Buy or rent, there are options for everyone who hosts events. When the need for portable risers or staging equipment arises, the question of whether you should buy or rent your equipment always comes up.
There are a few distinct things that will determine which solution you should pursue. This article will help you determine which is best for you. Your answer may also be different for different pieces of equipment, as well.
When You Should Buy Equipment
If you are going to be using the equipment regularly, semi-regularly, or even just a few times throughout the year, it’s usually best to buy the equipment. In the long run, purchasing and owning your equipment is cheaper.
Now, you may want to own some equipment, but rent others. For example, a school may own choir risers and acoustic shells because they use them throughout the year during practices and small performances, but they might rent audience risers to provide extra seating during their largest performance of the year.
This makes perfect sense since they’re only using the audience risers once per year. If they were using the audience risers for every concert, it might make more sense to purchase them instead, depending on how many concerts they have.
Another benefit to owning your equipment is the fact that you have the ultimate control over it. You don’t need to wait to see if a rental company is available before deciding when you can have your event. You will also have your equipment available if you find out you need it with short notice and there’s no time to find a rental company.
You will also be able to keep the equipment maintained at a level that you’re comfortable with. Sometimes when working with a rental company, there can be uncertainty with what kind of shape it is in and how safe it will be.
The final reason why you should buy your equipment rather than renting is if you need specialty equipment for your events. Some theatres and auditoriums require custom equipment to meet the needs of their unique space. The good thing about high-end portable stage manufacturers is that they can create custom solutions for just about anything.
When You Should Rent Equipment
Renting is the best option if you don’t use your equipment often. If you only need to use it for an event once per year, then it’s probably best to rent. Again, there are times when renting certain pieces of equipment to supplement the equipment you own is the best option.
Storage space is important if you’re going to own your portable equipment, so if you don’t have enough storage space to keep it when it’s not in use or if you don’t have a crew to setup or take down the equipment before or after your events, renting is a better option for you.
The good news, though, is that some equipment is able to be set up with just one or two people and it stores compactly. Make sure you take a close look at your available storage space, the requirements of your equipment, and the availability of your crew before making a decision.
Whether you determine that you need to buy or rent equipment, the fact remains that you need to do your research when deciding on a company.
While you should know what you need beforehand, a good company will help you determine the best possible equipment for your events based on things like weight capacity, audience size, and more.
When preparing for your upcoming events, make sure you remember these points when deciding whether you should buy or rent your equipment.
This information is courtesy of StageRight, which offers music risers, acoustic shells, audience risers, & staging products for both large and small theaters and performance venues, www.stageright.com.
