“The key aim of the Great Debate is to try to discover from a range of different areas of expertise, what the common denominators are for businesses in our industry to not just survive, but excel at what they do,” explains Blackett.
The Great Debate will be held at the headquarters of organiser Faversham House in East Grinstead on February 7th, and will see six sign industry experts gather to debate one central question: ‘What are the key ingredients for a successful sign and display business?’.
Lights, camera, action
Sign and Digital UK has launched a new online
business resource for visitors and exhibitors to
the show, providing them with easier access to
show information, data and how to capitalise on
what it offers
Chaired by SignLink editor, Brendan Perring, the Great Debate will be filmed in front of a live audience and then subsequently broadcast on signanddigitaluk.com, sign7tv.com, and signlink.co.uk.
Blackett continues: “The event will generate concrete business intelligence, which can then be directly applied by viewers to their own company. It should also create a cross-pollination of ideas between our panel experts, leading to new ways of thinking about how to deal with evolving trends in our industry.”
Panel experts bringing their business intelligence to the table and debating core industry issues from green production practices to improving profit margins will be Sign and Digital UK’s event organiser, Rudi Blackett; exclusive Mimaki distributor Hybrid Services’ marketing manager, Duncan Jefferies; Allen Signs’ managing director, David Allen; Sign Box’ managing director, Mark Bartlett; Dorotape’s managing director, James Carpenter; and Roland DG UK’s technical director, Brett Newman.
Surfing a new tide
Sign and Digital UK has also launched a new website ready for the 2013 edition of the exhibition.
Hosted at Birmingham’s NEC, the event takes place from April 30th to May 2nd next year, offering a whole range of technologies to visitors, including digital signage, wide-format digital printing, and traditional sign-making, as well as visual display techniques and finishing.
The new website, signanddigitaluk.com looks to address some of these areas, giving those who plan to attend an insight into what they can expect from the 2013 edition.
Following what’s happening at Sign and Digital UK on Twitter is definitely a great way of ensuring you get the most up-to-date information about what’s happening, as it’s happening”
It features links to the latest show news and features, including the 2013 awards and networking event, the new Learning Zone, and highlights of the 2012 event. And in an attempt to reach out to more people, the site also features a live Twitter feed, which keeps those in the social media world up-to-date with the latest happenings in and around the show.
The show’s marketing manager, Alan Caddick, is encouraging all sign-makers and print service providers to follow Sign and Digital UK on Twitter, @signanddigitaluk, in order to make the most out of the exhibition.
“Last year some exhibitors really took social media by the horns, posting show news to Twitter and running special ‘Twitter Only’ offers,” explains Caddick.
He adds: “Following what’s happening at Sign and Digital UK on Twitter is definitely a great way of ensuring you get the most up-to-date information about what’s happening, as it’s happening.”
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