It is always with a feeling of slight disorientation that I contemplate the year ahead, as all the information, images, and experiences wash across me from the one just gone. The strange belief most of us hold on to though is that everything is set back to zero, with the notion that we can effect real change in our businesses and lives just because a calendar date has clicked round.
As I look back across 2014 it was a very different year. SignLink covers the entire breadth and depth of the industry and in almost each and every sector there was a level of optimism and growth that has not been seen for more than seven years. That is a long time to wait.
I remember walking around on my daily circuit of news gathering and hearing on stand after stand that they were experiencing record sales”
Speaking to hundreds of sign-makers, suppliers, manufacturers, event organisers, and the countless variety of companies in between, a trend has struck me. It seems that a number of key factors, such as improving access to finance, new technology, and a revitalised retail sector, are all combining to help in the effort to dust off those order books.
If I could select just one stand-out memory from the year just gone, it would be from Sign and Digital UK. I remember walking around on my daily circuit of news gathering and hearing on stand after stand that they were experiencing record sales. Indeed, HP alone recorded more than 90 total sales of its new generation of Latex printers through its resellers at the show. But more than that was the carnival-like atmosphere that seemed to buzz throughout the hall, perhaps helped a little by our own circus tent themed stand and the magician on it. Visitors and exhibitors alike also seemed to be smiling and there was just a sense that the tide had finally turned.
On p56 of January's issue I drew on my experience from across last year and attempted to predict how these positive trends are set to pan out. What is for certain is that the good times are back, so let them roll.
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