Exhibition stand cost
How to compare two stand quotes
Ömer Faruk Süer · Senior Sales Manager · 2 min read · Last updated:
Short answer
How do you compare two stand quotes?
First reduce both quotes to the same scope list: design, technical drawings, production, printed graphics, freight, installation, dismantling, storage. Mark which items each quote includes. Only after that table do the prices become comparable. A square metre rate on its own says nothing: the supplier who folds freight into it looks expensive, the one who leaves it out looks cheap.
The scope table
A one-page table is enough. Items down the left, suppliers across the top. The items: concept design, 3D visual, revisions included, technical drawings, structure, furniture, printed graphics, lighting, electrical installation, freight, customs, installation, technical support during the show, dismantling, storage.
Our own pricing page states this boundary openly: what the square metre rate covers and which items are budgeted separately. Ask every supplier for the same.
Four questions beyond price
- What is the delivery date and what does it depend on? "Before the fair" is not a date. The day by which design approval is due should be in writing.
- How many revisions are included? Two at concept stage is standard. A promise of unlimited revisions signals an argument later.
- Who is accountable on site? Is the person running the build named in the contract, and who do you call when something is missing? Abroad, this is the sharpest question.
- What happens after tear-down? Does the stand stay yours, go into storage, or get scrapped? If it is reusable, what does storage cost?
Reading the cheap quote
A markedly cheap quote hides one of three things: narrow scope, lower material quality, or site work left undefined. All three can be legitimate — if your need really is narrow, the cheap quote is the right one. The problem is deciding without knowing where the difference comes from.
Ask how the design stage runs, too; we set out the order we follow on the stand design page. A supplier who cannot describe the process may not be managing it.
How many quotes should we get?
Three is enough. More does not make comparison easier; it stretches the design stage and devalues the concept work each supplier puts in.
Should we ask for a visual with the quote?
Yes, but also ask in writing that the visual becomes an annex to the contract. The gap between the approved visual and the built stand is the most common dispute.