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The Whole Sign World in Your Hands
How to get the most benefit while attending the USSC’s Sign World USA event.
The United States Sign Council (USSC) once again presents its annual tradeshow and educational conference, Sign World USA, this November 29 through December 1, 2007, at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Since this event takes place towards the end of the year, the association also points out the availability of “year-end bargains on products and supplies.”
Continuing Sign Builder Illustrated’s recent pre-show coverage of major sign industry-related events, we’re speaking with the USSC in this online exclusive to find out how our readers attending this high-profile opportunity can achieve the most satisfaction from it.
According to USSC Director or Member Resources Nancy Maren, the first step can easily be found on the exhibit hall floor. “Certainly if attendees want to know about any product on the market for the sign industry, it’s going to be there if they come to the exhibit hall,” she says.
And this year’s show floor promises to be huge: This year’s event is already sold out for exhibition space. “We have 410 booths on the whole show floor,” says Maren, “and that equates to about 250 exhibiting companies.”
“And if attendees want to learn more about running their business profitably and efficiently, they should attend the seminars and workshops,” advises Maren. This year’s seminars and workshops range in topics from legislative issues to selling electronic message center signs, electric ordinances to “green” environmental sign design and fabrication, and vehicle wrapping to dimensional sign design.
Maren points out that there will also be a new profit-making topic for one of the seminars: cartooning. Tramp Warner of Tramps Designs will demonstrate how to add cartoons to your sign and/or vehicle work.
“We will also have design seminars from Dan Antonelli (www.graphicd-signs.com), Ray Chapman, Mickey Harris (www.mickeyharrisart.com), Francis Lestingi (www.signsofgold.com), Ward Schneider (www.schneidergraphics.com), and Brian Briskie (www.signclassroom.com),” Maren says. “And Mark Roberts (www.signprice.com) will also be conducting a double-session workshop on shop management, which certainly will benefit anybody in the sign industry.”
(Maren notes that admittance to these seminars and workshops can be purchased the same day of the event, but those who pre-register do receive a discount.)
Sign World USA attendees may also want to check out the entries in this year’s USSC Sign Design Competition. The exhibit hall floor will host photos of not only the winning displays—but also everyone who entered the contest. “We had about 200 entries,” says Maren.
Sign World USA once again features the popular Bullpen section found on the exhibit hall floor. This area is a constant oasis of active creativity—playing host to pinstriping panel jams, an exclusive large panel sign painting competition, lettering and airbrushing techniques, and decorative ideas.
Once again, the Bullpen will welcome the Atlantic City chapter of the Boys & Girls Club of America, which annually hosts the opportunity for these at-risk youths to learn about the art of the sign craft and to create works for charity. “There’s a sign school in Atlantic City that came about through our relationship with the Boys & Girls Club,” explains Maren. “We selected them as one of our charities a number of years ago and because of that relationship—and because there was somebody involved with the Boys & Girls Club that used to have a sign shop—they now have a school for boys and girls who are so inclined to go after school and learn how to make signs and do silk-screening.”
These sign students come over to the Bullpen Thursday and Friday afternoons and work with several of the artisans. “A few of these crafts people come in Tuesday and Wednesday and go over to the school and work with the students over there,” says Maren. “It has been a nice relationship. Some of the people in the exhibit hall have donated materials and supplies to the school, and everything has worked out well.”
(Note: More information about this program can be found in the “Signing Up for a Better Future” article in the April 2007 edition of Sign Builder Illustrated.)
With that many product demonstrations, seminar and workshop opportunities, and human interest stories, it’s easy to imagine one getting overwhelmed with trying to navigate and get the most benefit from visiting this year-end show. Maren offers some advice to avoid this feeling: “Spend the whole three days at the show,” she says. “If you’re going to go up and down all those aisles and talk to exhibitors, you’re going to need to the time to do this. You really can’t make the most out of the experience, if you’re only going to spend two hours tops at the show. But you’re going to get the most out of your visit if you spend some quality time talking to the vendors, seeing the new things that are available, and availing one’s self to the education being offered.”
“I don’t care if you’ve been in the business fifty years or one month, if you get just one good idea out of those seminars, it’s worth the money,” emphasizes Maren.
For more information about Sign World USA, visit http://www.ussc.org/main_signworld.html.
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