Successful Visual Impact Addresses Key Challenges

Organisers Visual Connections have announced a successful Visual Impact trade show in Brisbane, outstripping expectations and garnering plenty of praise from exhibitors, who reported a slew of sales, and visitors who embraced the opportunity to 'connect with success'.

Organisers say that local businesses were keen for an in-person show after a hiatus of six years since the last Visual Impact expo in the Queensland capital. From the time doors opened, visitors flowed through the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre doors. While final numbers are not available, initial indications are that almost 2,500 people visited the show over the three days, an increase of 20% compared with 2018.

As expected, most attendees were from Brisbane and across Queensland. However, many attended from New South Wales and the Northern Territory. Visitors also attended from as far afield as Perth, Melbourne, and New Zealand, with many arriving on Thursday or Friday and taking the opportunity to take a short-stay vacation in Queensland after the show door closed.

"We are delighted with the way the industry – both exhibitors and visitors – embraced the opportunities provided at Visual Impact in Brisbane," says Charly Blades, Event Manager at Visual Connections.

Several companies brought their teams to see the latest technologies and demonstrations, experience market trends in person, and update their knowledge. Anecdotally, organisers heard of groups driving for hours or flying multiple people to Brisbane from interstate, with feedback from those groups indicating that they considered the investment of time and resources to do so was more than worthwhile.

For exhibitors, the quality of visitors and their readiness to invest is essential; Visual Impact performed strongly, with exhibitors reporting that visitors were 'here to buy' and the strong sales recorded at the show validated the observations.

Numerous exhibitors reported multiple major sales, and some had sold every item displayed on their stands by the show's end. Early feedback from those who invested in the opportunity was overwhelmingly positive, with several indicating that the ROI of Visual Impact expos makes them a must-attend for suppliers serious about reaching the sign, display and graphics sector.

The show also addressed market trends and key challenges the industry faces.

With the shortage of skilled staff a challenge for many attendees, interest was high in any systems that allowed for removing touchpoints in production, allowing businesses to 'do more with less' and grow despite industry-wide shortages. Sustainability was a focus for many exhibitors, with new media releases and features such as improved energy efficiency and reduced waste on show. New opportunities were also featured, with businesses able to explore a diverse range of technologies to create valuable new revenue streams.

These themes also came through strongly in the seminar program throughout the show in the Connections Centre presentation lounge. The sessions were well attended, with various topics and speakers, and visitors welcomed the more intimate, conversation-focused approach.

Interest in the Sign & Print Career Connections stand and adjacent Try-A-Trade area was also steady, with a particular focus given to promoting the resources that are available to businesses to support the employment and retention of apprentices – a vital component to ensure industry opportunities match the high level of interest from potential trainees. Channel letter-bending workshops run by Lettertech and Bounce LED were also well-attended, adding another highlight to the program.

Notably, there was strong support at the show from industry associations – in particular, the Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) who had a full team on hand to discuss member benefits and resources with visiting businesses – but also FESPA Australia, the LIA and the FPLMA, as well as Women in Print, who held a networking event at the show.

Blades concludes, "The team is now well advanced in planning for the next Visual Impact Expo, which will co-locate with PacPrint 2025 and the Label & Packaging Expo at the Sydney Showground in May next year and will feature even more new information, ideas and inspiration to help businesses improve performance and profitability, increase sustainability, manage the ongoing skills shortage and capitalise on new market trends and opportunities."