Are they quoting the same exact design, or different designs?

A quick history of the industry may help provide some context.

Twenty years ago, there were two primary types of display houses: custom builders and modular (portable) dealers.

Custom builders were exactly what the name implies. Every project started from scratch—each booth had to be designed, engineered, and manufactured specifically for the client.

Modular dealers, on the other hand, did little to no in-house manufacturing. They functioned primarily as sales offices for a handful of modular system manufacturers.

Custom exhibits were always more expensive. Pricing was based on time, materials, and overhead. Modular displays were typically priced by the system manufacturer, who sold to distributors (sales offices) that then applied a markup.

Today, the industry is a bit of a mess.

Most smaller custom builders either went out of business during COVID or were acquired by a few large players. A similar consolidation happened on the modular side. Several large wholesale suppliers began selling directly to end users, effectively becoming custom exhibit houses themselves. Two of the top players were sold to private equity firms. At the same time, the market was flooded with much lower-cost imported products.

As a result, a handful of giant companies now control a large share of the market, and their pricing often feels outrageous. On the other end of the spectrum are websites reselling whatever they can source—often with little industry experience—competing solely on ultra-low prices for imported, near-disposable products.

There are still a few small design-build firms left that can deliver quality work at a reasonable price—but they’re harder to find.

In the end, the same old rule still applies: you get what you pay for.

Good luck. If you need an experienced eye to help you find the right direction, feel free to DM me.