After successfully returning to an in-person format last year in Las Vegas, the ISSA Show North America is back again for its annual convention and trade show Oct. 10-13 in Chicago. Attendees can expect the same quality of exhibits, seminars, and banquets in the Windy City this fall.   

The McCormick Place Convention Center’s South Hall will host this year’s festivities, which are expected to see a continued high-volume turnout, as is typical for an in-person ISSA show. Over 600 exhibitors representing 20 countries are anticipated to occupy more than 250,000 square feet of exhibit space, and over 50 guest speakers with a wide variety of cleaning industry expertise will make an appearance. Building service contractors (BSCs) looking to experience all that ISSA Show North America has to offer should consider the All-Access Pass, which opens the door to four days of 70-plus education sessions, a welcome reception and an array of networking events.  

Possibly overwhelming at first glance, the exhibitor hall (located in the South Hall, Level 3) is simply organized into a series of specialized areas and pavilions. Covering everything from Indoor Air Quality to Facility Management, attendees can utilize the show map to efficiently plan out their day. BSCs can also track updates on education sessions and networking events using the ISSA Show App.  

Back by popular demand, the New Exhibitor Pavilion plays host to companies that are attending their first show, while the Startup Village showcases companies under three years old that are looking to make their mark in the cleaning industry. Another staple of the show floor is the ISSA Sports Bar (booth #2032), where attendees can take a break from being on their feet with a free drink voucher, compliments of the show.  

Many show highlights throughout the week take place during exhibit hall hours, but the additional networking events on tap often lead to the most memorable conversations and valuable connections. The Welcome Reception on Monday, Oct. 10, will be held from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the House of Blues, a vibrant music venue featuring a live band, as well as drinks and food aplenty as colleagues reconnect.

Fast forward to Tuesday, Oct. 11, and the exhibitor hall will officially open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. As the afternoon winds down, attendees will be able to take part in the Innovation Happy Hour from 3:00-5:00 p.m. — right on the convention show floor, where some of the most innovative cleaning products will be displayed. Expo hours for the following days will again be 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 12, and then 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13.   

Educational Opportunities

Throughout the four-day event, ISSA is hosting over 70 education sessions for all-access pass holders. Similar to the show floor, the sessions are categorized into specific tracks based on the needs of attendees. For BSCs, a handful of tracks should provide insight into end user preferences and needs for products and training: 

• The Business Development & Marketing Solutions Track will provide BSCs with tips on fast business growth through software; how to eliminate time-wasting on the job; how to bolster a brand without needing to compete on price; and how to maintain excellent customer service amid staffing shortages and elevated cleaning expectations.  

• The Healthcare Track will cover how federal mandates for personal protective equipment (PPE) and vaccinations could affect supply and training needs.

• The Facility Maintenance & Operations Track provides insight on how sensor technology can optimize workloads, and the impact remote working has on cleaning frequencies.  

• The Environmental, Social Responsibility & Governance (ESG) Track could be especially interesting to BSCs, as sessions hone-in on the importance of cleaning for health as opposed to cleaning for appearance, and different methods/equipment that can be implemented to ensure a quality job is done. Sessions on sustainability and how BSCs can help promote green-centric products and overall branding for facilities will be on hand. It also delves into a variety of management-centric topics, such as how BSCs can adapt to new equipment or updated regulations and cleaning demands.   

• Similarly, actionable strategies can be learned in the Leadership, Career & Talent Development Track. These sessions will highlight the ongoing issues with hiring, retention, and employee engagement as the job market begins to expand and potential employees have increasingly more options.   

Each track will feature sessions spread out across all four days of the event, starting on Monday, Oct. 10.  

Aside from conventional sessions, there will be educational presentations showcasing product innovation, business strategies, and more on the show floor. An ISSA Show classic, Solve for X (booth #1069), returns with a variety of sessions highlighting common issues in the workplace and what solutions can be implemented. BSCs will want to make a pit stop for “Honest Hiring: Growing a Workforce that STAYS” on Tuesday from 1:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m., to learn best practices for crafting job descriptions, how to improve employee onboarding processes, and more. On Wednesday, “Quote with Confidence: Creating Profitable Proposals” from 3:30 p.m.-4 p.m. will provide advice on systemizing the quote process, how to accurate calculate projected cleaning times, and using a data-driven approach to business that improves employee and customer morale.

The Facility Solutions Theater (booth #3242) provides sessions on ESG, performance standards and more. Sessions of interest include, “Improved Efficiencies with Less in 2022” from 1:30-2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, and “The Measure of Cleanliness — Is Your Clean Enough” from 2:30-3:00 p.m. on Wednesday.  

 

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BSCs Benefit from Education and Awards at ISSA 2022


POSTED ON: 9/21/2022