The business trend towards trade show display rentals began a couple years prior to the start of the current recession but there is no denying that the events that began last Fall have further spurred one of the biggest changes in the exhibit industry since the introduction of portable displays thee decades ago.

For decades businesses regardless of size have purchased their trade show displays and either stored them at their own facility or at their exhibit house. If the latter, the exhibit company would be responsible for preparing an exhibit to ship out to a trade show and giving it a good inspection upon it's return. The rest of the responsibility, hiring show labor, ordering carpets, electrical and shipping companies fell upon the shoulders of the trusty marketing director or event coordinator. That can lead to a lot of stress before the show even starts!

It's not that exhibit rentals haven't been around for awhile. It's just that one of the most dynamic changes in the industry for exhibit companies has been the adjustment from the traditional regional model of business to a more global one. Thus rentals have been available through local houses; it's just that they would only serve their local market. That doesn't help the company that has shows in multiple cities.

All of a sudden, it's possible to rent the same trade show exhibit for a show in Los Angeles and in Orlando. This works extremely well for exhibitors for at least two reasons. For one thing, you begin to feel a sense of comfort in any area of life as you become familiar with your surroundings. It provides a sense of ownership. Secondly, sometimes the graphics on large island exhibit rentals can cost $10,000.00 or more, so being about to use the same set for two shows 3000 miles apart saves a lot of money.