What owning a booth really costs
The purchase price is the number people compare, but an owned booth keeps costing money after you buy it:
- Storage between shows, usually a monthly fee at an exhibit house or warehouse.
- Freight to and from every show, plus crates that wear out.
- Drayage (material handling) at the venue, billed by weight. Crated custom booths are heavy.
- Install and dismantle labor at every show, often union, billed by the hour.
- Repairs and refurbishing: scratched panels, broken lights, new graphics when your message changes.
- Someone's time: booking, tracking, checking the crates back in.
With a rental, those costs are either gone (storage, refurbishing) or part of one price (freight, drayage, labor). At BoothJet a 10×10 booth rents for $3,999 to $8,999 all-in, with all of those included.
A simple way to compare
Write down, for one year:
- How many shows you will exhibit at, and in which cities.
- The booth size at each show.
- For owning: purchase price spread over the years you expect to use it, plus storage for the year, plus per-show freight, drayage, labor and graphics.
- For renting: the all-in rental price per show.
If the booth size changes from show to show, or the shows are far apart, renting usually wins, because one owned booth cannot be a 10×10 in Las Vegas and a 20×20 in Chicago, and shipping it across the country costs more each time.
When buying makes sense
Buying is the better choice when most of these are true:
- You exhibit at many shows a year, with the same booth size.
- The shows are in the same region, so freight stays short.
- You have storage, or a partner who stores and ships for you.
- Your booth has to look exactly the same every time, with fixtures built for your products.
Many companies do both: they own one booth for their main show and rent for the rest.
When renting makes sense
- You do one to a few shows a year.
- You are testing a new show or a new market.
- The shows are in different cities or need different booth sizes.
- You want to see the booth before you commit: at BoothJet you see each booth in 3D with your own logo and graphics, and the price for your show, before you book.
- You do not want bills after the show.
Questions
Is it cheaper to rent or buy a trade show booth?
For a few shows a year, renting is usually cheaper, because storage, freight, drayage, labor and repairs come with owning. Buying pays off when you do many shows a year with the same booth.
Can a rented booth carry my own branding?
Yes. Your graphics are printed for your booth: walls, counter front and options such as lit logo signs and screens.
What does a 10×10 booth rental cost at BoothJet?
$3,999 to $8,999 all-in, depending on the design, with union labor, drayage, delivery, graphics and power included. Sales tax is added.
Ready-made booths from $3,999: union labor, drayage, delivery, graphics and power included. See yours in 3D before you book.