isa wraps up its biggest sign expo ever

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 participate in 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.