Association Insights: ISA

As business continues to go at a breakneck pace, taking the time to rethink and strategize might seem the last on the to-do list. But when new opportunities and new ideas present themselves, the smart business leader is always poised to capitalize. 

Then there are times when business is changing and the risk of missing out is high. For companies that have been in business for many years, technology and trends have changed around them. 

Pixie Nunez came to the sign, graphics and visual communications industry as an outsider—and has helped bring a new way of thinking to ARI Graphix and its parent company, Albuquerque Reprographic, Inc. The company had long visited print-specific tradeshows. And while there were plenty of small changes to explore, Nunez, the company’s general manager, pushed to think even bigger. She attended ISA International Sign Expo for the first time in 2017, where she found a spark of inspiration into other areas of graphic expertise. 

“I spent a half-day walking the floor and realized how much more information was available at the tradeshow,” Nunez said. “This changed everything.”

These days, about 80% of the company’s business is in signs and graphics. That’s a pretty significant change—and a quick one, too. In less than three years, thanks to the ideas she gathered at ISA Sign Expo and her own initiative, she has opened up a sizeable line of business. 

Because of the connections made, particularly with exhibitors, ARI Graphix now offers a variety of signs.

“We’re still learning all the different materials," Nunez said. "But coming into the industry somewhat ignorant was an advantage. We were able to build relationships with people who could help us, like sign wholesalers.”

It’s that sense of discovery that ISA International Sign Expo has opened up.

“My belief is you don’t know what you don’t know until someone shows you," Nunez said. "It’s important to keep an open mind. Even though your business may be working, you have to stay open to working on your process because there are always avenues to improve.”

Each year, ISA International Sign Expo delivers those avenues. In 2019, Nunez specifically sought out more information on LED lighting so that ARI could understand lighting behind graphics.

“We do some really creative printing on acrylics and other types of materials," she said.

She also saw a visual display, which the company purchased as a way to advertise its many services.

“People are used to coming in to pick up construction documents, and they don’t always see the messages of all that we offer,” Nunez said. “They used to rotate on a TV, but this really catches attention.”

Attending has “really taken us from being behind to being on the innovative side of signage. At the beginning, we were imitating others,” she said. “Now people are imitating us. The more we’ve learned, the more it has allowed us to make our graphics more interesting.”

Nunez demonstrates the value of thinking strategically with business. If you continue to go with the flow, exploring what’s working, you might miss an opportunity just around the corner. 

I hope you’ll plan to attend ISA Sign International Sign Expo 2020, held April 2-4 in Orlando, Fla. Come a day early, April 1, and dive deeply into those new growth opportunities with our pre-conference workshops. 

Maybe you’ve seen the opportunities in wrap, and while some of it makes sense to a sign, graphics and visual communications company or a printer, the business aspects present unique challenges. Justin Pate of The Wrap Institute and John Duever of Vinyl Images and Design present the Business Boot Camp for Wrap Professionals by Avery Dennison. The day-long sessions will focus on ownership, sales and marketing and upselling among other topics.

Wayne Peterson of Black Canyon Group will help leaders bring a business development process to their companies in the day-long Strategic Management Workshop. Bill Farquharson of Aspire For offers a half-day session, Finding Success with Wide-Format Print. And Karen Vanhoy of Atlas presents the half-day session, Developing Exemplary Project Management Teams.

Any one of the pre-conference workshops can provide enough insight, inspiration and tactics to grow business in the coming year. 

There are plenty of ideas and inspiration to help you expand in a constantly changing environment. ISA International Sign Expo 2020 is April 2-4 with pre-conference workshops April 1, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Register at www.signexpo.org.

I hope to see you there!