ISA Sign Expo 2017 Preview

The International Sign Association (ISA) International Sign Expo 2017 will be held April 19-22, 2017, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The expo includes a three-day tradeshow, educational seminars, networking events and more.

The tradeshow, which runs 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on both Thursday, April 20 and Friday, April 21, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 22, will bring together 20,000 attendees and nearly 600 exhibiting companies and suppliers in the 200,000-sq.-ft. Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Dozens of new products are expected to be introduced at the show, including new printers, substrates and digital signs. For registrations by March 22, the cost to attend the tradeshow is $15 per person for ISA members, $25 for nonmembers. After March 22, the cost is $30 for ISA members and $40 for nonmembers. To register or learn more, visit signexpo.org.

The educational seminars (which carry additional expense) begin with Digital Signage Education Day on Wednesday, April 19 (the day before the tradeshow opens) from 9:30 a.m.-3:50 p.m. The seminars continue, concurrent with the tradeshow, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on both Thursday, April 20, and Friday, April 21. Seminar topics include design, digital signage, and protecting, organizing, running and selling your business. In addition, two “Game Changer” sessions will be offered, one Thursday, the other Friday, both 1-2 p.m., featuring keynote speakers Jia Jiang, entrepreneur and author, and Jake Wood, co-founder and president of Team Rubicon. Jiang’s “Surprising Lessons from 100 Days of Rejection” will explore how to turn rejection into progress. He believes successful leaders can turn rejection into enterprise, insult into ambition, and regret into courage. Wood’s “The One and The Nine: Building Teams & Organizations That Win” considers how organizations can rethink what they know about leadership, change management and risk. Come away from this seminar with a framework for becoming a better leader and building more agile organizations.

The networking events kick off, or rather tee off, with the ISA/Western States Sign Council Golf Tournament Wednesday, April 19, at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 20 offers several opportunities to network, beginning 2-3 p.m. with the ISA Town Hall Meeting, in which ISA members join the ISA leadership to discuss current issues facing the industry. From 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, the invitation-only Digital Reception will host integrators, end users, suppliers and others in booth 332. Another invitation-only event, the Print Reception (sponsored by PIA and ACUP), will host those involved in the print universe from 5-6 p.m. Finally on Thursday, ISA Rocks: The Industry Party brings back fond memories of ISA’s “The Bash” of old, rocking from 8-10 p.m. with music, dancing and fun.

Friday, April 21 offers two more opportunities, starting with the ISA Networking Reception for National and Custom Sign Companies, 4:30-6 p.m., which will bring together representatives of national and custom companies to discuss installation needs. From 5:30-7 p.m., the Young Professional Happy Hour allows YPs their own opportunity to network. While ISA isn’t specific about what makes a “young” professional, many are sure to put it to the test. Also, running for the duration of all the tradeshow hours, The Hub will offer a place to meet ISA representatives and those of affiliated associations. Also on offer during show hours is the Lounge & Learn (booth 332), which runs 30-minute educational sessions and provides much-needed comfortable seating. Finally, the Last Hour Happy Hour offers free beer on tap from 4-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 3-4 p.m. Saturday, so you’ll want to stick around for that.

If that isn’t enough, the ISA Sign Expo 2017 is co-locating with the Collaboration in Production Packaging show – the CPP EXPO – an event for those seeking innovation in the roles of digital, inkjet, flexo, hybrid and wide-format printing in packaging production. ISA Sign Expo attendees have free and complete access to the CPP EXPO. For more information on what this show has to offer, visit cppexpo.com.

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Special rates for select hotels are available for Sign Expo registrants, and rooms are filling up fast. The deadline for special rate reservations is March 24, but don’t wait that long to book your accommodations at signexpo.org/travel.

And remember, whatever you gamble in Vegas usually stays in Vegas – else no Vegas there would be!