Temporary or Permanent?: Which is More Beneficial for Business

Companies that book a robot for an event for the first time often ask afterwards: “Wouldn’t it be easier to have our own?” The answer depends not on the robot’s price but on how often and for what you need it. Let us look at both options honestly – pros and limitations.

When inviting over is the right choice

• One-off events. A yearly conference, a corporate party, a store opening. Taking a robot forever for one date makes no sense.
• Testing an idea. You are not sure how the audience will react to a robot. Inviting lets you test the format without a big investment.
• Different formats. Today you need a humanoid host, next month a robot dog for promo. When inviting, you pick the model for each task.
• No one to operate it.  Robot comes with our engineer – your team does not need to learn anything.
  

When taking for forever pays off

• Regular use. If the robot meets people every week – in a showroom, at presentations, in a training centre – the yearly cost of inviting over quickly approaches the cost of your own robot.
  
• A permanent role. A museum guide, a consultant in a salon, a participant in training courses. Here the robot must be on site every day, not by booking.
• In-house development. Your team wants to write code for the robot and integrate it into your systems. That needs your own platform, such as R1 Edu Pro D or Go2 EDU.
• A brand asset. A robot in your brand style becomes part of the company identity and builds recognition for years.

How to calculate

A simple way is to draw up a yearly usage plan: how many events, how many showroom days, how many training sessions. Multiply the number of events by an approximate invite price and compare it with the "Take forever" price including setup. Remember to account for:

• staff time spent on the robot;
• charging, storage and transport;
• updating scripts for new events;
• service and possible repairs.

Why “just taking a robot forever” is not the same as buying a solution

A robot out of the box knows basic moves and the manufacturer’s demo programmes. To make it do your task, it has to be programmed: behaviour, routes, lines, voice, AI integration. Without that, a purchased robot often ends up in a corner after the first month – the team lacks the time and skills to set it up.

That is why all our robots are turnkey: with behaviour configured for your task, prepared scripts and staff training. You get a robot that works from day one. More in “What a turnkey robot includes”.

A hybrid option

Some clients start by renting for 2-3 events to understand the audience’s reaction and the right format, and then take a robot forever with an already proven script. It lowers the risk: you buy not “a robot in general” but a tested solution.

What changes when the robot stays with you

Your own robot needs a responsible person. We train them to start and stop the robot, charge the batteries, switch scripts and work safely with visitors. For new events we can write scripts remotely or join complex events as support.

Questions to ask yourself before deciding

• How many times a year will the robot actually meet people – and who is responsible for each appearance?
  
• Do you have space to store and charge the robot between events?
• Do you need a robot in your brand style that clients will recognise?
• Will you develop scripts yourselves, or would you rather order them from us?
• Which metrics will show the robot has paid off: sales, leads, awareness, training results?

If you can answer most of these confidently, "Forever" is probably justified. If the answers are still vague, start with "Invite over": a few events with our engineer will give you the data to decide without risk.

Not sure which to choose? Tell us about your tasks – we will calculate both options and recommend the one that really pays off.