As SDUK closes exhibitors open up about the show
It is the final day of Sign and Digital UK 2014, and whilst a new, calmer atmosphere has begun to permeate the halls, there is still business to be done.
Thursday, 01 May 2014 15:07 GMT
One company that is not ready to take its foot of the pace is CWE Solutions. Recently awarded the title of 'Best Latex Reseller' across EMEA by HP, the firm had already sold 11 of the new range by the end of the first day, and it is confident the figures for day two and three will be equally impressive.
Graham de Kock, commercial director at CWE, comments: “Sign and Digital has been great for us, but we really have had the best product to launch at the show: the HP Latex. The range was only released last Wednesday so the number of orders we have taken at the show is testament to both the new technology, and the pulling power of the event.
With the third generation latex technology enabling a much wider portfolio of applications, we have lots to shout about and Sign and Digital has proved to be the ideal platform for this”
“With the third generation latex technology enabling a much wider portfolio of applications, we have lots to shout about and Sign and Digital has proved to be the ideal platform for this.”
And this is not just empty praise, as CWE Solutions has already booked for next year's show, with a larger stand than before.
The year of the horse
Fujifilm is back at Sign and Digital Uk after a year's break
SDUK 2014 has seen familiar face that was missing last year grace the halls again. Fujifilm had a year off but is back with a streamlined and focussed stand, dedicated to its Aquity LED 1600 and its range of Euromedia. Taking a more measured approach to his show review, Steve Cookman, project manager for inkjet at Fuji, says the first day took a little while to get going, but that yesterday really was a excellent day for business.
Another firm that is enjoying this year's show more than the last is Trade Signs. Whilst not the biggest stand at the event, the firm's display is certainly one of the most eye-catching, with its clean white background setting off Trade Sign's LP Flex system lighting perfectly.
We have four people manning our stand and they have been constantly busy, with the show generating some real, good-quality leads”
Paula Hicks, marketing and office manager at the firm, comments: “We are really pleased with how the show has gone. Last year we were at the back and didn't get as much footfall, but our position this year has been great, and the LP Flex lighting has really been pulling people in.
“We have four people manning our stand and they have been constantly busy, with the show generating some real, good-quality leads.”
A real must
Trade Signs is displaying its LP Flex system lighting, that the firm claims is really pulling in the visitors
It is difficult to compare trade shows like-for-like, and of course there are enormous differences between one industry and another. However with many at the show also having attended and exhibited at the recent Ipex 2014, it is impossible that comparisons would not be made.
Steve Leopold, financial director at A3M, says the firm had more enquiries on the first day of Sign and Digital UK than the whole six days at Ipex.
He continues: “That's how I like it, when you start at ten and don't have time for a cup of tea until four.”
That's how I like it, when you start at ten and don't have time for a cup of tea until four”
Having visited quite a few different trade exhibitions, I can honestly say there is something a little bit special about Sign and Digital UK. The atmosphere is unique in its friendliness, and is missing the feeling of dissatisfaction so common with business events, where the need to deliver a return on the cost of exhibiting can create a frantic and stressful environment.
Travelling through the hall, almost every firm I spoke to was either confident they would make their money back from the leads they had generated, or claimed they had easily already done so.
Leopold of A3M sums it up nicely when he says Sign and Digital UK has really established itself as an industry show. It has become a fixture on the UK sign-maker's calendar, and, barring natural disasters or economic meltdown, that does not look set to change. So when the final doors close and we bid you farewell, it is confident in the knowledge we will be seeing you next year.
