Choosing a touchscreen for your exhibition stand

A touchscreen is the centrepiece of most interactive stands - it is where your game, product selector or presentation actually lives. Choosing the right one, and deciding whether to hire or buy, makes the difference between a smooth show and a stressful one. Here is what matters.

Size and resolution

For a stand, a screen needs to be visible from the aisle and comfortable for one or two people to use at once. A 32-inch class display is a practical sweet spot - large enough to draw the eye, small enough to be portable. Insist on 4K resolution: product imagery, text and branding look crisp up close, which matters when visitors are standing right in front of it.

Portability and power

Exhibition logistics are brutal on kit. A screen on a wheeled, height-adjustable stand is far easier to position and move than a wall-mounted panel. Battery power removes the scramble for a floor socket and lets you place the screen anywhere on the stand; for longer days, check you can also run it on mains.

If you would rather not own, transport, store and maintain hardware, hiring a fully managed screen - delivered, set up and collected - removes the entire logistics burden.

Content and connectivity

A screen is only as good as what runs on it. Look for a display that can run your content on board (many modern touchscreens run Android), so you do not need to source a separate laptop or PC. And make sure your content works offline, because you cannot rely on venue wi-fi.

Hire or buy?

If you exhibit occasionally, hiring is almost always the better value: no upfront cost, no storage, and someone else handles setup and faults on the day. If you exhibit constantly and want the screen permanently branded and configured, buying can pay off - but factor in transport, insurance and support.