The Difference between Renting and Renting.
Over the years of doing business in the US- and European Trade show-Markets, I ever so often have to deal with the different approaches to the meaning of rental-exhibits in Germany and the USA. A recent project with one of Chicago’s major exhibit-houses and a German exhibitor, wanting to set the stage for upcoming projects in the US, caused me to give this a little more thought.
Although there is more to it when digging a little deeper, in a few words one could characterize the American Exhibitors habit as, purchasing an exhibit for multiple use over a certain amount of years. Once those years have expired, a new exhibit will be obtained, and the old one will be either trashed, or sold, or may even enter a “rental-stock” of the exhibit-house, that originally built the exhibit for it‘s client. So, once a new client inquires for a rental exhibit, he is being offered those existing exhibits with minor changes in graphics and colors. Not many US-based exhibit-houses do practice a rental concept, that would actually lend any kind of materials or structures to a client, for a nominal fee, which would add up to recognizable revenues during the course of a rental life of so many rentals per piece.
The European exhibitors habit, however is, to rent the materials for one certain exhibition, and decide from case to case, what exhibit would fit the next purpose best. Of course, there are European exhibitors who have long-term-plans and enter into long-term-relationships with exhibit-houses, and have their exhibit at least partly custom-build. But the general idea is, to have an attractive and economic exhibit, with no commitment for any kind of responsibility for material-maintenance, storage and shipping, beyond the one contracted show ahead.
This is where the European Modular-Systems are coming into play. Those systems are not meant to be sold to any certain exhibitor. They are merely the precious stock of the exhibit-house, where most of them base their living (and fortune) on.
In order to give the exhibit an individual look, custom-designed pieces are being added. The advantage for both, the exhibitor and the exhibit-house is obvious: The exhibitor has no headaches with changing exhibit-plans, different booth-sizes, maintenance and storage, and the exhibit-house makes money on the same material over and over.So, when you as a US-Exhibit-house get your next rental-inquiry from a European client, you might want to think of this, as your clients preferred solution.
I hope you've found this article interesting and useful for planning your next exhibition. If you have any questions about this or other related topics, please don't hesitate to contact me by phone at
Copyright Horst Tondasch, 2007 - 2010