27 | May | 21

Richard Johnson

Sign Of The Times

We’ve bought our fair share of banners since we founded the British Street Food Awards back in 2010. Big ones, little ones. Thin ones, thick ones. And you want to know our collected wisdom – after 11 years of bannering? You buy cheap you buy twice. Your eyelets will drop out and your corners will tear. People will snigger as your logo gets stretched beyond recognition. And that’s a sad indictment of the brand you’re working to build. Like Churros Bros told me, when they first put a huge sign on the top of their Citroen H saying ‘Churros’, your flash is your cash. That’s when we first came to work with Majisign.

Majisign, who join us this year as the official signage partner of the British Street Food Awards, are a UK-based manufacturer and retailer of wooden display products, including pavement signs, A-boards, chalkboards, menu holders, poster frames and other bespoke items. They are also a large format digital printing expert – so they know their eyelets. Most consultants will tell you that the top challenges for new businesses are change, the lack of time and working out how to differentiate yourself. But read through the guides at startups.co.uk and the only constant – in every industry – is the need for good promotional material. Majisign just get it.

The first physical proof that the British Street Food Awards existed – at the media launch on Whitecross Street Market, with Marco Pierre White and Anthony Worrall Thompson – was a banner. I unfurled it for the first time and I still remember the thrill of seeing my logo writ large – Antony could barely see over the top. And that smell. (The banner – not Anthony). But as the Awards have grown, so have our demands; from t-shirts and flags to bunting and stencils. From illuminated neon strip lights to small but beautiful plaques. And even though our A-boards might appear a bit old school, they’ve proven time and again to increase footfall.

What’s exciting about working with Majisign is that they make products and print too. All in-house. They manufacture their own chalkboards using FSC woods of known origin, from renewable sources – which ticks our sustainability box. It also means that you can ask for any shape or size and they’ll make the boards exactly to your needs. And if you need holes drilling or hooks to be included, they’ll do that too. They will be making all our boards and banners for the 2021 British Street Food Awards plus the European Street Food Awards and – launching in the Autumn – the USA Street Food Awards. They will be cutting our winner’s certificates, and making trophies worthy of real street food champions. Can’t wait….

RETAIL ADVANTAGES OF OUTDOOR DISPLAY
· Cheap to buy
· Increases footfall
· Help people to find your business
· Promote your latest offers
· Increases awareness of your brand
· Increases opportunistic visitors

INFORMATIVE ADVANTAGES
· Able to communicate with people at a distance when using a large display
· Preparatory information increases efficiencies and reduces stress
· Can reduce risk and increase safety in hazardous areas
· Helps people to make an informed decision
· Can provide wayfinding or confirmation of arrival at a location