Trade Show Displays - Buy New or Refurbish? A Discussion on ROI

Buy a new trade show display or fix up your current one? The question to refurbish the current (paid for) display or go buy a new is on many of our customers’ minds today. As we start the long and uncertain path of economic recovery, the question is when and what to invest.

In our 20+ years of experience, this question needs to be answered without emotion. Your primary approach should be financially, and then professionally as a Brand Manager. If the current display cannot be refurbish or reconfigured, or manipulated to meet the current brand standards, then you have grace period of about a year to make your change.

However, if the ROI on the current booth, after all expenses, does not work out for after each show over 12 months, the sunk cost of the booth and low cost of refurbishing does not outweigh the need for an updated, lighter exhibit. In this case, ROI refers to your return on sales investment. If a booth meets brand standards and stated ROI/ROO objectives, age should not be a deciding factor. However, when the exhibit’s return and branded appeal are no longer favorable, the time has come to buy or rent your new branded environment.