Is your company considering a technology rental? You might be wondering how much it will cost. This article will explain the different factors that go into the cost of a technology rental so you’ll be able to get the best possible rate!
So instead of asking “How much does it cost to rent a laptop?” you should consider asking “How can I get the best rate for my technology rental?”
What factors go into the price of my technology rental?
To help you understand how to get the best deal on your desired technology rental, it’s essential to know which factors you need to consider. Aspects like the number of devices, duration of your rental, location of your event, necessary specifications, product availability, and lead time all factor into the final cost of your technology rental.
How do these factors affect my final rental cost?
- Quantity – While there is usually a pretty fixed cost for a singular device rental, if you rent in quantity, deals can be available. If you’re getting a laptop, tablet, iPhone, or other tech rentals in bulk, make sure to mention this as early as possible in your conversation with your rental representative in order to get the best deals! Keep in mind that bulk rentals often come with backup units in case any type of equipment malfunction happens during your event.
- Duration – The cost of your rental depends on the amount of time you need to keep the equipment. If you need a laptop for a day, it will be cheaper than if you need it for a week. The shorter term you need your rental equipment, the lower the price of your rental.
- Location – Our supplier hubs around the nation make our timely technology rentals possible, and most of them reside in major cities. If you’re close to one of our hubs, it will be cheaper than if we have to ship the equipment and have our technicians travel to you. Since technology rentals rely on a lot of logistical coordination, it’s important to know that when you need equipment fast, it isn’t just your rental representative that makes your rental possible, it’s a well-developed nationwide team dedicated to making your events successful.
- Specification – If you need a highly specific product and don’t have room for flexibility, your rental will cost more than, for example, if you just ask for a number of laptops capable of handling a certain task. When considering the rental cost of most laptops, desktops, tablets, or smartphones rentals, the less specific your request, the cheaper your rental will be.
Tip: If you have bulk orders that only require a certain technical specification, you’ll often get an upgrade for no additional charge if it’s available. For example, if you request some computers with an Intel i5 processor, our supplier may upgrade some of the machines to i7 if not enough i5 machines are in their current inventory. *Imaging services will still be available on all machines.
- Availability – If the product you’re trying to rent is commonly used in the event circuit, it will most likely cost less than a more niche device. This is because our suppliers keep a larger stock of more commonly rented items. Conversely, if your item is low in stock or if one of our suppliers needs to purchase additional equipment in order to facilitate your rental request, your rental cost will rise accordingly. However, the end result of large-quantity rentals is almost always cost savings, even if your requested technology needs to be ordered.
- Lead time – Although we are capable of providing technology rentals on somewhat short notice, this will affect your total rental cost. The sooner you let us know what you’ll need, the more time it gives our suppliers to coordinate their inventory – and the more savings that get passed down to you, the customer. To put it simply, the more time we have to arrange your rental, the lower the cost of your rental.
- Time of the year – Part of the reason why lead time is so important, the time of the year can affect your rental rate. For example, events are really popular in October, but by January most of our suppliers have a lot of their stock back. So if you order something in January, it will cost less than if you reserved it in October.
Want to know the average cost of various PC and AV equipment? Visit the bottom of our Computer & AV Rental Pricing page.
How do technology rentals work? What is the process?
If you’ve already decided that you want to save money on your next event with technology rentals, you may be wondering how the process works. Let’s break it down into 4 steps:
- Request a quote – This is the first step to getting a technology rental. Just contact us! You can call, text, fill out an easy online quote, or chat with a live agent on our website. Quote requests that are submitted during our business hours will receive a response in 15 minutes guaranteed! Outside of business hours, you’ll receive your quote early the next day.
- Review & Confirm – Now that you’ve communicated what you need with us, a Tech Travel Agent will send you a formal quote via email. If any questions come up after seeing the quote, or if you’d like to make a revision, you can easily contact your agent via email or the direct phone number that will be provided following your quote.
- Prepare, Deliver, & Ship – Now that we know what kind of equipment you need, we make sure it’s physically cleaned. After that, the software will be reset back to factory defaults *unless you have requested an exact image or custom software. If any imaging or software has been requested, that will be loaded and tested before we ship the equipment to your location. Once the equipment passes inspection, it will be shipped or delivered on time to your requested destination – with setup and troubleshooting available.
- Enjoy and Return – Now that you have everything you need you can enjoy your rental! Once your rental term has been completed, simply contact your Tech Travel Agent to confirm the details of the return of our equipment via either a pickup by a Rentacomputer.com technician or shipment via FedEx or UPS services using a preprinted return label.
Renting equipment makes sense
When you go out of town, do you purchase a car and a house? Probably not. That’s because you’re only going to be there for a limited time. The same logic makes sense when you consider your booth equipment, which may include things like A/V equipment (like video walls, other displays, speakers, and more), interactive kiosks, branded charging stations, VR equipment, iPads, laptops, social media displays, and event WiFi rentals.
If you can bring it to a trade show, you can probably rent it more cheaply – and these rentals are often tax deductible. For more information, consider reading “Bringing your own gear to a trade show isn’t that easy,” which could have easily been titled “Bringing your own gear to an event isn’t that cheap.”
If you’re looking for a free consultation for booth equipment rentals, as well as a free quote, there is no better option than Rentacomputer.com. With over 30 years of experience in the events industry, you’ll not only get the latest and greatest equipment but also top-of-the-line support from qualified tech travel agents.
Starting the rental process is as easy as submitting a quote. Just give us a brief description of what you are trying to accomplish and an experienced technology rental associate will get back to you right away!
Our agents coordinate all the logistics of delivery and installation and can have techs on call to troubleshoot and fix any problems that may arise with your rental technology. Our account manager, Randy Moore, specializes in exhibitor rentals like displays, kiosks, event engagement rentals, laptops, tablets, smartphones, internet hotspots, accessory rentals, and much more. Randy will gladly handle any questions you may have in regard to rentals to make your event exhibition easier. Contact Randy today at 1-800-736-8772 ext. 225 or fill out a fast, easy online quote form today.
Visit our PC & AV Rental Pricing Factors page to find out about our pricing estimates.
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