How much does event unit hire cost in the UK?
- Stephen Lambert
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
An honest guide to what a mobile showroom, hospitality unit or brand activation unit actually costs, what is included in the price, and what is quoted on top. Prices correct at the time of writing and shown as starting points.
It is the first question most brands and agencies ask, and the one most suppliers avoid answering on their website. You fill in a form, wait for a callback, and get a number with no way of knowing whether it is fair.
We publish our prices. This guide explains what event unit hire costs in the UK, what sits inside the day rate, and the factors that move the final figure up or down. Every price below is a starting point, shown from a figure, and every price is plus VAT.
Event unit hire cost: the short answer
Event unit hire in the UK typically ranges from around £5,995 + VAT for a single-day open sided unit to £18,495 + VAT for a two-storey hosting package. Most single-unit brand activations land somewhere between £8,000 and £20,000 + VAT once branding, equipment and the number of days are accounted for.
That is a wide range because event units are not a single product. A branded shell for a product display and a fully equipped hospitality lounge with an upper deck are very different briefs, and they are priced very differently.
Starting prices by unit type
These are day-one starting prices with Event Activators. Every figure is plus VAT, and every figure includes nationwide HIAB delivery, installation and collection.
Unit | From (day one, + VAT) | What it is |
Open sided Showroom | from £5,995 + VAT | Open deck for vehicle or product display, branded fascia, pairs with a hosting unit |
6m Lounge | from £7,995 + VAT | Fully equipped hospitality unit, compact footprint |
7.2m Lounge | from £8,995 + VAT | Fully equipped hospitality unit, full footprint |
Storefront | from £9,495 + VAT | Fully brandable unit including full external graphics |
Lounge and Terrace | from £17,995 + VAT | Lounge with an open upper deck, hosting space doubled |
Storefront and Terrace | from £18,495 + VAT | Storefront with an open upper deck |
The Mothership | price on application | Two-storey configuration, configured to brief |
Additional days are £500 + VAT per unit across the range. A three-day hire, therefore, is the day-one price plus £1,000 + VAT, not three times the day rate, which is what makes multi-day activations and roadshows more efficient per day.
What is included in the price
This is where suppliers differ most, so it is worth being precise about what our day rate covers.
For a Lounge, the day rate includes the fully equipped unit, with integrated WiFi, a 75-inch UHD screen, a portable air con unit, a Nespresso machine, an integrated fridge, lounge chairs, LED lighting and 32A power connectivity, plus a standard branding pack of branded fascia and glass graphics, and nationwide HIAB delivery, installation and collection.
For a Storefront, the day rate includes the unit, the full external tension fabric graphic wrap, and delivery, installation and collection. The Storefront is a blank canvas, so equipment is chosen as options rather than included as standard, which is what allows an agency to fit it out precisely to the client's brief.
Delivery, installation and collection are included in every price, nationwide across mainland UK. There is no separate mileage charge for a standard mainland delivery.
What is quoted on top
An honest cost guide has to be equally clear about what is not in the starting price. These are the common additions, all quoted alongside the unit based on the brief, and all plus VAT:
Additional days at £500 + VAT per unit. Interior branding on a Storefront, where three printed walls are typically from £3,000 + VAT. Equipment options on a Storefront or Showroom, such as a screen, air con, a Nespresso machine, a fridge, WiFi, furniture or a counter, each priced individually. Site extras such as raised decking, silent generators for off-grid sites, garden furniture, flags, cafe barriers and planting. Services such as brand ambassadors and on-site staffing, drawn from an experienced pool and quoted to brief. And an optional site survey at £500 + VAT where access or ground conditions need confirming before delivery.
None of these are compulsory. A brand with its own staff, its own AV and a straightforward site may need none of them. The point of quoting them separately rather than bundling them is that you pay for what your activation actually needs.
What moves the number
Five factors drive the difference between the starting price and the final quote.
The unit. The single biggest factor. A hosting lounge, a branded shell and a two-storey package are different products at different prices.
The number of days. At £500 + VAT per additional day, a longer hire spreads the fixed cost of delivery and branding across more days, lowering the effective daily rate.
The branding. A standard branding pack is included on a Lounge and full external graphics are included on a Storefront. Interior graphics, full wraps and custom artwork design are priced on top.
The equipment and extras. A bare Storefront and a fully fitted-out Storefront with reception desk, kitchen unit and furniture are meaningfully different totals.
The site. A mains-powered hardstanding site needs nothing extra. A remote field may need a generator or ground protection, though trackway is arranged by the event organiser rather than by us.
Roadshows and multi-event programmes
If you are running the same activation across several events, the cost model changes in your favour. A single unit is relocated between sites, and with our gel-edge tension fabric branding the printed graphics lift out and re-install cleanly, so the same brand set travels the tour rather than being reprinted for each leg. Additional days at £500 + VAT and reused branding together make a multi-event programme materially more efficient per event than a series of one-off hires.
How our pricing compares to trailers and containers
Exhibition trailer hire and shipping container conversions are priced on a different basis, and both are legitimate choices for the right brief. Trailer hire varies with size and tow logistics and is quoted by those suppliers. Container activations are often taken on longer hires because the branding is painted or wrapped and committed to the unit, which spreads that cost over a longer period. Our units are hired by the day or the event, with branding that changes per hire. Which is more cost-effective depends entirely on how many events you are running and how often the brand look needs to change.
The important caveats
Every price in this guide is a starting point, shown as a from figure, and every price is plus VAT at the prevailing rate. Prices are indicative and correct at the time of writing; they are not a quotation and may change. The specification included in each unit, and the terms on which it is hired, are set out in the Booking Agreement provided with every formal quotation, which takes precedence over anything in this guide. A booking is confirmed on a signed Booking Agreement and deposit, and cancellation terms apply on a sliding scale from the point of booking. Nothing here forms an offer or a contract.
For an exact figure, the fastest route is to tell us the unit, the dates, the branding and any extras, and we will return a full written quotation within 48 hours, and a render of the unit in your brand within 72 hours.
See the full fleet and published pricing on our fleet page · Get a quote within 48 hours - contact us.
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