Executive Director Welcome

Trade Show Not As Usual

Welcome to ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2008, as we return to Las Vegas, along with our partner, Amsterdam RAI. We thought it would be fitting to have a theme of “Business NOT as Usual” in a city that is never ordinary and at an event that always strives to bring you unexpected new ideas, product launches and networking experiences.

We went out of our way this year to find some truly unique speakers, including John Moore, the marketing mind behind Starbucks and Whole Foods, speaking Tuesday at 8 a.m., and, of course, our entertaining keynote speaker, Dr. Bill Cosby, who will help you put your job in the cleaning industry into a larger perspective Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in the Las Vegas Hilton Barron Room (adjacent to the convention center).

New Green Features

If you’re trying to better understand the growing “green” movement, you can visit the new Green Connections Pavilion, in the 4000 aisle, where government experts, certification groups, advocacy groups and consultants will be located, right by the ISSA Education Theatre, where many sessions will touch on sustainability and environmental issues.

Educational handouts also will be on thumb drives this year for seminar participants so they can more easily share ideas they come across with peers and staff in a more environmentally friendly way.

Other Updates

If you’re looking for new networking opportunities, stop by the Distributor Peer Exchange Session on Monday at 4:15 p.m., a valuable opportunity to not only learn from the expert moderator about action plans for distribution managers, but also from one another in a noncompetitive environment. Immediately following, join facility service providers coming from their own Peer Exchange Session for a joint reception to further mingle with peers and customers.

We’ve also listened to your requests to make it easier to find new products and exhibitors at ISSA/INTERCLEAN. The New Exhibitor’s Pavilion will help you identify these new firms at the show. But take note — there are many more exhibitors than could fit in the sold-out pavilion space. So a map at the entrance will alert you to which companies are new this year.

Also, the ISSA Product Innovation Awards Program will return for the fourth year with an entirely new, interactive sports format. Stop by and view new releases on display, find literature, or watch short demo videos. Then vote on your favorites by tossing a basketball or putting a golf ball. The reward for casting your vote is new knowledge and a free coupon for lunch.

The Show Floor Happy Hour also will return as a prime networking and entertainment event Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., near the ISSA Education Theatre, featuring cirque-style aerial acrobatics.

We again welcome our returning partner, the DistriPakUSA™ show, hosted by the NPTA Alliance. This event will bring to the floor the latest products and services from the industrial and food packaging industry for the many distributors who already carry these lines or are interested in venturing into these business opportunities. In addition, we know many of you will attend your own marketing-group events co-located during the week and look forward to seeing your organizations there.

I welcome you to the latest edition of the ISSA/INTERCLEAN show. I am confident that you will enjoy and profit from the new and expanded features at The ONE SHOW for the cleaning industry.

John P. Garfinkel
ISSA Executive Director