Everyone associated with the signage industry is invited to participate in the 3rd annual National Signage Research and Education Conference (NSREC) at the University of Cincinnati (UC), October 12-13, sponsored by the Signage Foundation, Inc. (SFI) in collaboration with the UC Colleges of Business and Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. The two-day event takes place at the Kingsgate Marriott adjacent to the UC campus.
Who should attend? Sign makers and their suppliers, businesses that need signage, elected officials and planning board members, planners, urban designers, marketing/branding specialists, architects, engineers, designers, appraisers, and those students and faculty who study signage and its impact on the business, social, and visual environments.
What NSREC is. The conference will provide an important venue for all interested constituencies to discuss on-premise signage issues and concerns in positive, non-confrontational and research-driven dialogue. UC is uniquely qualified to participate in these discussions due to the establishment of the James S. Womack/Gemini Chair of Signage and Visual Communications and the Terence M. Fruth/Gemini Chair of Signage Design and Community Planning. Both chairs, established through donations from Jim and Sharon Weinel, Gemini, Inc., are part of the nation’s first center for signage.
Peer-reviewed research will be presented at the conference with numerous opportunities to interact with researchers on specific topics and their implications.
What NSREC is not. It is not an industry tradeshow or expo. The conference is sponsored by SFI, which was established in 2002 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fulfilling the educational, research and philanthropic purposes of on-premise signage.
What are NSREC’s deliverables? The 2011 NSREC will provide topical research and presentations in four key areas that impact signage: Science, Technology, Art/Advertising, and Regulation (S.T.A.R initiative). Each of these four topical areas will serve as the focus for NSREC for the next four years.
- Understanding the Economic Value of On-Premise Signs by Christopher Auffrey, University of Cincinnati, Associate Professor of Planning and Undergraduate Programs Coordinator; Hank Hildebrandt, University of Cincinnati Professor of Architecture and Interior Design; Jeff Rexhausen, Associate Director of Research-UC Economics Center.
- Finding Common Ground: Regulating Electronic Signs in the 21st Century by Mike Freeborg, Director of Government Relations for YESCO Electronics; Wendy Moeller, owner of Compass Point Planning; Paul Drury, Planner, Anderson Township.
- The Effectiveness of Outdoor LED Advertising Signs by Hendrikus E.J.M.L. van Bulck, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, USC Sumter and member, Van Bulck & Company, CPAs, LLC.
- Planners, Signs and a Community’s Economic Well Being by Richard Bass, President of Bass and Associates.
- The Importance and the Challenges of Effective Signage by Harry C. Alford, President and CEO, National Black Chamber of Commerce
- 100,000 Shoppers Can’t Be Wrong: Signage Communication Evidence from the BrandSpark International Grocery Shopper Survey by Dr. James J. Kellaris, James S. Womack/Gemini Chair of Signage and Visual Marketing, University of Cincinnati College of Business
- Business Makeover Case Studies by Jackie McGhee, Executive Marketing and Leasing Assistant, Harris Tynes Realty Group, Inc. and Nancy Clark, owner Compliments, Inc; Amanda Hagedon, Graduate Capstone Student, Marketing, University of Cincinnati; Dan Liang, Graduate Capstone Student, Marketing, University of Cincinnati.
- Recommended Brightness Levels for On-Premise Electronic Message Centers(EMCs) by Rich Gottwald, Executive Vice President, International Sign Association
All conference materials will be available in a single bound document for ease of reference. Several sessions have been approved by APA for certification maintenance units for planners.
Early registration for the conference is $225. Accommodations are at the Kingsgate Marriott located adjacent to the UC campus. To register, arrange for housing, or for the complete NSREC agenda, visit the conference Web site at: www.thesignagefoundation.org.
