It all happens at a trade show

Apr 10, 2025 | Industry Advice

Sign & Digital UK has been and gone, but the conversations and leads that arose from the event will continue in the background. It is events like these that bring the whole industry together and give a feel of everything that is on offer to your business. With the BSGA in attendance, its president, David Allen, has offered a few of his thoughts on what exhibitions like these can mean for your business.

Pic 1 David Allen e1744124899106 It all happens at a trade show

David Allen

I’m sat writing this after the BSGA team spent an enjoyable three days in Birmingham attending this year’s Sign & Digital UK and like many I sometimes wonder at the value of these events, but I always come away having either spoken to either a potential new supplier or met up with someone I hadn’t seen in a while.

It has become a constant theme on social media to bemoan the lack of industry participation in these shows from manufacturers and suppliers but without forums such as these, there are very few opportunities to engage with the wider industry.

Sure, they are a big commitment but the chance to see different manufacturers and almost compare them back-to-back is invaluable. If you are running a small business time is precious so making a simple trip to fact-find can save a considerable amount of time elsewhere.

Here I can draw the similarities between running an event such as Sign & Digital UK and our own trade association. Both provide a chance to network and educate yourself on the trade and glean information you might not otherwise know until you take time away from the coal face of running a business.

Thinking Ahead

It is that wider view that shows to the outside world, and our customers, that we are a forward-looking industry and an educated one. The sign trade being forward thinking isn’t in any doubt in my mind, but shows are a fantastic way to see what’s going on in the wider world.

Having said all that, suppliers also need to engage with us at these events and in an age where we would rather move away from simple transaction-based approaches to ones based on long-term relationships, this is where a strong annual show is a must. Without the opportunity to meet a wide range of potential suppliers, the chance you’ll come across something you weren’t aware of previously is very slim.

The same applies to our trade associations. Sure there’s a cost involved as there is visiting a show but they provide a safe space to share knowledge and ideas and gain new insights that you do not get with your head down running our businesses. They provide a focal point for other interested parties to engage with the industry easily and allow for the easy distribution of information.

SDUK intro pic 1 5B7A8714 It all happens at a trade show

SDUK 2025

Expect the unexpected

Often, it is the intangible benefits of visiting a show that ends up providing the best reward. It might be a tool you did not know you needed or a supplier you had not met before that provides the best return on your visit. Enlightened suppliers know that investment in a show is a slow burn but quite often a chance conversation will lead to a long-term relationship.

As an association we had the chance to meet up with some existing members and discuss our plans, as well as speak to some potential new members, it was a good chance also to take the temperature of the trade; something that is not always possible on the end of the phone. We also helped host The Explains Lounge where it was great to see some well-attended talks on subjects as diverse as social media and sustainability amongst others.

The X-factor of a show

Online meetings will never replace the value of face-to-face meetings and personally, it was good to catch up with some familiar faces again, but with the costs associated with attending a show, I can appreciate why it has to be carefully considered. I do think the trade needs these focal points in the calendar where we can get together and see everything that’s new, under one roof away from the day-to-day hustle and bustle of running a business.

I also see a value in the networking opportunity in meeting up with existing suppliers outside of the work environment. It allowed me to see some new media that I had not seen before and may well use going forward.

I am old enough to remember the days of walking into the halls and being assailed by the smell of printing ink and the hubbub around a central stand with people getting involved in speed weeding. Those days seem long gone but I personally think some suppliers are missing a trick by not engaging in this way anymore; they created a customer loyalty hard to beat. I might never have won one of these competitions, but I still talk to some like me who remember it. What other marketing event could say that these days? Not many I am sure.

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