Expect More At ISSA/INTERCLEAN Orlando

Riding the coattails of last year’s successful show in Las Vegas that drew the most attendees in nearly a decade, ISSA is expecting a record turnout for ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2014.

"Everywhere attendees look, they will find the event is about more, more, more. More exhibitors, more co-located events, more keynote speakers, more days of education," says Dianna Steinbach, director of industry outreach for ISSA.

Taking place November 4-7 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, more than 16,000 jan/san distributors, building service contractors and in-house service providers will get the opportunity to network, learn, and visit with more than a record 700 exhibitors from more than 30 countries.

"ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America is the best opportunity to experience first-hand, all the latest products, equipment and innovations the industry has to offer," says Fritz Gast, ISSA president and executive vice president of P.B. Gast & Sons, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This year ISSA is returning to the Tuesday through Friday format with the trade show floor open Wednesday through Friday with more than 40 educational seminars being offered on all four days, including a first — educational sessions after the show floor closes on Friday, Nov. 7.

The educational seminars and workshops presented throughout the four-day exhibition cover a wide array of topics. This year, there are more sessions in the Advanced Distributor Program giving distributors even more valuable information to run their companies.

"What a great way to give a distributor and its staff, timely and much needed career development and continuing education," says Gast.

Last year ISSA had three keynote speakers and located them right in the exhibit hall to centralize the attendee experience. After receiving a lot of positive feedback, the decision was made once again to locate the speakers in the exhibit hall, but up the ante to four presenters — having a keynote speaker on Wednesday and Thursday, and two speakers on the final day of the exhibition for what ISSA is billing "Friday Finale."

Susan Erschler, Fortune 500 executive and famed mountain climber will present "Conquering the Seven Summits of Peak Performance" on Wednesday. Marcus Buckingham, author of the business bestseller "First, Break All The Rules," will present "Find Your Edge" on Thursday.

The Friday Finale tips off with champion basketball coach Rick Pitino presenting "The One Day Contract" before the exhibit hall opens. When the exhibit hall closes at 1 p.m., the final keynote, boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard, will tie his message of excellence, "The Power to Win!" into the new ISSA Excellence Awards Luncheon.

Attendees are encouraged to attend this complimentary luncheon with industry leaders as the ISSA Innovation Award, Best Customer Service Award, and ISSA Member Milestones recipients will be recognized. The luncheon is free for attendees, but they need to RSVP when registering for the show to secure one of the limited seats. As an added bonus, multiple pairs of boxing gloves autographed by Leonard will be raffled off.

This year ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America’s theme is "The One Show for Facility Solutions" due to the fact that it is the one show where the entire industry comes together, including five different co-located events by industry associations.

A growing number of exhibitors will also be showcasing products and services that go beyond traditional cleaning solutions. This will help attendees find solutions to help with other needs they may have within facilities.

No matter the job title of the attendee, Steinbach says those who attend the show will take home valuable information.

"Cleaning operations will take home the answers they’ve been looking for to solve their greatest needs, whether they be in the form of products, education, or peer networking," she says. "Distributors will find niche products they can’t find anywhere else, to fill out their product lines, as well as talk with supplier executives and technical experts who they may not have access to in their local region. Plus they’ll find trend updates and business advice to help them maintain their competitive edge."

Nick Bragg is a freelance writer based in Milwaukee. He is the former Deputy Editor of Sanitary Maintenance.

posted on 9/2/2014