A vehicle wrapping expert at work in front of an interested audience.
The organisers of Sign & Digital UK are claiming another successful staging of the NEC exhibition, with unaudited figures of 5677 unique visitors across the three day event, and the number of exhibitors re-booking for next year on site increasing by more than 40%.
The seeming success comes in spite of FESPA, a major international wide format show, being held in London this year (June 2013). This had been a factor for exhibitors to consider in advance, as Esko’s UK & Eire business manager Paul Bates revealed: ‘We asked our customers if they would be attending both shows or just one, and the feedback confirmed our thoughts that FESPA and Sign & Digital UK are very different exhibitions.’
Mr Bates added that Esko enjoyed a 60% increase in leads compared to the 2012 Sign & Digital UK. Other exhibitors were similarly bullish. ‘There was a vibrancy to the event, and visitors were keen to engage – seeking out new application ideas and revenue streams as well as investing in technology,’ said Duncan Jefferies, marketing manager for Hybrid Services. ‘Our resellers enjoyed strong sales and as a platform to launch three very important Mimaki printers to the UK and Irish market, it proved highly effective.’
The exhibition was a platform for many new UK and European wide format product launches, with big names such as Roland DG, Hybrid Services/Mimaki, Epson, Mutoh, MTEX, DYSS and Zünd all showcasing new technology. A free educational programme included sessions such as vehicle wrapping, dye-sub printing, Digital Signage, and Direct to Garment printing and business aspects including marketing, PR, and social media.
The 2014 show is booked for April 30 to May 2 2014, again at the Birmingham NEC.
