Hehehe...
I spent 7 years in the residential construction business. I started out toting lumber on the framing crew. Then worked my way into siding, cornice, and decks. Finally I worked my way into interior trim, learned how to put up 6 piece crown mould right, learned how to do judges paneling, and pretty much thought I was at the pinnacle of the carpenter world.
And then I got a job in an Exhibit-Museum-Themed enviroment company and discovered real quick that I wasn't the carpenter I thought I was at the time.
Yes, it takes skill to take a bundle of lumber and plywood and turn it into a house.
But it takes a lot more skill to take a bundle of 3/4" birch plywood and a skid of formica, build elaborate odd geometry structures that can be as large as 300'X600' and two stories, with budgets in the millions. And since the vast majority of our clients are large Fortune 500 companies, well, anal retentive does not even begin to describe how picky they can be.
But wait, there's more. Since the typical trade show exhibit is not a permanent structure, and the time allowed by most convention centers for set-up/dismantle is usually limited to 24 hours, each component must be designed and built to be installed a quickly as possible without using nails, screws, or bolts. Most walls, headers etc. attach using hidden casket type cam locks operated by an allen wrench.
But wait, there's more. Most exhibit components use formica as an exterior finish for most all surfaces, walls included. Since there is no paint step involved, there is no nice painter to come behind you with his caulk gun to hide imperfections. Every component that butts to another must be constructed as absolutely straight, flush, and square as possible. Mr. Fortune 500 isn't going to tolerate crappy work on a booth he spent $1.5 mil on.
Click on the following link, I had a hand in the Panasonic, Philips, XM satellite, and Taylor Made booths.
http://www.sparksonline.com/exhibits/index2.html