A reader writes: “I plan on attending some janitorial trade shows this year and do not won’t to waste time or money. Any suggestions would be appreciated.”

First of all, congratulations on taking this very important step in furthering your knowledge and career. You mentioned the trade show and to the best of my knowledge it is one of the largest group of manufacturers, distributors and end users in the country. It brings together several different associations focused on various aspects of the cleaning industry. The benefits to attending are multi-fold so I will only touch on a few of the ones for you to consider. First of all, you will be exposing yourself to some of the latest technologies as to equipment, chemicals, tools and training. You will find the vendors are all interested in not only selling you their products but also in keeping your business by helping you to be more productive and successful.

Another major benefit is that there will be many different training opportunities that allow you to focus on topics that are important to you ranging from equipment use to floor care to complying with current regulations. Although some of the classes charge a few (and are oftentimes well worth it) you will also be able to sit in on some sessions covered by your registration fee. I suggest you register early, make sure you have a lock on lodging and transportation and then work out a day to day schedule of what you want to do. Make sure you allow plenty of time for simply walking the trade show floor, collecting the free samples and asking direct questions of vendors.

Don’t fail to take advantage of the networking opportunities where you can talk shop with your peers so have plenty of business cards and follow up when you return home.

A final tip is that if you are able to ship items back you can get some great deals on demo equipment that the vendor would rather you purchased at a discount rather than shipping it back to their site.

Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean...

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net


posted on 10/24/2016