Comparisons
Compare your options
Straight answers to the choices exhibitors and event teams face most.
Most of these choices turn on one question that has nothing to do with the options themselves: how often do you exhibit? A single annual show rewards the cheapest adequate route. Three or more shows a year changes the arithmetic completely, because a reusable structure amortises across editions while a single-use build does not.
The second question is whether your stand's appearance is part of the product. If buyers judge your offer by the environment around it — jewellery, premium consumer goods, hospitality — finish is worth paying for. If they judge it on specification, it is not.
Custom vs Modular Exhibition Stalls
Choose a custom stall when you exhibit at one or two big shows a year and want a unique, premium look. Choose a modular stall when you do many shows, need to reuse the structure and want a lower cost per show.
Rent vs Buy an Exhibition Stall
Rent when you exhibit only a few times a year or your stall size changes. Buy (and store) a stall when you do several shows a year with a similar size, so you spread the cost over many events.
Octanorm vs Wooden Stall
Octanorm (aluminium system) stalls are faster and cheaper to set up and reuse. Wooden stalls take longer to build but allow any shape, finish and premium detail.
Shell Scheme vs Raw Space
Shell scheme gives you the organiser's ready-made panels, fascia and basic lighting; you only add graphics. Raw (bare) space is an empty floor where you build a full custom stall, with complete design freedom.
Local vs National Stall Fabricator
A local fabricator can be convenient for a single show in their city. A national fabricator gives you one partner, one design standard and one point of contact for shows in many cities.
Event Management Company vs In-House Team
An in-house team works for small internal events. An event management company is worth it when the event is large, public-facing or technical, because it brings vendors, crews, equipment and experience under one contract.
Comparing fairly
- Compare total cost across a year of shows, not the headline price of one
- Include storage, refurbishment, transport and the staff time spent coordinating vendors
- Get both options itemised against the same written scope
- Wait for the organiser's stand plan — open sides and height limits can rule an option out
- Ask what you still own after the show
FAQ
Common questions
Is a modular stall cheaper than a custom build?+
Per show, usually yes from the second show onward, because the frame is reused and only the graphics are reprinted. For a single one-off show the gap is much smaller.
Should I upgrade a shell scheme or take raw space?+
For stands under about 18 sq.m, an upgraded shell scheme — printed fabric over the organiser's panels, a raised floor, spotlights and a branded counter — gets you most of the way for a fraction of the cost.
Does a more expensive stand generate more leads?+
Not on its own. Lead volume tracks what happens on the stand — staffing, a reason to stop, and follow-up — far more closely than it tracks the build budget.
What should I compare between two quotes?+
Structure, graphics, lighting, flooring, furniture, transport, installation, dismantle and taxes, line by line. A lump sum hides which of those you are about to pay for twice, or not at all.
Exhibiting soon? Let's build your stall.