The trade show floor Robert Laarhoven entered in 1984 looks very different from the one event marketers know today.
Exhibits were largely divided between traditional custom builds and portable displays. Graphics were produced through processes that now feel almost unimaginable. Modular systems had yet to reshape the industry, and the role of an exhibit house was far more focused on building the physical booth than on the broader marketing strategy surrounding it.
In Episode 66 of The Event Marketer’s Toolbox, hosts Chris Dunn and Dana Esposito sit down with Robert for a conversation that spans more than four decades of exhibit industry history.
Robert shares how he entered the business with almost no trade show experience, helped introduce modular exhibit solutions to the U.S. market, witnessed the growth of the rental model, became the first systems-focused president of EDPA, and watched exhibit companies evolve into partners expected to understand marketing strategy, audiences, ROI, sustainability, and the entire attendee experience.
But this episode isn’t only a walk down memory lane. It’s a conversation about what the industry’s past can teach us about its future—and why the ability to adapt, build relationships, and keep learning remains just as important today.
1. There’s No Such Thing as an Overnight 40-Year Career
Robert’s entry into the trade show business wasn’t carefully mapped out.
After college, he initially planned to work in his father’s business. A trip to the Netherlands to see what his uncle was doing eventually introduced him to the exhibit industry, and in 1984 he started selling a portable display system in the United States with little more than an industry directory and a willingness to knock on doors.
Many exhibit houses turned him away. Some gave him a chance.
From there came expansion, successes, financial challenges, new businesses, new products, and plenty of lessons.
2. Modular Systems Changed More Than How Booths Were Built
One of the central conversations in the episode is the evolution from portable displays and traditional custom fabrication toward modular systems.
Robert remembers a time when portable and custom exhibit companies occupied very different parts of the industry. Early modular products started bridging that divide, but scaling those systems to larger exhibits could still mean managing an enormous number of panels, extrusions, and individual components.
That changed as products such as Delta Matrix entered the market.
After seeing the system used successfully in Europe, Robert and his business partner traveled to Belgium and secured North American distribution rights around 2000. Then the industry faced another major disruption: 9/11.
3. The Best Exhibit Isn’t Necessarily All Custom or All Modular
The discussion also challenges the idea that designers need to choose between creativity and efficiency.
Robert describes older custom exhibits that featured beautiful architectural forms and craftsmanship, while acknowledging the efficiency and flexibility modern systems provide.
His point isn’t that one approach should replace the other.
The opportunity is to use each where it makes sense.
A designer might use modular systems for meeting rooms or structural elements that need to be efficiently installed and reused, while incorporating custom fabrication, LED, graphics, and other elements where they create greater impact.
Ultimately, the objective isn’t to prove whether something is “custom” or “system.” It’s to create an engaging environment that helps the exhibitor achieve its goals while being smart about how the experience is produced.
4. Exhibit Houses Aren’t Just Building Booths Anymore
Perhaps one of the most important changes discussed in the episode has nothing to do with physical exhibit construction.
The expectations placed on exhibit partners have changed.
Chris points out that when he entered the business, building an impressive booth could largely be the goal. Today, conversations start much earlier: Who is the target audience? What personas are attending? How does the experience connect to the company's broader marketing program? And ultimately, what business result should the investment produce?
Robert traces this thinking back to early conversations about integrated marketing and explains why it has become even more important today.
Trade shows compete with every other marketing channel for budget. If companies can't demonstrate a return, those dollars can move somewhere else.
That means an exhibit partner's responsibility increasingly includes helping clients get more business value from their trade show investment—not simply delivering the physical environment.
5. Industry Relationships Can Shape an Entire Career
Another recurring theme throughout the episode is mentorship.
Robert initially joined EDPA because he saw it as an opportunity to access potential customers. But once he began attending conferences, his perspective changed.
He realized he wasn't there simply to sell.
He was there to learn.
Robert recalls being able to contact established industry leaders, ask questions, and receive advice despite running a much smaller company. Those relationships became an informal education and eventually led him to serve on the EDPA board and become the association's first systems-focused president in 1998.
For an industry built around face-to-face experiences, it's fitting that some of Robert's most important career lessons came from simply being in the room with people willing to share what they knew.
6. The Trade Show Floor Will Change Again
If there's one lesson four decades of exhibit history makes clear, it's that today's solution won't remain today's solution forever.
Robert expects the trade show floor of 2035 to look significantly different from today's environment, just as today's floor looks dramatically different from 1985.
Static environments have already given way to motion, sound, LED technology, digital content, and experiences that engage multiple senses. Robert expects that evolution to continue, with today's walls, systems, and LED tiles eventually replaced by technologies and materials that may be lighter, easier to work with, and more immersive.
But innovation alone won't protect the industry.
Robert also warns about the continued rise in exhibiting costs. Ultimately, exhibitors fund the ecosystem. If participating becomes too expensive relative to the value they receive, those marketing dollars can move into private events, direct marketing, or entirely different channels.
As he puts it, the industry has to be careful not to “kill the goose that laid the golden egg.”
7. For the Next Generation: Show Up
Robert closes the episode with advice that is remarkably simple.
Show up.
Go to the conference. Walk the trade show floor. Meet people. Ask questions. Keep an open mind.
And most importantly, learn how to engage with people.
Technology will continue changing the industry, but Robert believes human engagement remains fundamental. He reminds younger professionals that everyone in an organization plays some role in sales, regardless of their job title, because trust and relationships still influence who people choose to work with.
His message also extends to industry veterans approaching the next stage of their careers: don't underestimate the value of decades of institutional knowledge. That experience can become mentorship for the professionals who will build whatever comes next.
Robert Laarhoven's career offers a rare view of an industry continuously reinventing itself.
Portable displays became modular systems. Modular systems helped reshape rental programs. Graphics evolved. Sustainability became part of the design conversation. Exhibit houses expanded from builders into broader marketing partners. And the trade show floor itself became more dynamic, digital, and experiential.
None of those changes happened overnight.
And whatever comes next probably won't either.
The larger lesson from Robert's story is that longevity in this industry comes from staying curious enough to recognize change, practical enough to adapt to it, and connected enough to learn from the people around you.
For younger professionals entering the industry, there is enormous opportunity as a generation of experienced leaders begins passing the torch. For those who've spent decades building the industry, there's an equally important opportunity to pass along the knowledge that can't be found in a manual.
👉🏼 Join us for more insightful discussions like this by tuning into 'Event Marketer's Toolbox,' where industry leaders share the tools, tactics, and trends driving success in the event world.
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