Wrapping Isn’t Just a Team Sport

While the Wrap Team Challenge — sponsored by Arlon (Booth 721), Ritrama (Booth 2451) and 3M (Booth 2661) — is certainly a big draw at booth 4118 this year, there is a reason to stop by even for those who aren’t competing. In addition to the ongoing competition, all attendees are also invited to come and experience WrapQuest.

“If you come back, and the competition isn’t currently going on, attendees can take the time to apply some vinyl themselves,” says Ray Weiss, Director of Digital Print Programs, SGIA (Booth 1961). Throughout the show, there will be a wide range of vinyls and surfaces that any attendee who wants to try their hand at wrapping can get hands-on experience with.

Surfaces to wrap will include a car, a rivet wall and even flat surfaces like glass. “There will be lots of opportunity to play with different vinyls and see some demonstrations,” Weiss says. He notes that it won’t be formal training, but every attendee who stops by will benefit from the Certified Master Installers who will be on hand to demonstrate techniques.

In addition to the hands-on opportunities, there is also a variety of manufacturers stopping by with some of their latest products, giving demonstrations on the qualities of those materials, as well as tips and tricks on how to get the most out of them. The schedule for the demonstrations is posted at the booth, so make sure to stop by for the full listing.

“As long as there is vinyl in the booth, you can try it out with one of our skilled installers,” Weiss says. “You can come back for the demos — and there is certainly an advantage to watching them to learn new techniques — but even if you can’t get back, you can at least try it for yourself. That is the big advantage to this space: you can touch and feel and try the different vinyls for yourself.”

WrapQuest was last seen at the 2009 SGIA Expo, and was brought back by a steering committee that wanted to have a more interactive experience again. “We went to them and asked how we can better reach out to this community,” Weiss says. “And since the last WrapQuest was such a successful event, we decided to try it again. The element of competition is new this year; we’ve never done a competition like this, but they’re very popular and our committee wanted to try to pull off one of our own.”

Every attendee of SGIA Expo this year is invited to stop by — if you have experience with installing vehicle wraps or not. It is a great opportunity to leave the show not just with new ideas, but with new practical experience in knowing how different vinyls behave, how to get the best results on a range of different surfaces and what to look for in a quality installation. WrapQuest will be open at booth 4118 for the entire duration of the show.