ISA International Sign Expo 2012 has ended and attendees left Orlando with new business connections, ideas, and equipment. Just a few days ago, International Sign Expo returned to Florida to an exhibit floor that was 10 percent larger than its last time in Orlando two years ago. The show floor included 540 exhibitors, 87 of whom were making their Expo debut.
“The show floor proved that ISA International Sign Expo is the premier event in the on-premise sign industry,” said Lori Anderson, ISA president and CEO. “We heard amazing feedback from exhibitors about the activities and interests of attendees—including one manufacturer who sold eleven pieces of major equipment by the end of the show’s first day. It is clear that our industry is getting back to work, purchasing new equipment and investigating new business opportunities.”
In addition to the new exhibitors, ISA offered several improvements to the Expo floor: a daily happy hour, designed for networking; a mobile application to help attendees navigate the show floor to ensure that they were able to visit every exhibitor they wanted; and text voting for the Best New Products and Best Green Products.
Other highlights of the show, which in 2011 was named the Number 5 on Expo Magazine’s list of Top 25 Fast-Growth Shows in 2011:
* Noel Yarger, chairman of the board for North American Signs in North Bend, Indiana, was presented the Kirk L. Brimley Award for Distinguished Service. Yarger was cited for his work in creating the Signage Foundation for Communication Excellence, a precursor to the Signage Foundation Inc. Yarger is a former board member of ISA and also served as president of the World Sign Association.
* Companies were able to showcase their latest advances in the Innovation Station on the Expo floor.
* The daily Dash for Cash added to the excitement on the Expo floor. Five names were called at a set time and the first to arrive at the ISA booth was awarded $1,000.
* Outstanding networking opportunities, including a new Basketball Lounge, where attendees could check the scores of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament and challenge fellow attendees to a quick pick-up game.
* Some seventy-five educational courses were offered and registration was up 10 percent over the previous year. Attendees were able to earn professional development units as part of the International Sign Academy’s Quality Training Accomplishment Program. Companies and individuals who achieve certain levels of achievement in the program will receive recognition at the end of the year.
“We brought many new things to the Expo floor this year—not the least of which were many first-time exhibitors,” said Anderson. “This provided our attendees a unique opportunity to see the latest products in our industry, and to make connections with new suppliers and distributors. It only enhanced the excitement on the expo floor.”
ISA International Sign Expo 2013 is set for April 3-6 in Las Vegas.
