Exhibit Rental or Custom Build – Which Way to Go?

Choosing whether to rent or own your exhibit property isn’t just a budget call—it’s a decision that impacts flexibility, consistency, and long-term ROI.
 
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer–but there is a right fit for your program goals! This guide breaks down the benefits and considerations of each approach to help you make the right decision.

Before we dive in, if you're exploring options for multiple shows, our experiential agency Spiro, part of the GES family, can help you shape a cohesive presence with the right mix of rental and owned options. They offer full-service solutions, whether for a single show or a complex program. If you are interested in affordable booth rentals, view our Exhibit Systems+ offerings.

Why Use Rentals

• Lower upfront investment: Renting avoids the capital expense of purchasing and allows you to preserve the marketing budget for activations, digital, and lead capture.
• Flexibility from show to show: Easily adapt size, layout, and messaging to match specific audiences or regional preferences.
• Speed and convenience: When you’re short on time, renting offers a faster path to the show floor—ideal for last-minute schedule additions or overlapping events.
• No ownership logistics: No need to worry about storage, maintenance, or managing inventory. That’s handled for you. A rental program also allows you to sidestep pull/prep and storage fees
• Sustainability through reuse: Renting supports circularity by reusing high-quality materials across clients—good for your program and the planet. Also, you avoid any potential disposal or recycling fees.
• Access to modern design and maintenance: You get high-impact, professional environments with updated aesthetics—without the depreciation that comes from owning. Renting gets you an exhibit that looks brand new at every show. You also avoid refurbishing and repair fees.
• Unusual Booth Size or Requirements– For a significantly larger or smaller booth size which is not expected to repeat, or one-time requirements (like a big presentation stage) it may make sense to rent – at least some components.
• Lower waste through shared use: Renting reduces environmental impact by reusing modular components across exhibitors, minimizing production and landfill waste.

When a Custom-Build Exhibit Makes Sense

• Guaranteed peace of mind: You’ll have the exact pieces necessary to use at each show for whatever products you’re displaying.
• Ready whenever you are: Minimize production times and costs, since most of your booth is already built and on standby.
• Unique brand recognition: Creating a distinct, owned booth that reinforces your brand identity and delivers a consistent attendee experience across shows achieves a greater visual response and draws more attendee attention and foot traffic.
• Greater long-term ROI: For programs attending 3+ shows per year, ownership often becomes more cost-effective than repeat rentals. The greater initial cost invested in a custom exhibit can pay great dividends for years to come. Various requirements and configurations are figured out at the front end, minimizing design and engineering costs for subsequent uses. Careful consideration goes into how the properties are crated, using cost-effective materials and minimizing required assembly work.
• Full creative control for consistent brand recognition: Design your environment down to every material, angle, and detail—tailored to your team’s specific needs. The look, feel, and colors of your exhibit booth are tailored to order and will be more consistent with your various other marketing messages and advertising efforts. Your company/brand can have a consistent and recognizable appearance around the world while adapting to the unique look and feel of the brands.
• Operational efficiency for cost savings: With pre-established crates, show files, and trained install crews, you reduce labor time and error. An owned property is the better option for a U.S. convention program as properties are generally transshipped from one location to another, resulting in significant savings on shipping and handling. Labor crews become familiar with the nuances of the properties and shave hours off installation & dismantle with continued use. Brand teams and agencies know what to expect and can create multi-purpose graphics.
• Built-in sustainability over time: Owning enables long-term reuse of materials and graphics, lowering emissions and waste from repeated fabrication and banner reprints.

Final verdict: When to Rent vs. When to Own Your Exhibit Properties
Rent when:

• You’re new to exhibiting or testing a new market
• You exhibit infrequently
• Your design or size varies from show to show
• You are short on time or internal resources

• You exhibit frequently with the same footprint
• You want full creative control and long-term ROI
• You need to store, maintain, and deploy efficiently across programs

To Rent or To Build – Pros vs. Cons

The best way to make this kind of decision is to break down the options into pros and cons. 

Rental PROS:  No capital expense No storage/maintenance charges Flexible design options Ideal for limited budgets More sustainable for infrequent exhibiting CONS: Limited inventory at times, posing potential availability issues May result in less brand consistency Changing solutions over multiple shows results in increased account, design, detailing, and I&D time   Custom build PROS:  Full access to inventory with no availability constraints Greater consistency in brand identity Cost-effective for frequent use due to reuse and property management strategies Full creative control Ability to transport to multiple shows  More sustainable for when exhibiting at several shows per year CONS: Higher upfront investment, including potential capital expenses  Requires storage & upkeep charges  Reduced ability to customize to one-off show needs