There has always been the sense that annual trade shows are like family reunions—catching up with people you only see a couple times a year—but never has a show felt that way like last week’s International Sign Association (ISA) Sign Expo. While there have been occasional small scale vendor conferences or inkjet and packaging summits, the Sign Expo was really the first major trade expo since the Before Times. Throughout the show floor, in booth meetings, in educational sessions, and in the media and analyst lounge, there was a lot of hugging and shaking of hands (yeah, social distancing went out the window) and remembering that even people we have Zoomed with exist in three dimensions. The general consensus throughout the week was, “It’s great to be back.” And it was. Indeed, a common comment was “I am out of in-person trade show practice”—but pretty soon muscle memory kicked in and it was easy to pick right up where 2019 left off.

The show floor was well-trafficked throughout the week and exhibitors and ISA staff were well-pleased with the attendance and the enthusiasm of the crowd. And from what I gathered from various conversations, lots of sales were being made, which is what it’s all about. 

The sign and display graphics industry certainly didn’t stop during the pandemic year(s), and while we have covered all the salient new product launches on this site and in the pages of the print magazine, this was the first time many got to see a lot of these new products live—like Epson’s first-ever UV flatbed, the 4 x 8-ft. SureColor V7000, and new resin-based SureColor R5070 for soft signage, among other applications. Or Roland’s new VersaUV LEC2 S-Series flatbed that, among other new features, ups the thickness of the substrates it can handle to 7.87 in. Roland also used the day prior to the Sign Expo to host the grand opening of its Atlanta Imagination Center, where users can check out all of the company’s products—in printing and other industries.