We have just over a week now before the doors open for the Brisbane show which opens on the 10th (Thursday next week).
For the last decade or more the show has been held on the Gold Coast, so it will be interesting to see what difference the change of location has on the number of delegates. The Gold Coast had a special appeal to interstate people due to the holiday atmosphere of the Gold Coast and the fact that (presumably) many of the delegates could bring their families to the Gold Coast and legitimately claim the travel expenses against their tax liabilities.
One assumes that Brisbane could offer the same but is certainly not in the same league as the Gold Coast as a holiday destination in spite of the approximate 1 hour travel time by car between the two cities.
Looking at the exhibitor list. There are several new exhibitors this year which should add to the appeal of the show but the old favourites such as Roland DG, DGS Mimaki and Mimaki (exhibiting directly this time) still represent the foundation blocks of the show.
The show has about sixty exhibitors and what looks like about twenty five to thirty of those with a direct interest in selling wide format printing related products.
It is a given that many wide format printers in the sign industry are actively involved in other sectors of the sign industry. However with the wide format industry now spread across all sectors of the graphic arts industry, the organisers have a sizeable job on their hands to attract delegates from this wider graphic arts industry when the bulk of those additional delegates would probably have little interest in those other sectors of the sign industry.
Traditionally, these shows are well organised by VISA so we can only hope that VISA are happy with the finances and perhaps more importantly with the volume of delegates, quality of delegates and exhibitor satisfaction. Much will depend on these factors when deciding on the location of the next Queensland show in 2016.
With a good range of seminars/workshops and activities such as the Queensland vehicle wrap challenge taking place, it should be a good show.
The New Zealand Sign Show has been scheduled to start on the 11th of April. This may detract from some of the Kiwi visitors coming to Brisbane.
VISA
http://www.viie.com.au/brisbane-exhibiton
