Trade show booths are all about impact. Big screens, sleek touch panels, dynamic lighting—all built into beautiful enclosures designed to stop foot traffic and impress press coverage.
But when it comes to integrating AV into custom-built booths, not all carpenters are created equal.
In fact, some of our most hair-raising (and last-minute) rescue missions have come from booths built by well-meaning signage or carpentry teams who didn’t consider the realities of heat, cabling, or equipment stress. They built beautiful boxes—but forgot the brains inside them.
So let’s talk about what can go wrong when carpenters rent touchscreen TVs and AV gear without the technical oversight of an AV team—and how doing it the other way around (AV team first, carpentry second) can save your booth, your tech, and your brand’s reputation.
🔥 Issue #1: No Heat Management = Equipment Meltdown
We’ve seen it more than once: a gorgeous trade show booth built to house a touchscreen display. The fit is millimetre-perfect… until 20 minutes into the show, the screen overheats and shuts down.
Why?
Because there’s no ventilation. No airflow. No cooling.
The enclosure acts like a pizza oven—and your expensive display is the pepperoni.
What Happens Next:
Touchscreens become unresponsive
TVs shut down and refuse to reboot
In worst cases: permanent damage or rapid wear
Staff scrambling, press waiting, clients confused
The worst part? The booth looks fine until it stops working. Clients and guests don’t see “heat management failure,” they see “unreliable AV.”
Issue #2: Cabling and Port Strain = Ghosts in the Machine
Another classic: a carpenter builds a stunning flush-mount screen enclosure… and forces the power and HDMI cables to bend at weird angles or thread through tight holes.
It might work fine—for a few hours.
Then:
Signal drops
Screen flickers
Touch function stops responding
You’re chasing down intermittent issues that feel like AV poltergeists
We’ve been called in to “check the screen” only to find the real issue was that the enclosure had been pushing sideways pressure on the HDMI port, causing unpredictable failures just in time for a product launch. With press in the room.
Ask us how we know.
The Big Problem: The Wrong Workflow
Here’s the hard truth: carpenters and signage teams aren’t AV experts. They’re not thinking about:
Equipment airflow requirements
Connector stress
Heat-generating electronics
Maintenance access
Signal integrity
They’re focused on building the booth to spec—and that spec usually comes before the AV gear even arrives.
✅ The Smarter Way: Let the AV Team Drive, Then Build Around It
When AV companies bring in the carpenters, the booth gets built around the equipment’s actual needs, not just a visual mockup.
That means:
Screens get room to breathe
Access panels are included for service or resets
Cabling paths are smooth, direct, and secure
Devices function optimally for the entire show duration, not just opening day
It’s not about who builds better—it’s about who plans smarter.
Real Collaboration = Zero Panic on Show Day
We’re not saying carpenters are the enemy. In fact, we work with great scenic and carpentry teams all the time. But they’re part of the team—not the whole show. When we lead the planning, everyone wins:
The booth looks sleek
The tech runs cool and smooth
The client doesn’t have to ask, “Why isn’t it working?”
Nobody’s pulling a screen apart with five minutes to showtime
Final Thoughts
Trade shows are high-pressure, high-profile, and high-cost. The last thing you want is for your beautifully designed booth to be brought down by poor airflow or a stressed HDMI port. If your AV equipment is sweating, your team probably will be too.
Let the AV company specify the gear, plan the integration, and THEN get the booth built. Trust us—your tech (and your reputation) will thank you.
Building a booth for your next event?
Let’s talk first—before the power tools come out.
📩Reach out to LEDWallRental.com.sg for AV-driven event builds that look great and work even better.
