Computer Equipment Rental
For our recent fundraiser the event planner spoke to me about computer rentals and her needs for the project. We didn't comparison shop, we just went with who we used last year, Rent-A-PC (site). They not only made the planning easier but the tech that came knowledgeably and quickly put together the PCs into a peer-to-peer network. Granted some of it was setup beforehand but that's the point, our project was handled well. I'm sure many rental equipment companies can do a comparably good job.
The costs were not great and so renting the units made far more sense than buying equipment for a one day event. Plus, working with an equipment provider whose prime directive is the maintenance of their wares gave me some confidence that we weren't going to be stuck with lemons. In the end the event went well.
Then another event crept up on me. Other departments decided they would handle a west coast event by themselves. However, at crunch time they needed my help. That was fine but suddenly I was getting so many requests for equipment purchases under the logic that it was cheaper than renting them. Without seeing the numbers I took their word. Since this is a multi-day event, I imagined costs could add up. Then I started seeing numbers and thought things like, "$50 a day for a presentation remote seems high." There was too much happening for me to get any deeper into the matter so I let it go and just ordered the equipment.
Today is the event, the equipment is in, and I now understand why the gear was so expensive. The staff rents equipment directly from the hotels where they are conducting their events.
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For anyone that does this: don't do this. Would you even buy a bag of peanuts from a hotel? Of course not! Then why would anyone pay $500 a day for a laptop? Just give the money to me. I'll waste it far better than you. Besides, the twins are going need plasma TVs.
Owning your own equipment is nice until it breaks, gets old, or you can't figure out how to set it up. Renting it from a dedicated computer equipment vendor should mean you get some support and a few less headaches during your event. I suppose that's the allure of renting from the hotel, but the costs don't justify it. Of course your rental choices are determined by how involved the hotel is in your event but if you can bring your own equipment, you can certainly rent from somewhere else too.
Tags: nptech computer rental
The costs were not great and so renting the units made far more sense than buying equipment for a one day event. Plus, working with an equipment provider whose prime directive is the maintenance of their wares gave me some confidence that we weren't going to be stuck with lemons. In the end the event went well.
Then another event crept up on me. Other departments decided they would handle a west coast event by themselves. However, at crunch time they needed my help. That was fine but suddenly I was getting so many requests for equipment purchases under the logic that it was cheaper than renting them. Without seeing the numbers I took their word. Since this is a multi-day event, I imagined costs could add up. Then I started seeing numbers and thought things like, "$50 a day for a presentation remote seems high." There was too much happening for me to get any deeper into the matter so I let it go and just ordered the equipment.
Today is the event, the equipment is in, and I now understand why the gear was so expensive. The staff rents equipment directly from the hotels where they are conducting their events.
O...
M...
G...
For anyone that does this: don't do this. Would you even buy a bag of peanuts from a hotel? Of course not! Then why would anyone pay $500 a day for a laptop? Just give the money to me. I'll waste it far better than you. Besides, the twins are going need plasma TVs.
Owning your own equipment is nice until it breaks, gets old, or you can't figure out how to set it up. Renting it from a dedicated computer equipment vendor should mean you get some support and a few less headaches during your event. I suppose that's the allure of renting from the hotel, but the costs don't justify it. Of course your rental choices are determined by how involved the hotel is in your event but if you can bring your own equipment, you can certainly rent from somewhere else too.
Tags: nptech computer rental
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2 Comments:
I've found that seeking the best price for rental equipment when setting up for an event like a trade show can be a false economy. We've learned to just go with the service that the hotel is using for the event.
If you are confident that your needs will not suddenly morph during the event, and that nothing will go down midway through the first day, you are probably OK. But if you need support, or decide you really need a second monitor or projector part-way through the event, the guys working the how can usually have it for you in minutes, but good luck getting a return visit from the company you found privately in less than a few hours.
By Michael Stein, at 27 October, 2006 15:53
Agreed! Saving a few bucks upfron can really cost you in the long run. But you can also shop around for service. Computer rental aggregators companies like Rentacomputer.com do a great job servicing cities worldwide with multiple rental companies technologies, installers, engineers and av technicians. Visit Rentacomputer.com for details.
By John Beagle, at 22 January, 2007 12:13
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