Inventory
The Inventory module is where you track every physical asset your company owns — structural pieces, graphics, furniture, AV equipment, and more. This is the same inventory you reserve items from when setting up a project (see the Inventory tab in the Project Management article).
Viewing Your Inventory
Click Items in the left sidebar (under Inventory) to see your full inventory list. Each item shows its Image, Name, Category, Sub-category, Condition, Status, Quantity, Location, and Barcode.
Use the search bar and filters at the top — All Categories, All Statuses, All Conditions — to quickly find a specific item, especially useful as your inventory grows.There's also a Long-Term Storage tab next to All Items, for tracking items that are stored away and not currently in active rotation.
⚠️ New to ShowBase? This list will be empty at first. You'll need to add every item your company owns before you can reserve them for a project — there's no default inventory pre-loaded, since every company's equipment is different.
Adding a New Item
Click + Add Item (top right of the Inventory page) to open the Add Inventory Item form.
Fill in the required fields:
- Name — a clear, descriptive name (e.g., 39.06" x 95.2" Aluvision Frame")
- Category — select from the dropdown: Structural, Graphics, Flooring, Furniture, AV and Tech, Cases and Crates, Hardware, or Consumables
- Sub-category — optional, for more specific grouping (e.g., "Tension Fabric" under Structural)
- Barcode ID — scan or type one if your team uses barcode tracking
- Quantity — how many units of this item you have
- Condition — Excellent, Good, Fair, or Damaged
The rest of the fields help track the item's value and specs, and are optional but recommended:
- Material, Length, Width, Height, Weight — physical specs, useful for shipping and space planning
- Purchase Date, Purchase Cost, Book Value, Replacement Cost — for financial tracking
- Rental Rate ($/day) — if you charge clients to rent this item
- Description — any extra notes about the item
💡 Tip: Fill in Condition honestly and keep it updated over time. Items get damaged during install/dismantle cycles — flagging a "Fair" or "Damaged" item early prevents your team from accidentally reserving broken equipment for the next show.
⚠️ Common mistake: Choosing the wrong Category just to save time (e.g., putting everything under "Structural"). This makes filtering nearly useless once your inventory grows past a few dozen items — take the extra few seconds to pick the accurate one.
Understanding Item Status
Back on the main Inventory list, the Status column shows whether an item is available or currently tied up. For example, an item marked Reserved means it's already been assigned to an upcoming project (see How to Reserve Items in the Project Management article).
Viewing Item Details
Click on any item from the Inventory list to open its full detail view. Here you'll find everything about that item in one place — specs, images, storage location, availability, and history.
At the top, you'll see the item's Condition and Status badges, plus Edit Item and Delete buttons. Below that, Item Details shows all the specs entered when the item was created — Category, Sub-category, Barcode, Material, Dimensions, Weight, Purchase Cost, Rental Rate, Replacement Cost, and Quantity (with a quick Edit link to adjust it on the spot).
Further down, the Images section lets you attach reference photos of the item — useful so your team can visually confirm it's the right piece before pulling it for a show. Click Choose File to upload one.
Storage Area
This shows exactly where the item physically lives — for example, "Main Warehouse · Rack 1" — along with its footprint and who assigned that location. Click Change to move it to a different storage spot.
⚠️ New to ShowBase? If you don't have any storage areas set up yet, this section will be empty and you won't be able to assign a location. Storage Areas are created in the Warehouse module — see the Warehouse article to set up your facilities and racks before assigning items to them here.
Availability Check
Before reserving this item for a new project, use Availability Check to confirm it's actually free during your show dates. Enter a From and To date, then click Check.
Reservations & Maintenance Log
Reservations shows every project this item is currently booked for — if empty, it will say "No active reservations." Maintenance Log lets you track repairs, cleanings, or any service done to the item over time. Click + Log Event to record one — helpful for knowing an item's condition history before sending it out again.