Signs of the Times - June 2012 - (Page 68)

Strength by Association Which tradeshows give back to the sign industry? By Richard Crawford If you joinmodest fee toofattend an industry-sponsored one (or two) the national sign associations, and pay a convention, your year-round business will improve. Perhaps more importantly, you improve the sign industry in general when you support your national, non-profit sign associations. Strong associations mean strong business for sign companies. These are bold statements, perhaps, but true statements nonetheless. I can assure you, after having worked in the sign industry for more than 30 years, when I and my company became active participants with the national associations, we increased productivity and gained greater access to new information and technologies. I also know this to be true: no successful sign company is an island. Yet plenty of islands exist – only 2,000 sign companies, out of a total estimated 28,000 sign companies nationwide, belong to a sign association. The non-profit national sign associations – the United States Sign Council (USSC) and the Intl. Sign Assoc. (ISA) – perform vital functions in this industry. They are the only national organizations, supported by a tradeshow or a convention, that spend their time and resources trying to find ways to solve your problems in the sign business. I can only comment directly on matters pertaining to USSC, but many of my comments relate to ISA as well. At USSC, we have focused on three areas as our mission: improving sign design, making education available to all (to those outside or inside the industry) and completing research that supports the on-premise sign industry. There are, of course, conventions and tradeshows sponsored by for-profit companies. One might consider, Photo by Darek Johnson before deciding to attend a convention, which is the more valuable expenditure of your hard-earned dollar: (a) attendance at a national non-profit, sign-association convention, like the USSC SignWorld or the ISA Sign Expo, or (b) attendance at a for-profit regional tradeshow? At USSC, for instance, we can tell you exactly where your dollar goes once USSC receives it at our convention, and how it helps the industry. The same cannot be said by some others. Once for-profit events end, and the tradeshow organizers pack up and move on to the next venue, all dollars and profits generated from attendees and show exhibitors stay firmly in the organizers’ pockets. No sign research is funded; no sign companies receive assistance, and nothing is coordinated about national issues related to on-premise signs. Contrast that with a national convention sponsored by a non-profit association. All support of non-profit sign associations makes a difference in the end. At a USSC or ISA show, you will meet your peers in the sign business; some you may not want to know, of course, but many more you will be glad to know. Camaraderie thrives in the sign business, if you’re open to it. One can discover friends at the show, in seminars or just at the hotel lobby or bar after hours. Supporting associations can be satisfying, both to the head and the heart, in addition to improving your bottom line. Some have asked recently: “why join an association” or “why attend its convention” or “why exhibit at an association trade show”? The answer, in part, is this: to support those that support you. In reality, you don’t give anything to the USSC per se, you give through us, which enables USSC to then perform other functions that provide long-term assistance to members, exhibitors and manufacturers. The areas listed below are just a few examples of the work that USSC accomplishes on behalf of members and the industry: Scholarships: USSC offers (4) new collegiate scholarships each spring, which we’ve done for more than 12 years. Actually, USSC has 16 active scholarships going at any given time – each initial award is renewable for the entire four years of college (assuming grades are satisfactory). Details on the USSC scholarship program are available at our website: www.ussc.org. Marketing and sales assistance: Associations can’t make the sale for you, but they can offer insight, promotional materials and research that can help any sign company improve sales and foster good customer relations. Member sign companies receive copies A vehicle-wrapping demonstration at the recent SGIA show in New Orleans 68 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / JUNE 2012 / www.signweb.com http://www.ussc.org http://www.signweb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - June 2012

Signs of the Times - June 2012
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Electric
LED Update
Software Update
Technology Review
Technology Review
Sign Museum News
New Products
Announcing the Mutoh-sponsored 6th annual Vehicle Graphics Contest
They dwell well
A splash from the past
Digital Print Updates
The Value of Signs
Strength by Association
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - June 2012