The British Sign & Graphics Association (BSGA) is hosting a dedicated Signmakers’ Village during Sign & Digital UK 2026 at the NEC from 22-24th February.
The Signmakers’ Village will be a hub of activity, combining live skills workshops with speaker sessions tackling the biggest challenges facing the sector today, from training and standards to mental health and business growth.
Live Signmaking Demonstrations
The Village will feature regular practical sessions from master craftsmen. Paul Hughes will be demonstrating vehicle graphics application. Chris Edwards from CVI Group will showcase architectural wrapping techniques, a growing market for many sign businesses. Visitors can also see traditional skills in action with sign-writing and gilding demonstrations from Perry Signs.
Discussion sessions and Sign Stories
In addition to the practical demonstrations, the Signmakers’ Village features a series of interactive open discussions, presentations and interviews designed to inspire conversation and learning.
There will be presentations, panel discussions and Q&A sessions covering key issues, such as apprenticeships, well-being in the workplace and industry standards. These sessions will be in a relaxed, informal and flexible setting where visitors can get involved as much or as little as they wish.
Alongside these sessions, BSGA will be hosting Sign Stories. Visitors will get to hear from experienced signmakers who will talk about their experiences, share their knowledge and answer your questions.
In addition, throughout the event, Eye on Display will be interviewing signmakers and industry suppliers live from the Village.
Linda Edwards, Managing Director of the BSGA, says, “The format of the meeting area is deliberately open, encouraging the audience to jump in, ask questions and get involved in the debates. Whether you are exploring the franchise model or seeking advice from The Online Print Coach, this is a chance to get honest answers and practical insight in a friendly, peer-to-peer environment.”
Sunday 22nd February:
11am: The BSGA team hosts an open session covering its recently launched initiatives and collaborations. This includes apprenticeships with Walsall College, its work around BS-559-2 and the recently launched CSCS card scheme for the sign industry.
12.30pm: Talking business models with a discussion with Signs Express.
2pm: Colin Sinclair McDermott, aka The Online Print Coach, will host the first of his Ask the Coach sessions. This is an open opportunity to ask those burning questions about how to make your company more successful to the print industry’s leading business coach.
Monday 23rd February:
11am: Ask the Coach with Colin Sinclair McDermott.
12.30pm: Women in Sign and Graphics
2pm: The BSGA will be talking about the importance of connecting with the community. There will also be a Sign Stories interview with Lawrence Green from Greens the Signmakers.
Tuesday 24th February:
11am: Ask the Coach with Colin Sinclair McDermott and Sam Yarnall from Clarity Software.
12.30pm: The Printing Charity will host a lunch-and-learn session titled “We’re all here for you: resources for supporting your team and your business.”
There’s a lot of services out there to help signage businesses support their team members and their businesses overall. It can, however, be tricky sometimes to know where to find these.
In this session is Nicola Peacock from the Printing Charity, BSGA’s Craig Brown and Linda Edwards, Gary Bagstaff from Print Sauce, and Signs Express digital marketer Abbie Wagstaff, one of the Printing Charity’s Rising Star Award winner alumni, will talk about the wide variety of support services available for signage businesses. They’ll cover training, accreditations, guidance, information and employee wellbeing, and share how these make a positive difference to all aspects of business.
Following the half-hour panel discussion, there’ll be plenty of time for informal chats and connections.
Linda Edwards concludes, “We’re looking forward to an enjoyable and informative three days. This is a fantastic opportunity to try your hand at practical signmaking skills, hear from experienced professionals and have a great opportunity to connect and ask questions from all of us there in a relaxed, comfortable and informal environment.”