The Grand Tour, in Brief

Note: This is an excerpt from the article "The Grand Tour, in Brief", available in the ST, September 2003, issue. Earlier this year, I traveled to Europe and met with many industry participants in such countries as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. I also met with acquaintances from France and Germany at various trade events. Having traveled extensively throughout Europe, I knew what to expect, but in the five years since my last, long trip, notable changes have occurred. Upon closer inspection During several weeks, I visited at least a dozen European sign companies and several sign-supply distributors. I also attended Sign UK, held at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Center, where approximately two dozen, large-format, digital-media and hardware manufacturers/distributors exhibited their wares — some on a grand scale. Also at Sign UK, the British Sign & Graphics Assn. (BSGA) displayed its annual awards. The BSGA’s "Sign Project of the Year" award went to Blaze Neon (Broadstairs, Kent, United Kingdom) for its work on EuroDisney in France. The project involved completing more than 1,200 signs — many illuminated and incorporating neon — in one year. I also visited Blaze Neon, one of the United Kingdom’s largest and most creative sign companies. Blaze’s 100,000-sq.-ft. facility includes two neon plants, laser cutters, a wealth of other CAS equipment and numerous vehicles. Large-format digital output was also well-represented in the BSGA awards. C3 Imaging’s (Manchester, United Kingdom) digital banners for the Commonwealth Games took this year’s prize in the "Best Digital Sign" category. C3 fabricated and installed hundreds of multi-story, exterior banners on 150 sites during a six-week period. Fenn Signs (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom) won the "Best Vehicle" award for a four-color, large-scale, digital vehicle wrap, which decorated soft-sided truck trailers commissioned in honor of the Queen’s Jubilee celebration.