TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Month's SBI Trivia Question Stumper:
In what year was the United States Sign Council founded?
For the answer, scroll to the bottom of the newsletter.
| | 
Industry News
[[HOT TOPIC]] USSC Sign World USA
Sinatra, Springsteen, Sopranos, and Sign shows.
Atlantic City has seen it all.
And at the end of this month, the Sign World USA trade show and conference makes its way back to the Jersey Shore for another big weekend of education, information, and exhibition for the sign industry and its purveyors.
Starting at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 30, the USSC (United States Sign Council), hundreds of exhibiting signage companies, and thousands of attendees, will flood the Atlantic City Convention Center for three days of new products, networking, and-more than any other tradeshow-commerce. According to the USSC Web site:
"Sign World USA is the biggest and best buying show in the sign industry, with virtually every exhibitor ready to wheel and deal with end-of-the-year clearances and other show-specific product bargains offered only at Sign World! If saving money on equipment and supplies appeals to you, come ready to buy ... and save, save, save!"
Exhibitors
Pick a name, any name, of a sign industry company, and it is likely to be exhibiting at Sign World USA. From distributors to manufacturers to independent sign shops, players in the sign biz will be here to sell, buy, and impress. For a full alphabetical listing of all the companies exhibiting, and their accompanying booth numbers (along with a floor show map), click on this URL: www.ussc.org/databases/indexBoothsAlpha.php
New Products
Sign World USA offers free seminars to all show attendees that will highlight new products from some of the biggest companies in the sign game, including N. Glantz & Son, Roland DGA, and Gemini. Stop by the seminar hall adjacent to the USSC Members Lounge for a full schedule.
Live Vehicle Wrapping The show will feature daily vehicle wrapping demonstrations at the center of activity in the exhibit hall by some of the nation's top vehicle vinyl application professionals. You can learn how it's done, or even participate and practice the techniques yourself.
Seminars and Workshops
Sign World USA also provides attendees with dozens of useful and educational speaker seminars. Two that SBI Update can stringently recommend (as the instructors are knowledgeable Sign Builder Illustrated contributing editors) are:
Thursday, Nov. 30, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Seminar 106:
45 TIPS TO PROFITABILITY AND PLEASURE
Instructor: Mark Roberts, Intersign Group
Saturday, Dec. 2, 10:30 a.m - noon
Seminar 301
ELECTRIC AND NEON SIGN ISSUES
Instructor: Randy Wright, USSC
For a complete list of all seminars, click on this URL:
www.ussc.org/SWseminars.html
Also available will be a series of hands-on workshops, where attendees can take a first-hand approach to learning new techniques and theories for various signshop jobs. For a complete list, click on this URL: www.ussc.org/SWworkshops.html
The Bullpen
And as always, Sign World USA's famous Bullpen will feature some of the sign industry's best and brightest showing of their techniques and their work for all attendees to stop in and see. The Bullpen this year will feature:
* pinstriping panel jams
* the exclusive USSC large panel sign painting competition
* exquisite hand lettering
* dramatic wood and foam carving
* full scale vehicle striping and decorating
* airbrush wizardry
* faux finish techniques
* vinyl decorating on various surfaces
* large pictoral artistry of beauty and precision
As you can see, USSC's Sign World USA has a lot going on. In addition to Atlantic City's swinging casinos, amazing restaurants, and breezy boardwalk, there will be some serious signage going on in the convention center from November 20 to December 2.
If you haven't already registered, click on this URL and do so immediately: www.safe-to-order.com/usscSafe/registration.html
See you there!
Indoor Segment to Lead Digital Signage Market
Growing demand from the indoor-venue and hospitality markets has emerged as some of the biggest opportunity for revenue growth for manufacturers of digital-signage and professional displays, according to El Segundo, California-based consulting firm iSuppli Corp.
The indoor-venue segment accounts for 26 percent of the total digital signage and professional market revenue. iSuppli forecasts revenue for the indoor venue-segment will achieve a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8 percent to reach $3.8 billion by 2010, up from $2.8 billion in 2006. The unit growth rate for the indoor-venue market looks even more positive, rising to 1.7 million units in 2010, up from 683,000 units in 2006, representing a CAGR of 26 percent.
In the hospitality segment, hoteliers are transitioning to using Flat Panel Displays (FPDs) in guest rooms and are providing targeted information and entertainment content for guests.
"How guests perceive their rooms can be more powerful than any other factors in terms of the way they view a hotel's overall value," said Sanju Khatri, principal analyst for projection and large-screen displays at iSuppli Corp. "Delivering a variety of in-room entertainment options may promote greater guest satisfaction, leading to repeat business."
The lodging/restaurant segment of the hospitality market is expected to reach $1.1 billion in revenue by 2010, up from $1 billion in 2006. While revenue will remain relatively flat, unit shipments will more than double during this period due to a decline in prices and the perceived need by hoteliers to differentiate their brands.
Billboards Not Just For Side of the Road Anymore
Billboards traditionally haunt roadside hills and the sides of buildings. They're real, and you can touch them. Well, that may not be the case anymore.
Microsoft recently announced a new front in the war for advertising dollars, seemingly in a dimension that had never existed to billboard buyers before -- cyberspace. As computer technology advances, on-line mapping programs (for obtaining driving directions, etc.) follow suit. And Microsoft's Virtual Earth software is taking things up a notch by mapping things out in 3D.
Picture it: You type in two addresses to find the best route to drive from Brooklyn to New Hampshire. This trip involves long stretches of Interstate highways as well as city streets and small country roads. In real life, what would you see along those strips of pavement? Billboards selling various products. On Microsoft's Virtual Earth map, along those virtual streets, you'll now see the same thing.
According to ClickZ News
, Virtual Earth can be accessed from live.com by clicking on the maps tab when searching. The results in select cities return a rendering of an isometric view of the city's buildings and streets. Initial cities include San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Boston, Philadephia, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Detroit, Phoenix, Houston, Baltimore, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Fort Worth. Terrain imagery in 3D is available for areas outside the detailed cities.
Ski Bum Signage
Kingston, New York-based Sitour USA recently introduced digital signage to a group of captivated audience members with no place to go -- but up. Their displays are being placed at the bottom of the mountain for skiers to view as they wait in line for the lift.
According to a report in Media Life
, the ads are placed on digital signage at lift areas and other outside locations alongside announcements for skiers to read while they wait in line. Text messages, logos and animated ads are displayed on four-color LED screens.
Sitour President Monte Rios described the three ways the technology can be utilized:
-The advertiser's logo can be shown for 15 seconds
-The logo can appear for five seconds followed by a 15-second text message of something helpful to skiers, like a weather report or similar content sponsored by the advertiser, followed by another five seconds of the logo
-A 10- to 15-second commercial can also be run, without sound
The ad copy is downloaded at Sitour's headquarters, and ski resorts can pre-empt advertising for emergency messages. The ads appear on resorts' panoramic trail maps and on lift corral signage. In both cases the size of the ad screens is 25¾ inches tall and 34¼ inches wide. Currently, the program is available at 31 resorts in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Vermont.
Rios says there are 55 to 57 million skier visits each year, and the Sitour network reaches 70 percent of that market, representing 38 to 39 million skier visits. He added that car ads top the list of effective product targets for the medium, followed by consumer food products that tie into winter sports, like energy bars, hot chocolate, teas and soup. Pharmaceuticals are also a strong category.
According to a 2003 NSGA Sports Participation Study provided Media Life by Sitour:
-Families with children 17 and younger make up 48 percent of ski resort visits
-Singles aged 18-34 with no children constitute 30 percent of visits
-Skiers and snowboarders have an average household income in excess of $85,000
-The college educated make up 66 percent and 46 percent work in professional and managerial jobs.
Well, maybe the term "ski bum" no longer applies.
New Appointments
Cree recently hired Robert Pollock, a veteran with nearly 30 years of experience in sales and sales management, as its new senior vice president for worldwide sales. Pollock will report directly to Chuck Swoboda, the chairman and chief executive officer of the semi-conductor and light-emitting diode developer and manufacturer.
Meetings and Events
NOVEMBER
November 30 - December 2: Sign World USA®, hosted by the United States Sign Council, will take place at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. For more details, call 215/785-1922 or browse www.ussc.org/main_signworld.html.
MARCH
March 2 - 4: Graphics of the Americas 2007 will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. For additional information, call 305/558-4855.
Sponsored Links
M2 Lighting Solutions, LLC -- NEW epoxy-encapsulated UL recognized LED channel letter lighting system that will stay bright even in your most challenging conditions.
www.M2Lighting.com
Elliott Equipment Corporation -- Award-winning HiReach & BoomTruck aerial-workplatforms and cranes. Elliott products increase your productivity, and give you the highest ROI available. Do more with Elliott. www.elliottequip.com
SHD Hotel Reservations -- For your next Tradeshow, or Holiday Vacation, find the exact hotel you want at discounted rates! Save time, save money, book your accommodations here. www.shdweb.com
This Month's Trivia Answer:
1972
**(Originally as the Eastern States Sign Council)
| |
For in-depth coverage of these topics and other sign industry topics, check out
www.signshop.com
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS and SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the December 2006 USSC Sign World USA issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Vinyl Adhesives
Wide Format Digital Printing
Dimensional ADA Signage
LED Channel Letters and Sign Cabinets
Routers/Engravers
Service Equipment Trucks
Business Management/Estimating Software
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS and SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the January 2007 issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Architectural Wayfinding
Wide Format Digital Printing
Gold Leaf Application
LED Channel Letters/Sign Cabinets
RIP Software
Vinyl Tools
Contact your ad sales representative to reserve your space today.
As we shape SBI Update into the premier
e-newsletter for the sign industry, we encourage our readers to send us feedback on what you like, what you'd like to see, and any other comments you might have. To do so, send an e-mail to Associate Editor Chris Ytuarte at cytuarte@sbpub.com.
| |
© 2006
This email was sent by: Simmons-Boardman Publishing
345 Hudson Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10014
212-620-7200
Missed an issue? Check out our SBI Update Archives!
Update Profile
Sign Builder Illustrated values your privacy and will not send or share your email with third parties. Please click here to
Unsubscribe
|
|
Sign World USA Booth 1215Diversify your business with a laser engraving and cutting system from Epilog. Engrave and cut acrylic, cloth, plastics, wood, and more. Systems start at $9,995 and are as easy to use as a printer. For a free CD demo and samples, visit:
www.epiloglaser.com
| |
Looks Just Like NeonThe ideal lighting solution for architectural, decorative or signage applications, LED-FLEX™ is a flexible, durable alternative to neon. Completely sealed and impervious to shock and vibration, use LED-FLEX indoors or out, in wet or extreme conditions. 70% more efficient than neon, LED-FLEX provides years of continuous use.
www.mulelighting.com
| |
Sign World USA Booth 115SloanLED leads the industry with the broadest selection of products developed for the sign trade. World class LED solutions for:
• Channel Letters
• Halo-lit Letters
• Accent Lighting
• Border Tubing
To learn more, stop by our booth or click:
www.sloanled.com/LEDSelection.html
| |
Sign World USA Booth 1328
"Exclusively to the Sign Trade.."
Letters and Logo's Waterjet cut or Channel Style. All metals. Standard and Custom Finishing. LED's, Raster Braille in Metal, Etching. Most solid cut ship in 10 days, most Channel in 15.
....at the start..consider the finish..STEEL ART COMPANY
www.steelartco.com | |
ATG Electronics, Inc. is a Leading LED Signage Products manufacturer! Product range: LED standard flex strip, SMD flex strip, ribbon flex strip, 3LEDs, 4LEDs & 6LEDs waterproof modules. Color range: red, yellow, blue, green, white, pink, purple, amber, jade, RGB. Toll Free: 800-495-8630. Email: sales@atgelectronics.com
www.atgelectronics.com
| |
Sign World USA Booth 1101
Sign Builder Illustrated Goes DigitalWith live hyperlinks to video clips, advertiser information, and other features, SBI Digital offers the newest online technology with the familiar layout of a hardcopy issue. Stop by Booth 1101 for a guided tour, or to view an example, click on:
SBI Digital Magazine
| |
Sign World USA Booth 1101
Sign Builder Illustrated:
The How-To Book Vol. 1Learn secrets to fabricating neon, illuminating with LED, sandblasting signs, applying paints, cutting and printing vinyl, and more in this 288-page, full-color reprinting of Sign Builder Illustrated's trademark How-To articles. To visit the How-to Book Web site, click on:
SBI How-To Book
| |
|
Indoor Digital Signage Market