Elevating Partnerships at Sales Expo
This year’s Sales Expo was an enriching experience for our sign company partners, focusing on our Pillars of Partnership: Quality & Reliability, Support, and Solutions.
9/25/2024
Categories: Sign Company News
With 52 attendees from 29 different sign companies – including 29 first-time attendees – the event was an opportunity for learning, networking and goal setting.
Discovering products and services
Sales Expo showcased standard and emerging product offerings, tours of the manufacturing facility and spending time in Lab Services, where technicians and engineers provide testing in house to ensure quality, integrity and reliability of our products.
Attendees had the opportunity to get hands-on training with Venus Control Suite, our cloud-based software. They also discovered opportunities through services such as FrameWrx, a content design platform that enables anyone, anywhere to leverage professionally designed templates for their digital displays.
Moving forward with AI
One of the standout features of the event was the keynote address by Julie Holmes, who delivered an impactful presentation on artificial intelligence (AI). She challenged attendees to rethink their approach to this transformative technology, providing several key takeaways:
- Compete in the age of AI: Even if your capabilities aren't growing, your competitors' are. It's vital to adapt.
- Be a leader, not a follower: Proactively explore and experiment with AI rather than waiting for others to lead the way.
- Rethink sales roles and progression: As AI automates tasks, the focus should shift to hiring for soft skills like communication.
- Hire for the right skills: Look for traits such as creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and persistence – not just technical expertise.
- Be an AI coach: Foster a culture of experimentation, provide feedback, and continuously iterate.
Excellence in Sign Design
A highlight of this year's Sales Expo was the annual Sign Design Contest, where attendees had the opportunity to submit entries and vote for their favorite designs. This year’s winners showcased exceptional creativity and innovation in their projects, reflecting the high standards of our industry partners.
Under 50 Square Feet Category Winner: La Crosse Sign Group – Upper Room
La Crosse Sign Group impressed attendees with their design for Upper Room, a house of worship in Preston, Minnesota. The 6mm high-resolution, full-color GT6x display harmoniously integrates with the building's architecture, allowing for the clear and dynamic content sharing.
Jeff Brezinka, sign consultant for La Crosse Sign Group, noted, “Our professional sales team does a great job listening to our clients to fully understand their needs, while promoting our reputation for creative design, quality construction, stellar installation, and service.”
Over 50 Square Feet Category Winner: Bismarck Sign Company - Sky Dancer Casino & Resort
Bismarck Sign Company took home the award for their striking display at the Sky Dancer Casino & Resort. Standing 36 feet tall and 21 feet wide, this eye-catching sign features a 13 x 12-foot feather-shaped cabinet that attracts attention from over 500 yards away.
They worked with Daktronics to determine how to optimize visibility, opting for a 10mm GT6x 288 x 540 display that may be viewed from a great distance or close up.
Wayne Munson, co-founder of Bismarck Sign Company, stated, “Our designer had a free hand with this project and truly excelled. With a clear view along the highway and no obstructions, this display will be visible from over a mile away, providing excellent impact and reach.”
'Other' Category Winner: Facility Solutions Group (FSG) – City of Irving, Texas
FSG earned recognition for their innovative exterior-rated, pedestrian-oriented LCD display for the City of Irving. By leveraging Daktronics’ customizable kiosks controlled by Venus Control Suite, they created a display tailored to the city's needs, even withstanding extreme Texas heat.
“Most digital kiosks are not customizable,” explains Andrew Chapman, FSG signs and branding specialist. “With Daktronics, we were able to source an LCD screen that we could insert into a kiosk we built to the customer's desire, with their city logo and other messaging.”
Attendee insights
The feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the value of the event and the depth of knowledge gained.
“I came here for an education, and I actually got so much more,” says first-time attendee, Linda Forrest from Signs Hawaii. “I learned a lot about the products and how much testing is done before products even get to market. That investment is huge.”
She emphasized the importance of Sales Expo for setting new goals: “The biggest thing I got from this is new goals. I can broaden my product offering to my current customers.”
James Reason from Professional Sign Services has attended Sales Expo multiple times. He echoed Linda’s sentiment, saying, “If you're thinking about it, you should come because you'll learn a lot. It's a step in the right direction of a partnership rather than Daktronics just being a supplier. You really can't see anything like this anywhere else.”
We invite you to join us next year to explore new possibilities, deepen your knowledge, and connect with industry peers in the sign industry.