What a wild ride. The last few months have certainly been a busy time for the UK’s sign-industry trade journalists, as we hot footed it from a vibrant Sign and Digital UK to FESPA 2013 and its sister show the European Sign Expo.

While trade exhibitions in other industries such as commercial print continue to struggle for firm footing, those that service the sign and wide-format print industries are experiencing a resurgence in  both visitor numbers and exhibitor interest. This is confirmed not only by walking around these events for several foot sore days, but by a recently published Smithers and Pira report that predicts by the end of 2013 the global wide-format print market will be worth in excess of €21bn (£18.2bn).

While buoyant, the wide-format market is also fairly saturated and the decision by FESPA to buy digital signage show Screen Media Expo and integrate it into the newly launched European Sign Expo is a key indicator of a developing trend.

The majority of sign-makers in the UK serviced a traditional market that included a diverse range of sign writing and fabrication skills. These companies then diversified into either producing wide-format print themselves or purchasing it from trade suppliers, adding value, and selling it on.

The same mid-90s foundation period in Europe however saw a great number of companies start up and specialise in wide-format printing without this wider ‘sign toolbox’ at their disposal. The result is that as the end products of this technology become increasingly commoditized—and competition continues to intensify—this rich seam of quick revenue generation is beginning to dry up.

It is no accident that, for the first time at FESPA, those selling wide-format printers sat in a hall next to companies selling built-up lettering and digital signage solutions—something Sign and Digital UK has seen for several years. It seems that were once wide-format print provided milk for the sign-maker, sign-making technology is going to start returning the favour to those wide-format specialists pursuing diversification.
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