Usually within a couple of events. Take the per-event hire fee, multiply by how many events you run in a year, and compare it to the one-off cost of owning a LED Bench Light Box at £199. For most businesses running events regularly, the owned bench overtakes repeat hire fast.
Add the things hire can’t price in: an owned bench is branded, always available, and never carries someone else’s wear, plus you save the separate signage cost each time.
The honest exception is a true one-off with no branding, where hire still wins. For anything repeating, buying pays. Plan it on a free mock-up.