I think I can agree that there’s more money in the tradeshow side of exhibit design. Yes, we always start out with research, move to sketching, and then on to modeling. Sometimes we go right from research to modeling, it just depends on how adept you are with the software and how well you can see the solution in your head. With tradeshow exhibit design I would say that 99% of the time the client knows what size space they have at a given show, this can range fro a 10’ x 10’ exhibit on up to large stuff like at CES or the International Auto Show with very large spaces starting at 50’ x 50’ on the low end on up to 100’+ x 100’+.
If you’re looking for more insight around the tradeshow exhibit industry just go on coroflot.com and search through exhibit design portfolios, this will give you a good idea of what designers in the industry are doing.