our story

The road to Trade Show Tools started when... 

 …a young 10-year-old Laurale watched as her father prepared for his annual international bookseller’s convention in Germany. Her father would later retire from United Methodist Publishing House, and she would always hold those memories close.  

As she began her own career, Laurale worked for one of largest computer retailers in the country at the dawning of the personal computer revolution, Tandy Computers. She specialized in education sales, setting up labs as the first wave of PC technology came to classrooms and businesses. Her success led her to management of a Computer Center overseeing retail and B2B sales, profitability, and sales staff of five.  And later working in B2B sales for IBM and Apple. 

Working for another technology pioneer earlier in her career, Laurale embraced her first hands-on tradeshow experience. She handled all aspects of the process including booth set-up/take down, greeting visitors, post show engagement and lead follow up. In addition to trade shows she would travel to meet clients in the Northeast from Massachusetts down to Atlanta.  This provided complete experience of every aspect of trade show production. 

It all began for Steve when a high school friend relocated to Nashville to kickstart his display and graphics company, Exhibit Success. With optimism and enthusiasm, he invited Steve to assist him in launching the two product lines he distributed: ABEX Display Systems and Nimlok. This marked his entry into the trade show industry in 1993, where he focused on selling portable pop-up displays to trade show exhibitors across Tennessee, from Memphis to Knoxville. His days were filled with phone calls, generating leads, scheduling appointments, conducting demonstrations (sometimes in cramped 10-foot offices with a 10-foot pop-up display!), and closing sales. As his friend's company flourished, additional salespeople joined the team, and success smiled upon his venture. 

Steve often met clients on the show floor to deliver and set up their newly purchased booths. While he enjoyed contributing to his friend's company, it was the trade show environment itself that truly captivated him. This marked the beginning of his immersion in trade show services, gradually transitioning towards providing setup labor for exhibitors. He worked both independently and for Nth Degree, a leading trade show labor company in the industry. Through this experience, Steve gained valuable knowledge, scaled numerous ladders, assembled countless wood and laminate panels and truss. His work took him across the United States, setting up elaborate custom exhibits that sometimes required two weeks to complete, as well as smaller portable setups in just minutes. By the end of this four-year period from 1998 to 2002, Steve felt ready for a new challenge - and had an itch that needed scratching. It turns out, Laurale, who had added millions of dollars to the coffers of tech companies, did too. 

For anyone familiar with the urge to embark on their own business, it's a feeling that cannot be ignored. After spending four years assembling heavy exhibits, traveling extensively, and lodging in hotels, Steve and Laurale took the leap and established the trade show display and graphics company, Integra Display, in 2003. They cultivated a vast network of display manufacturers and large-format printers, a seeming cast of 1000s, eager to collaborate. Some clients, due to the closure of Exhibit Success, transitioned to working with Integra Display. Over the next decade, from 2003 to 2013, the team of Steve and Laurale was dedicated to building the company, designing and producing displays, and providing setup and show services - a culmination of their previous experiences. Steve and Laurale expanded Integra Display providing set-up and teardown in Nashville and traveling throughout the U.S for a major client from Manchester UK. 

Opportunities arose outside Integra Display as a partnership developed with a prominent local graphics printer, Brand Visual Group. After working with the graphics company for some time and gaining extensive knowledge of large-format printing and processes, the time was right to serve the tradeshow and events community once again, in a slightly different way. Thus began the event focused company, Event Recall, a provider not only of displays and graphics for exhibitors but also sponsorship products, like branded cell phone charges, for show organizers. Laurale served as president, managing new sales development, coordinating with manufacturers products for show organizers, managers, and exhibitors. Of course, she spearheaded tradeshows and events marketing efforts as well. 

The years 2020-2021 were challenging, not just for the trade show and events industry but the world at large. 

In 2023, down the road some 30 years, Trade Show Tools was established. Going beyond being just a display and graphics company or an event company, Trade Show Tools is dedicated solely to meeting the needs of trade show exhibitors comprehensively. Our services encompass everything from consulting on the best shows to attend and designing captivating exhibits with top-quality materials, handling shipping logistics, setup and dismantling, lead follow-ups, and secure storage. Modular exhibits with LED panels and audio-visual services have been added. Everything - and all the 1000 steps in between - we provide the tools for trade show success, be it for a first-time exhibitor, small business or large companies with multiple annual trade shows.  

 But the most important thing… 

…is our family.  Married now 37 years, Laurale and Steve have raised four children, each of whom is beautiful inside and out. We incorporated homeschooling and managing tutorials for group class experiences to prepare them for college.  Some are now starting families of their own, making us happy and proud grandparents. Throughout these years, we have resided in Goodlettsville, TN, our home base.