ISA welcomes media contacts to the ISA International Sign Expo. Be there to get the scoop on the latest products, trends and technologies.
For all inquiries, contact Laurie Kusek at (703) 836-4013 or laurie.kusek@signs.org.
ISA Wraps Up its Biggest Sign Expo Ever!
03/31/2008
Contact: Laurie Kusek, (703) 836-4012
Alexandria, VA
March 31, 2008 (Alexandria, VA) - The International Sign Association (ISA) today called its 2008 International Sign Expo "the biggest sign show ever." Held March 26-29, 2008, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., the event drew large crowds and - for the fourth consecutive year in a row - boasted more exhibit booths than any previous Expo. In addition, this year's event hosted thousands of international visitors in Orlando, with a total of 3,723 individuals representing 111 countries outside the U.S.
ISA Sign Expo 2008 attracted nearly 20,000 attendees and showcased 1,952 exhibit booths, representing 563 companies demonstrating the newest technologies in the electronic sign, printing and graphics industries. The packed exhibit hall featured 130 more booths this year than in 2007.
"The feedback I received from exhibitors this year was overwhelmingly positive," said ISA President and CEO Lori Anderson. "The quantity and quality of exhibitors reflects a diverse and thriving industry."
ISA Senior Vice President Brian McNamara has seen the ISA Expo trade show floor grow from 100 booths to the nearly 2,000 booths in the past 25 years. He attributes the evolution of the trade show in size and scope to the upward trajectory of the sign industry itself, as new technologies have redefined the nature of the sign industry.
'Advances in technology have continuously revolutionized the sign industry," McNamara said. "The Expo is more than just a platform for networking; it is where business gets done. It is the premier platform to conduct domestic and international business in the sign industry."
ISA delivered its unparalleled slate of educational sessions at the Expo, through its always popular Discovery Seminar Series, with a total of 1733 seats sold for 36 educational sessions and discussion forums. Nearly 100 people arrived early to ISA's Pre-Conference Workshops that took place a day before the exhibit hall opened. In addition, ISA hosted 48 students from two Orlando-area vocational schools.
More than 75 percent of the show floor space has been reserved for the 2009 International Sign Expo, scheduled for April 15 - 18, 2009, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
The ISA International Sign Expo is the premier trade show serving the sign industry. Sign suppliers and distributors exhibit sign industry products, services and technologies to a vast audience of sign manufacturers. The annual event, which alternates between Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas, Nev., ranks on Tradeshow Week magazine's prestigious top 200 list as the 106th largest trade show in the U.S. Since the show's debut in 1947, the ISA International Sign Expo has been breaking records in exhibit sales and attendance, and expanded its reach on a global scale.
ISA Announces 2008 Sign Design Competition Winners
03/17/2008
Contact: Laurie Kusek, (703) 836-4012
Alexandria, VA
The International Sign Association (ISA) proudly announces the winners of its 2008 Sign Design Competition. This year's contest judged conceptual sign designs in three categories: commercial/electric, traditional/historic and architectural/sign systems/wayfinding, and all entries were completed and installed in 2007. The 2008 winners are:
- Skip DeBack, Alpha-Neonx Sign, Wauwatosa, WI, in the Commercial/Electric category
- Lynne Holton, Poblocki Sign Company, West Allis, WI, in the Architectural/Sign Systems/Wayfinding category
- Ross Hilden, Ramsay Signs, Portland, OR, in the Traditional/Historic category
- Ross Hilden, Ramsay Signs also won the Grand Prize - Best in Show.
With an all-new focus on artistic merit, practicality and usability, ISA’s 2008 Sign Design Competition produced a bonanza of impressive contestants. A combination of concept drawings and completion photos were required for judging. The entries were judged in mid-February at ISA’s headquarters in Alexandria, Va., and they ran the gamut in terms of style and taste. Three judges were selected to critique the entries: Bart Michorzewski, a graphic designer with Gelberg Signs in Washington, DC; Paul Mickus, a graphic designer located in Bristow, Va.; and Bill Dundas, director of Technical Affairs at ISA, and former sign company owner and former writer with Signs of the Times magazine.
All winners will be honored during the Keynote Luncheon at the ISA International Sign Expo, which takes place March 26-29, 2008, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The keynote luncheon is scheduled for Friday, March 28, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
The International Sign Association is a 2,600 member organization comprised of manufacturers, users and suppliers of on-premise signs and sign products from all 50 U.S. states and an additional 54 countries. ISA exists to support, promote and improve the sign industry, which sustains the nation’s retail industry.
Senior VP of Orlando Magic to Headline ISA EXPO 2008 Keynote Luncheon
03/13/2008
Contact: Laurie Kusek, (703) 836-4012
Alexandria, VA
Pat Williams, senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, will deliver the keynote address at the International Sign Association’s (ISA’s) premier event. The ISA International Sign Expo takes place March 26-29, 2008, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The keynote luncheon is scheduled for Friday, March 28, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
One of America’s top motivational, inspirational, and humorous speakers, Williams has addressed employees from many of the Fortune 500 companies and the Million Dollar Round Table. Williams was a minor league pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and spent five years in the team’s front office before moving to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Since 1968, he has been affiliated with NBA teams in Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, including the 1983 World Champion 76ers, and now the Orlando Magic which he co-founded in 1987 and helped lead to the NBA finals in 1995. Twenty-three of his teams have gone to the NBA play-offs and five of them have made the NBA finals. In 1996, Pat was named as one of the 50 most influential people in NBA history by a national publication. Williams and his wife Ruth are the parents of 19 children, including 14 adopted from four nations. For one year, 16 of his children were all teenagers at the same time.
Williams’ presentation, “Walt Disney’s Five Secrets to Success,” reviews the qualities that helped Walt Disney become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in American history. “Walt’s Five Secrets” highlight a magical, miraculous way of life and offer pragmatic principles for meeting one’s personal potential.
Hailed as the largest sign show in the world, the ISA International Sign Expo will feature unparalleled business opportunities for sign industry professionals, including numerous educational offerings and displays of the latest sign industry products available. For more information or to register to attend, visit www.signexpo.org.
The International Sign Association is a 2,600 member organization comprised of manufacturers, users and suppliers of on-premise signs and sign products from all 50 U.S. states and an additional 54 countries. ISA exists to support, promote and improve the sign industry, which sustains the nation’s retail industry.
2008 ISA International Sign Expo Will be the Biggest Sign Show Ever
03/11/2008
Contact: Laurie Kusek, (703) 836-4012
Alexandria, VA
March 7, 2008 (Alexandria, VA) — The International Sign Association’s (ISA) International Sign Expo is the premier trade show serving the sign industry. Sign suppliers and distributors exhibit sign industry products, services and technologies to a vast audience of sign manufacturers. The annual event, which alternates between Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas, Nev., ranks on Tradeshow Week magazine's prestigious top 200 list as the 106th largest trade show in the U.S.
Slated for March 26-29, 2008, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., this year’s event is on target to be the biggest show ever, featuring more than 20,000 attendees and 1,945 exhibit booths representing 560 companies from across the U.S. and around the world.
In addition to an exhibit hall unparalled in size and scope in the sign industry, learning opportunities abound at the Expo. The ISA Discovery Seminar Series will feature interactive forums, hands-on workshops and seminars covering digital imaging, legislative regulations, technical industry application, management, and sales and marketing. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available.
Since the show's debut in 1947, the ISA International Sign Expo has been breaking records in exhibit sales and attendance, and expanded its reach on a global scale. Roughly 20 percent of exhibitors and 14 percent of attendees travel from outside of the U.S. to the show, and that percentage grows each year.
The popularity of the ISA International Sign Expo mirrors the growth the sign industry itself has experienced over the last half-century. The advent of digital print imaging has largely contributed to this expansion of the sign industry, which continues to evolve through advancements and innovations in digital technology.
Onsite registration fees for the exhibit hall are $25 for ISA members and $40 for nonmembers. Additional fees apply for seminars and keynote speaker presentations. Discounts apply for pre-registration before March 13. For a complete list of exhibitors and events, or to register, call (703) 836-4012 or visit www.signexpo.org.
The International Sign Association is a 2,600 member organization comprised of manufacturers, users and suppliers of on-premise signs and sign products from all 50 U.S. states and an additional 54 countries. ISA exists to support, promote and improve the sign industry, which sustains the nation’s retail industry.
ISA CELEBRATES ITS MOST SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL SIGN EXPO
04/27/2007
Contact: Laurie Kusek, (703) 836-4012
Alexandria, VA
The International Sign Association (ISA) proclaimed ISA International Sign Expo 2007 its "best show ever." Held April 11-14 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., the event was another record-breaking trade show. For the third consecutive year, ISA has increased exhibit space sold, with this year's exhibit hall showcasing 1,823 booths representing 566 companies. In addition, this year's event showed increases in attendance, with a total of 22,856 participants present to witness the largest sign show in the world.
Participants at this year's show represented a diverse group of sign industry professionals from throughout the world, with 135 non-U.S. companies represented on the exhibit hall floor. Additionally, 3,157 attendees represented countries outside the U.S. ISA's popular Discovery Seminar Series packed seminar rooms, with a total of 1,305 attendees participating in 35 educational sessions and discussion programs, showing a marked increase from previous shows.
"During the show, I heard many times from exhibitors who were delighted with the quality and quantity of attendees," said ISA President and CEO Lori Anderson. "And it wasn't just the show floor that was buzzing," she said. "We also had fantastic participation in our education programs and new discussion forums."
ISA Senior Vice President Brian McNamara attributes the increase in exhibitors to an improving economy, and access to more qualified attendees than at any other industry event. "With nearly 23,000 sign industry professionals on hand for the exhibit hall and taking part in the first rate educational opportunities available at ISA's Expo, exhibiting companies know this is the place to be to meet with qualified customers," he said.
More than 80 percent of the show floor space has been reserved for International Sign Expo 2008, scheduled for March 26-29, 2008, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. "Once again, we are thrilled the exhibiting community continues to support ISA and our Expo," said Anderson. "With more than three-quarters of the show floor already sold, we look forward to another successful event next year."
ISA INTERNATIONAL SIGN EXPO AGAIN NAMED AMONG THE 200 LARGEST TRADESHOWS IN THE NATION
05/14/2007
Contact: Laurie Kusek, laurie.kusek@signs.org
Alexandria, Va.
Show Jumps 15 Places on Prestigious Tradeshow 200 List
The ISA International Sign Expo was named to "Tradeshow Week" magazine's prestigious "Tradeshow Week 200" list for the fifth consecutive year, ranking as the 106th largest exposition in the U.S. Previously, ISA's Expo ranked number 121 (2006), 125 (2005), 132 (2004) and 142 (2003).
"We appreciate the recognition by 'Tradeshow Week,'" said ISA President and CEO Lori Anderson. "The fact that we've leapt up the list so dramatically is just the icing on the cake."
"Our team - both those on staff and our board of directors - strives to ensure the International Sign Expo is the number one place to gain information about the sign industry, its products and the way business is conducted," she said.
ISA Senior Vice President Brian McNamara concurs, calling the listing a "tribute to ISA's exhibitors, attendees and staff."
"Making it onto such a prestigious list for the fifth consecutive year underscores the breadth and depth of the dynamic sign industry on display each year at the Expo," said McNamara. "Such an acknowledgment also challenges ISA to adapt and innovate to ensure the Expo continues to be a must-attend event for the sign industry."
The Tradeshow Week 200 list is the culmination of a year-long process of compiling and analyzing data on nearly 5,000 shows held throughout the U.S. Rankings are based on the net square footage of exhibit space sold, said Adam Schaffer, publisher of the Los Angeles-based magazine. "ISA's show size keeps increasing, and that's reflected in where it's placed on the list," Schaffer said. "It's a fluid ranking based on very specific criteria."
ISA sold 1,715 exhibit booths representing 566 companies for Expo 2006, which was held in Orlando, Fla., and was the show on which this ranking was based.
This announcement comes on the heels of the recent record-breaking ISA International Sign Expo 2007, held April 11-14 in Las Vegas, Nev. The event, which ISA has billed as its "best show ever," featured 1,823 booths and 22,856 attendees - more than any previous ISA International Sign Expo. To date, more than 80 percent of the show floor space has been reserved for ISA International Sign Expo 2008, scheduled for March 26-29, 2008, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. "Once again, we are thrilled the exhibiting community continues to support ISA and our Expo," said Anderson.
