As a long-term exhibitor at Sign and Digital UK, Signmaster Systems has seen many shows come and go and we always look to try and include something new in terms of business and learning opportunities for visitors to the show.
Generally this would be interactive features such as live demonstrations or interesting samples, or by introducing new products to our customers, and this year will be no different. We will endeavour to provide the widest range of products from all of our suppliers to give visitors who are potential and current customers the best possible choice. In order to achieve this we are renting a bigger stand than in previous years and will bring along extra staff to make sure we can pass on information to anyone who requires it.
There is also the danger of overcrowding the stand with equipment and this can act as a deterrent for people who are looking for someone to talk to”
Finding the balance between providing eye catching displays and showcasing what our printers, cutters, and laminating products can achieve is often the challenge. Having extra facilities such as a video area or bar can impact on the very limited space available for products that the many end-users who attend the show can see and touch.
There is also the danger of overcrowding the stand with equipment and this can act as a deterrent for people who are looking for someone to talk to. It is well known within the industry that attending Sign and Digital UK is a great time to get a better deal, price wise, on sign-making equipment with so many resellers in one place. But, price is not always king, contrary to popular belief. With two and three year warranties coming on some machines, service and the relationship with the reseller becomes more important.
All in all there are a million and one things to consider when putting together an exhibition stand and making it interesting and informative for visitors, and just like the years before, we are still trying to find the balance.
Phil Tomlinson, digital solutions manager, PaperlinX
The exhibition environment is unique. It provides an unparalleled opportunity to meet industry influencers, manufacturers, suppliers, customers, and potential buyers. And for PaperlinX, it is all about maximising the potential that lies in meeting up with customers and potential new clients face to face.
Previously exhibiting as Robert Horne, this is our first time at the show as PaperlinX and our strategy is quite simply to promote the Group’s expertise and knowledge of the complete digital print workflow, from machine and material selection, right through to finishing and packaging.
It provides an unparalleled opportunity to meet industry influencers, manufacturers, suppliers, customers, and potential buyers under one roof”
Having hosted customers at a number of our own Discover events over the past two years, we are geared up to educate and inform visitors about the latest print and finishing technologies, materials, techniques, choices, and opportunities available to help them to grow their businesses.
We have got an exciting line-up on our stand that includes the latest innovative products, technologies and services from the industry’s top suppliers. And we have invited visitors to pre-book demos with our team of specialists, to help them make the most of their time at the show.
We will provide expert guidance and advice to sign-makers, digital, and commercial printers who are looking to diversify and broaden their service offering. We will demonstrate how new hardware solutions available from PaperlinX can extend the range of services and applications that printers can offer, such as photographic quality graphics, posters, banners, exhibition graphics, signage, stickers, labels, building wraps, and vehicle graphics, as well as showcase our wider offering that includes LEDs, consumables, and substrates.
There will also be an exciting new product launch and some special show-only exclusive offers.
Branching out
Phil Kneale,director, Graphtec GB
To an increasing extent, sign-makers are now using production equipment installed primarily for their core activities to open up new markets and introduce vital additional revenue streams. Nowhere is this more evident than in the print wear and promotional products sector, where sign vinyl plotter/cutters are demonstrating a remarkable propensity for maximising these new market opportunities that belies their relatively humble and low-cost characteristics.
The market diversification that such products are now offering is enabling sign-makers to engage with a plethora of new applications. A plotter/cutter can be used to cut a wider range of materials than was hitherto possible, from flock and flex used for garment decoration to sandblast stencils used in stonework, as well as rhinestone applied to fashion accessories.
Sign-makers are now using production equipment installed primarily for their core activities to open up new markets and introduce vital additional revenue streams”
At Graphtec GB, we have invested heavily in the development of dedicated design and production software, such as the Graphtec Studio program, which has eliminated the need to rely on third-party software and then endeavouring to ‘make it fit’. Our hardware development programme has similarly been geared to opening up fresh market opportunities with comparatively low-cost solutions. These have included the Silhouette Portrait and the larger Silhouette CAMEO entry-level desktop plotter/cutters, which offer an outstanding return-on-investment capability in the short term. These machines complement the higher production FC8600 and CE6000 plotter/cutters now widely specified in the sign and graphics industry and equally capable of supporting these new markets without the need for investment in special equipment.
The PolyDrop doming system is another solution from Graphtec GB that can add to a sign-makers skill levels. It enables the addition of highly-individualistic 3D special effects to both general signage and to print wear and promotional products in particular.
The personal touch
Mark Bristow,managing director, Friedheim International
Friedheim International’s aim is probably no different than any other company’s: that is to inform, advise, and provide existing and potential customers with the best quality equipment and solutions that are currently available. What an exhibition provides, when compared with other forms of promotion, such as the printed word in the form of editorial, an advertisement, website, or leaflet, is the opportunity to have face-to-face contact with the individual visiting your stand, and in turn for them to see machines actually performing.
At exhibitions, stand personnel should follow a certain ‘etiquette’, with the biggest mistake being (unless you already know the individual) the assumption that you know what their business is and what they are looking for, and immediately go into the features and benefits of a particular piece of equipment.
At exhibitions, stand personnel should follow a certain ‘etiquette’, with the biggest mistake being (unless you already know the individual) the assumption that you know what their business is and what they are looking for”
The correct approach, after the initial ‘pleasantries’, is to ascertain something about the individual and their company: how large is the company, how many employees, what markets do they operate in, what size are their job runs, and, most important of all, what are they looking for? Once you have obtained this information, you are in a much better position to know whether you do have a machine that is suitable and can offer ‘added’ value, or if not, say so and in that way you are not wasting the visitors time or your own. This latter point is one that can achieve more in terms of ‘appreciation’ and future goodwill.
If you do have a piece of equipment that is viable, then the process of going through the various features and benefits can begin, either by a ‘live’ demonstration if that particular item is present on the stand, or through the use of a product brochure, which can then lead to a future meeting and/or demonstration.
We will be endeavouring to fulfil the above mentioned actions with the Lasercomb ProDigi NEO multi-functional plotter on our stand at Sign and Digital UK (H50), along with product information for all of the other ranges of equipment providing solutions for commercial print, digital print, converting, and packaging applications.
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