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Trade Show Internet Rental vs Owning: What Each Costs per Show
Short answer: stop overpaying for venue internet. A dedicated 10 Mbps venue line costs $4,500 to $13,542 per show at advance rates. With MR·NET, a managed bonded cellular service from MOTIONRAY Inc., you own the gateway for $2,498, with the first year of service included, then renew at $1,499 a year. At three 3-day shows and 25 GB a day, that’s about $1,433 per show including data at $8/GB.
How often do you exhibit?
If you exhibit once a year, renting (from the venue or a rental company) can make sense. If you exhibit two or more times a year, owning a bonded gateway usually wins on cost, and the gap grows every show.
Three ways to pay for booth internet
There are three ways to get internet into a booth, and each bills you differently:
The venue line is bought fresh for every show, at a price that rises after the order deadline.
A rented kit is bought fresh for every show too, at a price that depends on the provider, the kit and how long you keep it.
An owned gateway is bought once with its first year of service included, then renewed at a fixed yearly price, plus the data you use.
So do the math per show. Here it is.
What do you pay for venue internet?
Venue internet is priced per order, with an advance rate for orders paid by a deadline and a higher rate after it. Across the 11 US convention centers in MR·NET’s venue guides that print exhibitor rates, advance prices are:
Venue service (advance rate) | Range | Median |
|---|---|---|
Dedicated 10 Mbps line | $4,500 (LVCC) to $13,542 (Javits) | $7,850 |
Dedicated 5 to 6 Mbps line | $2,500 (LVCC) to $7,222 (Javits) | $5,900 |
Entry wired or shared service | $500 (LVCC) to $1,575 (Javits) | Not calculated |
The deadline matters as much as the price. Miss it and the same 10 Mbps line costs more:
Venue (provider) | Advance deadline | Dedicated 10 Mbps, advance | Later prices printed |
|---|---|---|---|
Las Vegas Convention Center (Spectrum Business) | Placed and paid 30 days before the event start | $4,500 | Standard rates 20% higher; 20% expedite fee inside 72 hours |
Phoenix Convention Center (Smart City Networks) | 14 days before move-in | $4,800 | $6,100 base; $7,320 on-site |
Los Angeles Convention Center (Boldyn Networks) | 30 days before move-in | $7,065 | $8,831 standard; $10,598 Last Call (from 6 days out) |
George R. Brown, Kay Bailey Hutchison, San Diego (Smart City Networks) | 14 days before move-in | $7,850 | $9,810 base; $11,772 on-site |
Georgia World Congress Center (CCLD Networks) | 21 calendar days before the first show day | $9,995 | $10,595 base |
Moscone Center (Moscone Facility Services) | 10 business days before the event | $10,995 | $11,995 standard |
Javits Center (in-house) | 15 days before opening | $13,542 | $18,056 standard |
Source: each venue’s official exhibitor order form or price list, as quoted in MR·NET’s venue guides, verified October 8 and 19, 2026. Most guides price per show; Moscone’s and OCCC’s forms don’t say per day or per show, and each Javits price covers up to five days.
Two more things the venue price doesn’t include: the cost of ordering early (your team commits weeks before the booth plan is final) and a speed cap. A 10 Mbps line is 10 Mbps, however many devices you plug in.
What do you pay to rent a kit?
Rental pricing varies by provider, kit and show length, so we don’t list prices. What you can compare is the structure. Before you sign, ask:
How is it billed? Per day, per week or per show, and do move-in days count?
What does delivery cost, both ways? Who pays if the return is late?
Is there a deposit or a damage charge?
Is data included, and what happens when you go over?
How many carriers does the kit use at once? A kit that switches between SIMs is not bonding.
What plan are the SIMs on? Consumer or enterprise-tier.
Who answers the phone during show hours?
Then multiply by the number of shows you do a year. A rented kit costs the same at your sixth show as at your first.
What do you pay to own a bonded gateway?
MR·NET’s annual prepaid offer costs $2,498. You own the gateway; the first year of service is included; data is billed at $8/GB. After the first year, service renews at $1,499 per unit per year.
Month-to-month service is available on request; exhibitors who do more than one or two shows a year usually choose the annual plan. For heavy users, MR·NET’s custom plan offers prepaid data at $7/GB, plus custom data plans, advanced antennas and batch purchases for several booths.
The gateway is the MR 006 Plus: three preinstalled SIMs from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile on enterprise-tier plans, bonded at once into one connection, with four Gigabit Ethernet ports and Wi-Fi 6. It arrives preconfigured and setup takes a few minutes. Shipping is $24 standard (3 to 5 days) or $199 extra overnight; taxes are extra.
How much data? MR·NET customers typically use 10 to 40 GB per show day. That works out to:
Use per show day | Data for a 3-day show | Cost at $8/GB |
|---|---|---|
10 GB (light: email, lead capture, card payments) | 30 GB | $240 |
25 GB (the example used on this page) | 75 GB | $600 |
40 GB (heavy: streaming demos, video walls, video calls) | 120 GB | $960 |
To size your own booth, estimate your booth’s data.
What does each option cost per show?
Assumptions: 3-day shows at 25 GB a day ($600 of data per show), before shipping and tax. MR·NET per-show cost in year one is ($2,498 + $600 x shows) / shows; in year two it is ($1,499 + $600 x shows) / shows.
Shows per year | MR·NET, year one, per show | MR·NET, year two on, per show | Rented kit, per show | Venue dedicated 10 Mbps, per show |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 (trial only, first-time customers) | $900 | Not applicable | Varies by provider, kit and show length | $4,500 to $13,542 |
2 (annual plan) | About $1,849 | About $1,350 | Varies | $4,500 to $13,542 |
3 (annual plan) | About $1,433 | About $1,100 | Varies | $4,500 to $13,542 |
6 (annual plan) | About $1,016 | About $850 | Varies | $4,500 to $13,542 |
The one-show row uses MR·NET’s $300 first-month trial: first month only, first-time customers, first unit, credited toward purchase, with no data included. $300 + ($8 x 75 GB) = $900.
Change the data assumption and the year-one, three-show figure moves from about $1,073 per show (10 GB a day) to about $1,793 per show (40 GB a day). Every one of those numbers sits below the cheapest advance-rate 10 Mbps line in our venue guides ($4,500 at the LVCC).
What happens in year two?
Year two is where owning pulls away. You already own the gateway, so you pay only the $1,499 service renewal, plus data. At three 3-day shows and 25 GB a day, MR·NET costs about $1,100 per show, data included. The venue line costs the same as it did last year, or more if you order late. A rented kit starts from zero again.
What do the numbers leave out?
A fair comparison includes what doesn’t show up in a price table:
Shipping and tax. Add $24 per standard shipment to the MR·NET figures, plus tax.
Deadlines. Venue advance rates need orders paid 10 business days to 30 days ahead, depending on the venue. An owned gateway needs no order form.
Signal. A bonded cellular connection depends on carrier signal in the hall. Bonding three carriers on enterprise-tier SIMs helps when one carrier is congested, but it can’t create signal where none of the three has coverage.
Venue rules. Some venue providers restrict outside wireless equipment. The MR·NET gateway’s Wi-Fi can be switched off so booth devices run on Ethernet only. Check the rules and get the venue’s answer in writing; MR·NET doesn’t claim its gateway is allowed at any particular venue.
The cheap option that isn’t. A phone hotspot costs nothing extra, until the hall fills and your demo stalls on one congested carrier.
When is renting or the venue line the right call?
Owning isn’t always the answer. Choose the venue line or a rental when:
The show or venue requires house internet for what you’re running, and the provider won’t approve an Ethernet-only cellular setup in writing.
You need a fixed wired speed for something that can’t tolerate any variation.
Cell signal in the hall is weak on all three carriers. If you’ve exhibited there before, you’ll know.
You exhibit once, ever. The trial covers a first show for first-time customers. After that, a single show may not justify a year of service. Month-to-month service is available on request, or compare the venue’s early rate.
For a full checklist, see is venue internet worth it?, or browse venue internet prices by convention center.
How can you try it before you buy?
Start with the $300 first-month trial. It includes the gateway, needs no commitment, and is credited toward purchase if you keep it. Data is $8/GB from the first GB. If you don’t keep the gateway, you ship it back at your own cost. First-time customers also get a 14-day money-back guarantee. If you keep it, the annual plan is the way most repeat exhibitors go: you own the gateway, and the first year of service is included. Check current terms on MR·NET pricing.
See it on a show floor
A short video of Resilio’s trade show booth running on MR·NET, featuring Adam Kranitz, then CMO at Resilio.
Weighing whether to bring your own at all? Read how to bring your own internet to a trade show. Doing several shows next year? Get a quote, or see trade show internet options compared and how MR·NET trade show internet works. Every venue’s prices side by side: Convention Center Internet Price Index 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to rent or own trade show internet?
For two or more shows a year, owning usually costs less. With MR·NET you own the gateway for $2,498, which includes the first year of service, then renew at $1,499 a year, with data billed at $8/GB. At three 3-day shows and 25 GB a day, that is about $1,433 per show in year one and about $1,100 in year two. Rental pricing varies by provider, kit and show length.
How much does trade show internet cost per show?
A dedicated 10 Mbps venue line costs $4,500 to $13,542 per show at advance rates across the 11 US convention centers in MR·NET’s venue guides that print exhibitor prices, with a median of $7,850. Entry wired service costs $500 to $1,575. On MR·NET’s $300 trial, a 3-day show at 25 GB a day costs $900, plus shipping and tax.
How much data does a booth use per day?
MR·NET customers typically use 10 to 40 GB per show day. Email, lead capture and card payments sit at the low end; streaming demos, video walls and video calls push toward the high end. At $8/GB, a 3-day show runs $240 to $960 in data.
Can I rent MR·NET for just one show?
First-time customers can use the $300 first-month trial for one show: first month, first unit, credited toward purchase, with data at $8/GB. If you don’t keep the gateway, you ship it back at your own cost, and first-time customers get a 14-day money-back guarantee. Month-to-month service is available on request; exhibitors who do more than one or two shows a year usually choose the annual plan.
When should I order the venue’s internet instead?
Order the venue line when the show or venue requires house internet for your setup, when you need a fixed wired speed, or when cell signal in the hall is weak on all three carriers. Order before the advance deadline, which ranges from 10 business days to 30 days ahead depending on the venue.
What does year two cost?
You already own the gateway, so year two is the service renewal: $1,499 per unit per year, plus data at $8/GB. At three 3-day shows and 25 GB a day, that is about $1,100 per show.
Sources
MR·NET pricing and product facts: mrnet.us/pricing, /tradeshows and /live-events, checked October 27, 2026.
Venue prices, deadlines and late rates: official venue and provider order forms and price lists, as quoted in MR·NET’s venue guides (/tradeshow-venues), verified October 8 and 19, 2026.
MR·NET is not affiliated with or endorsed by any venue or venue internet provider mentioned on this page.
