The Real Cost of Storing a Stand

Storage is a separate cost item, and it often does not appear in the first budget. Storing an exhibition stand after an event may initially look like a way to save money, and reusing the same structure at the next exhibition can seem like a way to avoid the cost of producing a new stand. In fact, costs arise between the stand leaving the exhibition venue and the day it is used again.

Dismantling the stand, properly packing its components, transporting them to storage, allocating sufficient storage space and protecting the stand until the next exhibition are only the beginning. When the stand is reused, the costs of retrieving it, checking the components, replacing damaged or missing parts, transporting it again and reinstalling it also need to be considered.

Which stands are worth storing?

Not every stand is economical to store. A stand produced specifically for one exhibition space, brand campaign or set of dimensions may not be suitable for reuse at another event. A different floor area, hall, entrance direction or exhibition regulation may require the stand to be redesigned.

A custom-designed exhibition stand whose parts were designed for reuse from the start, on the other hand, can be adapted to different exhibitions. Because the structural components can be rearranged and graphics replaced, the cost of storage can be spread across several exhibitions.

What is often missed in the storage calculation?

The real cost of storing a stand is not limited to the monthly storage fee. Dismantling and packing labour, storage space, transportation, protection or insurance requirements, maintenance before reuse and replacing missing components are all part of the calculation.

Before a storage decision is made, the number of times the stand will be reused, and at what sizes, is established first. If the same structure will be used only once more, the combined cost of storage and reinstallation is compared with the cost of producing a new stand.

Storing a stand does not automatically mean saving money. Any saving depends on the stand having been designed for reuse from the beginning, with components that can be dismantled and transported efficiently, and on the upcoming exhibitions suiting that structure. If reuse is a goal, stating it at the design stage allows the components to be planned accordingly.