SDUK and Printwear and Promotion Live! will return to the NEC on 23-25 February 2025, with SDUK moving to Hall 19 and its sister show to Hall 20. The confirmation comes on the heels of the first co-located events, which saw an increase of over 2,000 visitors to SDUK over the 2023 iteration, with more than 5,500 visitors across the three days. Attendance across the two shows topped 8,000. The first-ever Sunday opening for SDUK saw 2,000 visitors, with many coming across from P+P.
Event director Tony Gardner said: “The show had struggled to recover since Covid, so we knew that this year’s Sign and Digital UK - the 35th but first under Datateam’s ownership - was the start of the rebuild. The show undoubtedly needed re-energising, and the new format made it feel like a re-launch. The success of the co-location has surpassed our expectations and given us a solid foundation to build upon for 2025, and to re-establish the show as a central part of the calendar and an economic stimulus for the industry.
“Exhibitors reported that visitors were very keen to explore the technology on show, and many were ready to buy. Many deals were made on stands, with several announced on the Sunday, which is great news for everyone.”
He added: “We’ve been delighted by the positivity from many exhibitors regarding the two shows working together. Companies in SDUK say they have had many people come across from P+P inspired by what they have seen and ready to talk about the equipment they need to get into these new markets.”
Vivid Laminating Technologies sales director Richard Marlow said of SDUK 2024: “By the middle of day two, we’d made six-figure deals. It’s been a smaller show, but the number of visitors has been excellent, and the conversations had have had a positive impact. Having the show fall on a Sunday was a fun idea, as we’re away from the office and, therefore, are focused on the exhibition.”
At printMax marketing manager Vicky Jarman said: “It was great to meet new customers who would usually only attend Printwear and Promotion Live! We’ve sold equipment to people who were not aware of the company and what we sell. This has been the most diverse Sign and Digital UK show yet.”
Brad Goldsmith, marketing manager at Premier Paper, said: “It’s good to have been back at Sign and Digital UK. There’s a lot of change at the show, and we were worried that it would be smaller, but were inundated with interest from both halls. We had great conversations about Premier's products and services, which have led to visitors having an interest in opening accounts with us.”
Roland DG’s head of sales UK and Ireland,Rob Goleniowski, said: “We are feeling positive about this show. Good dealers approached our stand, customers made orders, and we had the right conversations with visitors. We had stands at both SDUK and P+P and potential clients from the respective industries came to find us.”
Show visitor David John of Signwaves Ltd, said: “It’s been interesting to see what state-of-the-art equipment the signage industry has to currently offer. I’d recommend the show to anyone within the industry - it was quite compact but that’s not necessarily a bad point, it just means that there was better attention towards the visitors’ needs from the exhibitors.”
Ash Shah of Ripple Signs and Print added: “We felt overwhelmed in the best way possible, as there was so much to see, especially with both shows being right next to each other. We enjoyed it a lot and would say that others in the industry should attend in the future.”