
| Three shows a year, two years in | $96,000 to $144,000 | $53,000 to $100,000 |
At one show a year it's close to a wash after three years, and renting leaves you free to change sizes or skip a year. At three shows a year the two are neck and neck after the first season, and by the end of the second, owning has saved you somewhere around $40,000. That's when buying makes sense, as long as you'll keep the same footprint.
Electrical, drayage, rigging and internet don't change any of this. The show bills them whether the booth is rented or yours.
When we'd tell you to rent
You're going to one or two shows a year. You're trying a new show and aren't sure 10x20 is the right size yet. You're 10x10 at a regional show in spring and 20x20 at a national one in fall. Your product line turns over every year and you'd rather not be stuck with last year's walls. Or you just don't want to think about storage and repairs.
A custom rental isn't a generic booth, by the way. The frame is rented, but the layout, graphics and finishes are designed for you, and to a visitor it's your booth.
When we'd tell you to buy
You're at three or more shows a year at the same size. You need things a rental frame can't carry well, like a heavy product display, a built-in demo or custom millwork. You expect to use the same core design for three years or more, and you've got somewhere to keep it between shows, or your builder does.
If you buy, it's worth asking for a design that reconfigures. A 20x20 island that also sets up as a 10x20 inline earns its keep at more of your shows.
The costs that catch people
Renting: design changes after you've approved the drawings, rush charges for late orders, and graphics you won't use again.
Owning: storage every month, including the months with no shows. Freight between back-to-back shows in different cities. Repairs after every show. New graphics when your messaging changes. And a real refresh somewhere around year three to five.
Either way: show services. Electrical, drayage, rigging, internet, cleaning and lead retrieval are ordered from the show and billed by the venue's contractor. Your exhibitor manual has the rates and the early-order deadlines, and missing those deadlines is the easiest way to pay more than you need to.
Questions people ask us
How long does a purchased booth last?
With decent storage and maintenance, three to five years is common for the structure. Graphics usually get replaced sooner.
Can I rent first and buy later?
Yes, and it's a good way to start. A season of rentals tells you what size and layout actually work at your shows before you build anything permanent.
If I buy, is installation included at every show?
Usually not. Installation and dismantle, freight and storage are the ongoing costs of owning, which is why the per-show figure matters as much as the purchase price.
Where can I see prices by size?
Our cost guide has rental and custom ranges for each booth size, and the rental page shows what each package includes.
Artsolute Media Group (AMG) designs, builds and rents trade show exhibits from our shop in La Puente, California, and has since 2009. See rental booths or get a quote.
Calvin Yee
Co-founder, Artsolute Media Group
Author of the AEDM exhibition design method. M.S. Exhibition Design, Cal State Fullerton. Building trade show exhibits since 2009.