Display hire terms: damage, loss and late returns

Why hire terms matter

Between the day the kit arrives and the day it's collected, damage, missing parts, dirty graphics and a late return are the things most likely to cost you money. The best protection is to settle each one in writing before you sign, then check the kit on the way in and on the way out.

This article sets out what to ask, what we publish about our own hire, and the checks that avoid surprises at the end. It's a plain-English guide, not legal advice. If your organisation has its own procurement or insurance rules, they come first.

How our hire works

Here's the starting point for any hire from us:

• One quote. You get one price for the kit, the printing of your graphics and the hire period.
• Hire period. We quote exhibition hire kits for up to five days, and the food and beverage sampling kit for up to two weeks. Ask for a quote if you need longer.
• Graphics. We print your artwork and fit it to the kit before it's dispatched.
• Set-up. Most kits assemble by hand, with no tools. One person can put up a SuperWall backdrop in about five minutes, or we can help install it at the venue if you prefer.
• Return. After the show, your team packs the kit down and sends it back. Kits leave from our Sydney warehouse, and we confirm delivery options once we know the venue and dates.

Our terms and conditions of trade apply to the goods and services we supply. Before you commit, ask us to confirm the points below in writing with your quote.

When does the kit become your responsibility?

Ask when responsibility passes to you and when it passes back. Is it when the courier delivers, when you sign for the kit at the venue, or when it's installed? Does it end when you hand the kit to the carrier, or when it's back in our warehouse?

Venue rules can make this matter. At Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, for example, the 2025 delivery notice for exhibitors says its staff "WILL NOT SIGN for any deliveries", and that items not collected within the official move-out period "will be disposed of, or additional charges for storage and handling will be incurred". Book the return collection before you leave for the show, and have someone from your team there to hand the kit over.

Damage or normal wear?

Ask how normal wear, such as scuffs and small scratches, is treated compared with real damage, such as a bent frame, a torn fabric skin or a cracked counter top. Ask how damage would be assessed and costed, and whether you'll see photos before you're charged.

Take most care at bump-out, when frames get pulled apart in a hurry or packed into the wrong bag. Our exhibition wall hire walls are aluminium frames with a zip-on printed fabric skin, and a packed 3 m wall is around 12 kg. Pack each frame back into its own bag.

What happens if a part goes missing?

Small parts are easy to lose at bump-out: joiners, feet, poles, clips and carry bags. Each of our hire walls comes with its own carry bag. Our display board kits come with connecting poles and joiners, feet for straight runs, and canvas bags that hold up to four panels each. Ask for a packing list with the quote, and ask how a missing part is charged.

Who keeps the printed graphics?

Your graphics carry your artwork, so ask what happens to them after the hire: whether you can keep them, store them for next year or have them destroyed. If you expect to come back for the same show, compare the cost of buying. You can buy any of our SuperWall systems outright and have the skin reprinted for later shows. Our guide to hire, buy or custom build works through the cost per show.

What does "clean" mean on return?

Ask what condition the kit should come back in. Food, drink and adhesives cause most cleaning problems, so plan for them:

• Posters on display boards. Our display board hire panels are Velcro-compatible on both sides. Self-adhesive Velcro fasteners come off cleanly, where tape may not.
• Fabric skins. Don't tape anything to a hired fabric wall. Our fabric graphics can be machine washed cold, but ask us before washing anything you've hired.
• Counters and tops. Wipe off food and drink before packing, so nothing sets in transit.

What if the show runs late or the return is delayed?

Our display board kits are shared across many events, which is why we suggest booking early for the busy conference months. Five days is enough for most shows once bump-in and bump-out are counted. If your show runs longer, or the kit can't go back straight away, ask for a longer hire period when you get the quote, not after the show.

Who insures the kit while you have it?

Ask whether the hire price includes any cover for damage or loss, or whether your own insurance has to cover it. Then check your policies with your broker. As business.gov.au describes them:

• Public liability insurance covers you if someone is injured, or their property is damaged, because of your negligence. Shows can make it a condition of exhibiting: the organiser of Sydney Build 2027 says ICC Sydney requires each exhibitor to hold cover of at least $10,000,000.
• Portable equipment insurance covers accidental loss, damage or theft of tools and electrical equipment you take on a job. Ask your broker whether that extends to hired equipment.

Freight is the other gap. Our deliveries policy, written for products, says they are "generally not insured against loss while in transit", and that you can refuse a delivery that arrives in poor packaging condition. Ask how a hire kit is covered on the way to the show and back.

What are your rights if the kit has a fault?

Hired goods can carry consumer guarantees too. The ACCC says most of them apply when a consumer hires a product, and a business can count as a consumer, for example when the product costs less than $100,000 including GST. Some guarantees, such as those about owning the product, don't apply to hire, so check the ACCC's guidance if it matters.

If something arrives faulty or doesn't match the description, tell us straight away, before the show opens. We offer on-site or after-hours help on show days for equipment we supplied.

A return checklist to avoid charges

Use this on the day the kit arrives and again at pack-down:

1. Photograph everything on arrival, including graphics, frames, counter tops and the contents of each case.
2. Count the parts against the packing list and report anything missing the same day.
3. Send us any existing damage, with photos, before the show opens.
4. Pack down in reverse order, each part in its own bag or case, the way it arrived.
5. Remove all posters, tape and Velcro dots you added, and wipe off food and drink.
6. Photograph the packed kit and the empty stand space before the carrier collects it.
7. Keep the consignment note and confirm with us when the kit is back.

Next step

To get a hire quote with these points confirmed in writing, start with our display and exhibition hire page, then send us your venue and dates through the enquiry form or call 1300 240 250.