When it comes to exhibit booths, when should you buy rather than rent? The answer is simple: If you go to more than three shows a year, you should buy an exhibit booth.

When should you rent? There are nine straightforward circumstances when renting typically is more effective and efficient than buying:

1. If you exhibit in only one or two shows a year, rent.
2. If you’re a first-time exhibitor or a start-up company, rent. Why? The heads of the IPO want as few capital assets on their balance sheet as possible. And your company’s branding will probably change as it grows.
3. Renting is more convenient when you do back-to-back or overlapping shows.
4. When you need a bigger or a smaller space for your trade show exhibit booth, rent.
5. If you think you’ll want to buy your trade show display rental at a later date, rent with an option to buy.
6. If you’re an international exhibitor, rent. Renting in the U.S. is savvy because you avoid the gigantic overseas shipping charges.
7. Rent when you want to cut costs of:
   • Storage
   • Insurance
   • Repair
   • Refurbishment
   • Disposal
8. Rent when you want to save buckets of money on:
   • Transportation
   • Material handling
   • Installation and dismantling costs (depending on the trade show display rental you select)
9. Rent when you want to keep the case you would have spent on exhibit construction and warehousing your display once the show ended.

It’s pretty obvious from the above that rentals are a great way to save money and time. And if you have the misconception that they look “used” and won’t represent your business well, take a look at ProExhibits’s gallery portfolio, and judge for yourself!