Committees of the Board ISA Divisions ISA Bylaws ISA Strategic Plan ISA Staff ISA Board Manual (login required) Contact ISA About ISA The International Sign Association (ISA) is a 2,300-member trade association, the members of which are manufacturers, users and suppliers of on-premise signs and other visual communications products from the 50 United States and 54 countries around the world. ISA supports, promotes and improves the visual communications industry, which sustains the nation’s retail, distribution, service and manufacturing industries. On-Premise Signs Signs and graphics of all kinds are the primary means available for retail and service businesses to communicate with the public. Signage is the most cost-effective way for a business to get noticed and, to a large degree, what enables it to compete for customers and be successful.
The on-premise business sign is essential in helping the independent business owner compete against the mass media advertising of national corporations. On-premise signs constitute a wide range of visual communications methods. On-premise signs can include: neon signs hanging in shop windows or storefronts; fiber-optic systems; pole signs in front of fast-food restaurants or gas stations; electronic message boards; rotating time and temperature displays at banks; awnings; canopies; banners; indoor and outdoor wayfinding/directional signs; and projecting signs painted on or carved out of wood.
ISA member companies are trained on installation techniques and many are state-licensed (where applicable) to provide installation services. Promotional Signs and Graphics Many ISA member companies produce promotional signs and graphics, including point-of-sale, event and trade show displays and graphics, along with graphics on trucks, buses and other vehicles. Many companies specialize in one or more types of on-premise or promotional signs and graphics, such as digitally printed banners, signs and decals. ISA Facts - The International Sign Association was founded in 1944 as the National Electric Sign Association (NESA) to represent manufacturers, users and suppliers of on-premise signs and sign products.
- Headquartered near the nation’s capital in Alexandria, Va., ISA is a 2,300 member organization comprised of manufacturers, users and suppliers of on-premise signs and sign products from all 50 United States and 54 additional countries.
- ISA exists to support, promote and improve the sign industry. This is accomplished through government advocacy, education and training programs, technical resources, outreach to stakeholders and sign industry events .
- ISA member companies each belong to a specialty division, including local, architectural, digital, and national sign company divisions as well as supplier and end user categories.
- The annual ISA International Sign Expo, the largest sign show in the world, has been named to Tradeshow Week magazine’s prestigious Tradeshow Week 200 list of the largest expositions in the U.S. for four consecutive years.
- Along with affiliated organizations in nine North American regions (Northeast States Sign Association, Southern States Sign Council, Mid South Sign Association, Midwest Sign Association, Central Sign Council, Southwest Sign Council, Western States Sign Council, Northwest Sign Council and Sign Association of Canada), ISA offers targeted programs and services to its members.
Through its allied relationships with business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Administration and the New York State Small Business Development Center, ISA has developed a wealth of resources aimed at educating city officials and sign code regulators of the benefits of signage to local economies. |