The industry answers back…

If you attended this year’s Sign UK event at the NEC during May, you may have been amongst the 1,500 respondents to a survey commissioned by the show’s oerganisers, Faversham House Group. Val Hirst Reports… I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for surveys. Whenever I’m accosted by one of the market researchers who lurk in my local shopping centre at weekends, complete with officious looking clipboards, I always agree to answer their questions. Sadly, once they ascertain that I work ‘in the media’ I am politely rebuffed. This is always disappointing, particularly if participation is going to be rewarded with a free sample or, better still, a money off voucher! In fact, I have to admit, that on occasion, when the ‘reward’ has been a particularly tempting one, I’ve neglected to mention my media connections and have simply passed myself off as someone who ‘works with computers’. This is, after all, not a huge deception, but a fairly literal description of what I actually do most days. I then go on to provide all of the ‘correct’ answers – well, I can usually spot what it is they are trying to find out – before gleefully claiming my prize. I also try not to feel too guilty that the results of the survey are going to be ever so slightly skewed!

So naturally, whilst exhibiting at Sign UK, I was determined to take part in the survey commissioned by Faversham House Group, which was designed to find out not only what visitors thought about the exhibition, but also to gather general industry information.

I had to borrow someone else’s badge in order to participate and on this occasion, my answers were totally random, as I was more interested in the questions. The results of the survey, which was actually carried out by Vivid Interface, an independent market research specialist accredited by the Market Research Society of Great Britain, make interesting reading. In total, there were over 1,500 respondents drawn from show visitors, registered non-attendees and those who neither attended nor expressed an interest in the event. Over half of the respondents were an owner, partner or director and three-quarters had sole or joint responsibility for making or planning purchases. Fortuitously for Faversham House, 84 percent revealed that they were very happy with the format of Sign UK, rating it as either good or excellent, and 74 percent said they would either definitely, or possibly return next year.

Spring was confirmed as the best time of year to stage the show, with 59 percent of all respondents choosing the month of May as ideal. Earlier months scored very low, with April polling only eight percent, although it was highlighted as the second best time for the show to take place.

Although weekend opening has been a major topic of conversation throughout the industry, the survey revealed, surprisingly perhaps, that this is not in demand. Saturday and Sunday open days only polled 7 and 6 percent respectively, with mid-week remaining the overwhelming preference.

In addition to gathering views on Sign UK and its future direction, the survey was also designed to reveal buying trends and areas of potential growth within the sector. What the survey revealed was that whilst many companies had already made significant capital purchases, the average estimated future spend per company was still going to be £84,000 over the next twelve months, with six percent predicting that they will spend in excess of £500,000! Budgets for consumables are also significant, with the average spend for the coming year totalling in excess of £53,000, and 23 percent predicting that they will blow in excess of £100,000.

Over half of the respondents said they would be reviewing their suppliers within three months of visiting the show, with 17 percent claiming that they review this side of their business every month. And, whilst 61 percent of respondents already own a digital printer, 51 percent of this total plan to replace, upgrade or buy an additional one within the next twelve months. Of respondents who do not currently own one, 23 percent said they would buy a digital printer within the year, and a further 25 percent are considering it.

Particularly encouraging was the statistic that showed that 66 per cent of respondents expect business to be better in the next 12 months. Twenty seven percent think it will, in fact, be much better and only five percent thought it would be not quite as good as last year.

Rounding off the survey, Faversham House Group asked respondents about the profile of the show, in particular the ratio of digital printing equipment to sign making kit. 56 percent said that the balance was right and that they see the show as important in making purchasing and business decisions.

All of this must indeed be music to Faversham House Group’s ears. And whilst I am sure that industry suppliers will be delighted to learn that the industry is planning to spend, spend, spend over the coming months, the fact remains that 1,500 is a fairly small number in terms of the wider sign and graphic sectors. If you failed to respond to the survey, but have a view on either the exhibition, or the industry generally, that you would like to express more fully, please e-mail your responses direct to me at signdirections@btconnect.com. A selection of your e-mails will appear in the next issue. And you never know, by then I might even have been able to rustle up a nice little reward for everyone who replies!

Sign UK 2007 will take place from 1-3 May at the NEC in Birmingham. For further information visit www.signuk.com or call Rudi Blackett at Faversham House Group on +44 (0)208 651 7112 email: rudi.blackett@fav-house.com.

October 2006

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