ISA Running Digital Signage Workshop Today For Traditional Sign Community

October 5, 2021 by Dave Haynes

There have been many efforts through the years to bridge the traditional commercial sign and printing industries to the digital signage community and ecosystem, but I think it is entirely fair to say it hasn’t really happened to the degree that would seem logical. Billboards and posters are heavily going digital, so you’d think the analog industry would be adjusting and shifting.

Here’s a good example of how that industries have not really found each other. The International Sign Association is doing an online event today specifically about digital signage, which is great, but ALL the speakers/panelists come from the analog sign industry. That’s not to suggest the folks who will be talking don’t know their digital stuff, but I’d kind of expect to see and hear from some vendors/suppliers/experts who do digital signage ALL the time.

Here’s how it looks for the digital signage workshop this afternoon:

INTRODUCTION

PANEL #1: Full Speed Ahead with LED Digital | 2:00 pm EST – 2:20 pm EST
It’s not your father’s outdoor digital signage market anymore. New sectors continue to open up for outdoor digital signs, which means there are new ways to help your customers advertise their businesses with the latest LED applications. This session will highlight how sign companies can take advantage of breakthroughs in outdoor digital technology to find new customers and meet the needs of existing customers.  

Panelists:

BREAKOUT #1: Q&A AND GROUP DISCUSSION | 2:20 pm EST – 2:30 pm EST

PANEL #2: The Future of Digital Signage | 2:30 pm EST – 3:00 pm EST
What can getting into interior digital signage mean for your sign company? Hear first-hand how other sign companies have overcome challenges and found success in the increasingly popular digital signage sector.  This is your opportunity to build upon existing business practices and diversify revenue streams.

Panelists:

  • James Fuchsel, Sign Consultant, LaCrosse Signs, LaCrosse WI
  • Daryl Kirt, Account Manager, Scenic Signs, St. Cloud MN
  • Levi Stutzman, FASTSIGNS, Erie PA
  • Moderated by Ashley Bray, Managing Editor, Sign Builder Illustrated

BREAKOUT #2: Q&A AND GROUP DISCUSSION | 3:00 pm EST – 3:10 pm EST

Sign industry people, of course, want to hear from people who know the traditional sign industry, but it would be helpful – you’d at least think – to have people involved who have feet planted in both traditional and digital, like Gable. The panels include a FASTSIGNS person, but Wayne Rasor is the man when it comes to digital signage in that franchise-driven company.

All in all, great that the ISA is doing these. But it would be helpful, I think, to involve people who’ve been waking up for years thinking about the digital side of signs. The ISA’s annual trade show has, for years, had small digital signage components, including designated areas, but the digital and analog sign industries still mostly run in parallel, with not that many obvious ties.

 

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