Trade show success hinges on a few critical factors, one of which is whether your environment effectively communicates your brand story and engages your target audience. Yet many companies struggle to determine which exhibit approach—custom, custom rental, or standard rental—will deliver the optimal balance of impact and investment. In this guide, we explore the strategic implications of each option. We share success stories that demonstrate how each choice, when it is the right one, makes your trade show presence truly memorable.
Understanding Custom Exhibits vs. Custom Rentals vs. Rental Exhibits
Choosing between custom, custom rental, and standard rental exhibits is a strategic consideration that impacts your brand presentation, operational flexibility, and long-term event marketing approach. The decision-making factors include cost, storage, refurbishment needs, adaptability across different show environments, and more. Understanding these nuances will help you develop an exhibition strategy that aligns with your immediate goals and long-term marketing objectives.
Pros & Cons of Custom Exhibits
Custom exhibits are the pinnacle of brand expression. These bespoke environments are designed for your brand, with every element tailored to support your marketing objectives. They offer unparalleled opportunities to create memorable, immersive experiences that stand out on the show floor. Here are the most critical considerations:
Long-term Brand Investment
A custom exhibit is usually a capital expense with a longer-term allocation, typically three years or more. While the initial investment is higher, the absence of per-show rental fees for the exhibit structure provides cost advantages over time for companies with robust show schedules.
Complete Creative Control
If you can dream it, we can create it. Hamilton uses in-house production capabilities—encompassing engineering, fabrication, paint, graphics, and production—to bring your unique brand visions to life. Our fabrication team leaders collaborate from project inception, employing techniques and materials that maximize efficiency while delivering distinctive designs.
Ownership Considerations
Custom exhibit ownership comes with additional considerations, including storage fees between shows and occasional repair requirements. The ongoing costs should factor into your long-term exhibition strategy.
Case Study: Dematic at MODEX
Dematic partnered with Hamilton for MODEX 2024 to create a custom, transformative trade show presence showcasing their material handling systems and supply chain solutions in an innovative, digital-first approach. The experience featured a bold all-black design with over 550 synchronized LED video components that produced an immersive, digitized atmosphere.
The standout feature was a large, custom anamorphic video screen suspended above the exhibit entrance, displaying stunning 3D animations of Dematic’s equipment solutions. This technological marvel–the first of its kind at MODEX–stopped attendees in their tracks. Inside, two floor-to-ceiling concave LED video walls dominated: one dedicated to digital storytelling and branded content, the other offering an interactive headset-less VR experience allowing visitors to explore Dematic’s solutions using wireless controllers.
The results were extraordinary. The unconventional structure and harmonized LED content created a distinctive experience that stood out dramatically on the show floor, exceeded show objectives, and garnered coveted awards.
Pros & Cons of Custom Rental Exhibits
Custom rental exhibits offer a compelling middle ground for brands seeking creative flexibility with more manageable investment levels. A hybrid approach combines rental structures with custom-fabricated elements. You own essential brand-specific assets and rent other components. Here’s what you need to know:
Balanced Investment Strategy
Custom rentals require less capital investment than fully custom solutions, with costs divided between rental fees and custom fabrication. This approach is particularly cost-effective for brands with evolving messaging or those testing new exhibit strategies.
Strategic Customization
The custom rental approach allows brands to selectively invest in owning mission-critical assets, such as product displays or interactive elements, while utilizing rental components for structural elements. Opting for a selective ownership strategy provides both creative freedom and financial flexibility.
Case Study: Elanco at VMX
For VMX 2024, Elanco collaborated with Hamilton to create an engaging experience that would educate attendees about their animal health innovations. The exhibit needed to be reconfigurable for future shows while incorporating components from previous Elanco exhibits. The attendee journey began at the reception counter, flowing through five learning stations positioned along the perimeter, culminating in a theater, hospitality area, and puppy playground. The results were measurable and impressive. Hamilton placed seven beacons throughout the exhibit to track visitor engagement, revealing that attendees' dwell time nearly doubled compared to 2023, with a conversion rate 20% higher than previous shows. Engaged visitors spent an average of nearly 11 minutes in one or more activation stations.
Pros & Cons of Rental Exhibits
Rental exhibits offer tremendous flexibility for companies with diverse show schedules, limited budgets, or those testing new markets. Hamilton maintains an extensive inventory of high-quality rental assets that are available exclusively to our clients.
Standardized Solutions
Kit rentals provide standardized designs calibrated to specific booth sizes, offering turnkey solutions for companies seeking professional presence without the commitment of ownership.
Extensive Asset Options
Our rental inventory includes aluminum extrusion frames, double decks, kiosks, counters, and pedestals, demo stands and ID towers, product displays and cases, monitor mounts and stands, tablet enclosures, furniture and hospitality elements, hanging signs, complete exhibit properties, crating systems, and electronics/AV equipment.
Rental solutions provide maximum flexibility while minimizing logistical complexities, making them ideal for companies with varied show schedules or ventures into uncharted territory.
Determine Your Best Option with Hamilton
Hamilton's approach to event marketing begins with understanding your specific objectives. Our design specialists collaborate closely with clients through a comprehensive discovery, strategy, and design process.
Hamilton is a full-service experiential and event marketing agency with a 75-year legacy creating immersive brand experiences for companies worldwide. We design, produce, and execute integrated experiences – exhibits, events, environments, and digital solutions – that drive meaningful connections between brands and their audiences.
To learn more about how Hamilton can elevate your next exhibit experience, contact us today.