This year’s co-location with Printwear & Promotion LIVE resulted in a massive increase of over 2,000 visitors to Sign & Digital UK 2023, with more than 5,500 visitors across the three days. Attendance across the two shows topped 8,000!
The first-ever Sunday opening was also a big success, with the additional visitors coming across from P&P, helping the first-day attendance exceed 2,000 and keeping the show busy all day.
This year’s event boasted a raft of product launches and a full schedule of presentations and panel discussions at the ISA-UK Explains Lounge, hosted by the International Sign Association UK. The 60 + exhibitors reported very positive experiences, with interest substantially boosted by the co-location, which brought customers from new markets onto their stands.
Event director Tony Gardner commented:
“The show had struggled to recover since COVID, so we knew that this year’s Sign & Digital UK, the 35th but first under Datateam’s ownership, was the start of the rebuild. The show undoubtedly needed re-energising, and the new format made it feel like a re-launch. The success of the co-location has surpassed our expectations! It has given us a solid foundation to build upon for 2025 and to re-establishing the show as a central part of the calendar and an economic stimulus for the industry!”
“Exhibitors reported that visitors were very keen to explore the technology, and many were ready to buy. Many deals were made on stands, with several announced on the Sunday – which is great news for everyone.”
He added, “We’ve been delighted by the positivity from many exhibitors regarding the two shows working together. Companies in SDUK say they have had many people come across from P&P inspired by what they have seen and ready to talk about the equipment they need to get into these new markets.”
Over half of this year’s exhibitors reserved stands for 2025 at the show! The two shows will co-locate again next year and move into Halls 19 and 20 at the NEC. The change of halls is expected to further enhance the co-location and make the movement of visitors between the two shows virtually seamless.
Exhibitor Comments
Vivid Laminating Technologies: Richard Marlow, Sales Director, said, “By the middle of day two, we’ve made six-figure deals—and we’re thrilled! It’s a smaller show, but the number of visitors has been excellent, and the conversations being had have a positive impact. Having the show fall on a Sunday was a fun idea, as we’re away from the office and, therefore, are focused on the exhibition.”
printMAX: Vicky Jarman, Marketing Manager, said, “It was great to meet new customers who would usually only attend Printwear and Promotion LIVE! We’ve sold equipment to people who were not aware of the company and what we sell. The 2024 show has been brilliant, and we were happy to show visitors what was new in the industry. We’ve been able to give clients some upgrades if they’ve bought equipment from us before, with the latest models. This has been the most diverse Sign and Digital UK show yet.”
Kay-Dee Marking Solutions Ltd: Christian Simpson, Managing Director, said, “This has been the best Sign and Digital UK show in the four years that we’ve been exhibiting, and better than last year—and we decided to exhibit last minute! From more visitors to new enquiries, we’re hoping to get some good orders this year. The atmosphere has felt more positive, with Sunday and Monday being the busiest days, which was surprising for us.”
Premier Paper: Brad Goldsmith, Marketing Manager, said, “It’s good to be back at Sign & Digital UK. There’s a lot of change at the show, and we were worried that it would be smaller. But we’ve been inundated with interest from both halls. We’ve had great conversations about Premier’s products and services, which have led to visitors having an interest in opening accounts with us.”
Roland DG: Rob Goleniowski, Head of Sales UK & Ireland, said, “We are feeling positive about this show. Good dealers have approached our stand, customers have been making orders, and we’ve been having the right conversations with visitors. As we have stands at both SDUK and P&P LIVE!, we feel as though it’s more business-focused, as potential clients from the respected industries have been coming to find us at the shows. The Roland DG team has done brilliantly!
Visitor comments
Grace and Sam James, Gem Branding LTD / The Weekend Clothing Company, said, “We killed two birds with one stone as we usually come to visit both shows separately. Today, we’ve viewed new equipment, printers in particular. Catching up with companies that we know and have brought from before. We’ve achieved everything we came to do, and we would recommend to people within the industry to come! It’s a day out, and it’s great to witness what’s new and upcoming.
Ash Shah, Ripple Signs and Print, “Our visit today is to see what’s new in the market and to keep up-to-date, but also to see if we can grab some good deals. We feel overwhelmed in the best way possible, as there’s so much to see, especially with both shows being right next to each other. We’ve enjoyed it a lot today and would say that others in the industry should attend in the future.”
David John, Signwaves Ltd, said, “It’s been interesting to see what state-of-the-art equipment the signage industry has to currently offer. I’d recommend the show to anyone within the industry – it’s quite compact but that’s not necessarily a bad point, it just means that there’s better attention towards the visitors needs from the exhibitors.”
Pierre Mallon, Gold Star Graphics, said, “It’s a great way to make new connections, and there’s been kit and equipment here that we didn’t think of. Our first time attending, and we’d definitely come back.”
European Sign Federation