Signs of the Times - September 2017 - 50

INDUSTRY TRENDS
The International Sign Association

ISA International Sign Expo 2017 had
record-breaking crowds.

2017: What a Year for the Sign, Graphics
and Visual Communications Industry
What a great year it has been! Things are really
improving for the sign, graphics and visual
communications industry as a whole, and
for ISA.
I feel it every day as I talk to my employees
and customers. I hear it whenever I speak
with you, too. There are plenty of signs that
the business economy is improving and that
our industry is being lifted along with it.
While we can't always anticipate the economic
conditions and political climate, I have no
doubt that there is a bright future ahead.
Why? Let me take you through a few updates
to show you where I've seen improvements
and opportunities.

Business is Growing

Get a JUMP on a

SUCCESSFUL 2018!
ISA International
Sign Expo 2018 is
March 22-24-
with education beginning
on March 21-at the
Orange County Convention
Center in Orlando, Fla.
Registration opens soon at
www.signexpo.org

SEPTEMBER 2017 EDITION

Nowhere was this more evident than the
record-breaking ISA International Sign Expo
2017. Attendance was outstanding. Beyond
that, though, it is clear that our customers
are spending money and new projects are
coming together. Sign, graphics and visual
communications professionals brought that
enthusiasm to ISA Sign Expo, looking for new
products to better serve their customers.
They also looked to the many innovations in
the industry. Printers are faster and more
environmentally friendly. Lighting is more
reliable. Digital signs are more cost effective.
Everything is pointing to greater efficiencies.
It's no wonder that when ISA surveyed CEOs
during ISA International Sign Expo that 82
percent of national sign company executives,
75 percent of commercial and sign printers
and 69 percent of custom/local sign companies said they plan to buy new equipment.
The reason: outdated technologies are
hampering their ability to deliver.

And these days, it is important that they
meet deadlines and expand capacity wherever
they can. That same survey, published in the
2017 Pulse (www.signs.org/pulse), shows
that more than half of companies reported
double-digit growth in the six months before
the survey. Even more, 58 percent, say they
expect to grow more than 10 percent in the
coming year.
Consider that in 2014, only 40 percent of
companies said they had grown at that
level and you can see why there is so much
excitement about the future.
So where is that growth occurring? CEOs
said they were expanding into new products
or geographic areas, were growing their
margins and expected to benefit from an
improved economy.
In terms of sectors, healthcare presented the
biggest opportunity for continued expansion,
with 69 percent saying they were expanding
work in this area in 2017. Some 55 percent
said they were growing their business by
offering products in downtown districts and
another 54 percent said they saw growth in
restaurants.
No matter how businesses strategically
expand, what is important is that they are
doing so.

Facing Major Challenges Head On
There are issues that threaten our industry's
continued success. But I'm thrilled to say
that we are making progress. Anybody who
has been around the sign, graphics and visual
communications industry for the last decade
has felt the change in the workforce. Baby
boomers hit retirement age in 2011 and we've
seen them dwindle in our workforces since.

STATS * FACTS
77% of CEOs say that they will hire new employees in the coming year, an increase from 67% in 2016, according to ISA's 2017 Pulse. 64%
%
* * * ISA REPORT / September 2017

http://www.signs.org/pulse http://www.signexpo.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - September 2017