Five years ago, our country underwent an unexpected and unprecedented experience that affected hundreds of millions of Americans, including the sign and graphics industry. Starting on March 15, 2020, states started to shut down schools, churches and businesses to “slow the spread” of the COVID-19 virus.
We will never forget the uncertainty that ravaged our industry during those doubtful first few weeks and months of the pandemic. And we should never forget, looking to this period as a road map for future disruptions.
As an industry, we also have a critical tool that will benefit any future emergencies, and it traces its roots back to those first days of the COVID shutdowns. Within a couple of weeks after businesses and communities began shutting down, ISA began receiving frantic emails and calls from sign companies across the country, asking how they could remain open. ISA advised them simply to remain open and operational until someone explicitly told them to close their business. Until then, make sure you have “essential business” customers and keep as healthy a work environment as possible.
As the terminology rapidly changed from “essential business” to “critical infrastructure,” ISA began working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to classify our industry as one that was essential to a safe and functioning national infrastructure.
On April 18, 2020, CISA officially granted this designation to our industry, allowing sign and graphics companies to continue operations during lockdowns and stay-at-home orders across the country. This classification was critical because while federal guidelines were advisory, many states based their “essential business” or “critical infrastructure” decisions on CISA guidelines, potentially influencing state and local.
Meanwhile, it was vital that stakeholders were able to get the latest information and updates to make informed decisions.
ISA developed and provided educational offerings to local officials, relaying the importance of signs and graphics as a tool to communicate with the public during an emergency.
Over 400 planners from hundreds of jurisdictions across the country attended ISA webinars on Temporary Signs During Times of Crisis, Permitting Signs During Times of Crisis, Signs of Disaster and Changeable Signs During Changing Times. Many local jurisdictions loosened enforcement of varying aspects of their sign ordinances during the pandemic, as per our recommendations. It also deepened ISA’s relationship with this key group.
We also got subject matter experts to provide webinars for sign and graphics companies, including how to remain open and operational, how to apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds and implementing a “return to work” plan safely. ISA also offered a series called “Sector Secrets,” which provided economic outlooks for key customer groups, helping sign and graphics companies understand the issues facing their end users.
ISA also developed and maintained an online repository that documented the various emergency orders that cities, counties and states issued as they tried to navigate the rapidly changing environment and created a “Business Continuity Resource Center” on signs.org that provided the latest information on how sign and graphics companies could stay afloat during times when there was no playbook. A daily email was sent to tens of thousands of sign and graphics companies, helping them understand the rapidly moving issues and providing leadership guidance.
The early days of the 2020 pandemic showed conclusively the importance of signs and graphics – and by extension, the role of the sign and graphics industry – in helping communities and businesses communicate with the public during times of crisis.
It also showed the critical role that ISA can play in helping its members and the broader industry navigate challenging times. While hopefully we won’t face another global pandemic—at least not of the scale of COVID-19—there will be challenging days to come. It may be tariffs, economic downturns, weather events or who knows what. As we look back on five years post-COVID’s initial uncertainty, ISA stands ready to partner with the sign and graphics industry to develop critical solutions that benefit our communities.
