I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen vendors get hit with electricity fees…
…but this one took the cake.
I was at a venue once where we were told it would be $125 just to use an outlet.
For an outlet.
Needless to say, that was a quick “no.”
And honestly? It got me thinking—why are we still building booths that require electricity?
I was talking with a vendor recently who had a setup I hadn’t seen before, and I loved it.
They’re using portable lighting from Silicon Lightworks with rechargeable batteries. No cords. No hunting for outlets. No extra fees.
Here’s the part that really stood out:
- One battery runs a light for about 14 hours
- Two lights will still get you through a full show day
- The battery is about the size of a phone charger
That’s it. Done.
They also had a fan running off a battery from Ryobi—and it lasted all day. If you’ve ever done a hot summer market, you already know that’s not optional… that’s survival.
Is it an upfront investment? Yes.
But let’s do the math real quick…
$25 here. $40 there. Maybe even $125 if you run into that venue again.
How many shows before your equipment pays for itself?
And now you’ve got:
- A cleaner setup (no cords running everywhere)
- More flexibility in booth placement
- Backup power for storms, travel, and outdoor events
Booth Boss Takeaway
If a venue is charging you triple digits for an outlet…
It might be time to stop needing one.