The wait is almost over. ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2007 is just a few months away, and folks in the cleaning industry are ready to pack their bags and head to Orlando, Fla. Cleaning industry professionals will converge on the town made famous by Disney Tuesday, Oct. 23 through Saturday, Oct. 26 — and a James Bond theme will surely add excitement to ISSA’s annual trade show and convention.

While the convention features many of the same great things building service contractors saw and attended last year, some new offerings are worth a look. New to the show this year are peer exchange sessions for BSCs or distributors on October 23, and a new exhibitor pavilion.

The BSC peer exchange session was developed in response to requests for more interaction amongst non-competing professionals from similar company types, says Dianna Bisswurm, director of industry outreach for ISSA.

“The session will hone in on BSC-specific topics and offer a mix of consultant presentation and individual interaction in a round-table setting,” she says.

A networking reception will follow, allowing attendees to mingle further.

The New Exhibitor Pavilion, developed to make it easier to find what is innovative and new amongst the 700-plus exhibitors, will help attendees locate products and companies they haven’t seen before at ISSA/INTERCLEAN.

One big change this year will be holding the keynote address on the second morning of the trade show. In previous years, the keynote kicked off the first day of the show. Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, will present “Living in the Age of Transformation” at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 25.

“The first day of the trade show has become so busy for many people that they weren’t able to attend the popular keynote,” Bisswurm says. “Thursday is now an ideal day to attend for people who want to both attend the keynote address and network at the Show Floor Happy Hour, held in the afternoon at the Innovation Stage.”

ISSA has brought back one of last year’s fledgling features, the ISSA Education Theatre, which hosts short educational sessions on the show floor on the half hour.

Also, look for show floor shuttles to return. The motorized carts that transported attendees from one end of the show floor to the other, giving them a chance to sit and relax for a few moments, were a hit last year, says Bisswurm.

A strong environmental focus is carried over from last year, Bisswurm says, with cleaning for health and green cleaning continuing to take center stage as an emerging trend in the industry.

Now that ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) Certification Program has been launched, expect a focus on cleaning management as well. More than 20 organizations that have participated in a case study stage of the program will have been certified by October and will be recognized at the trade show; many will participate in panel discussions on the benefits on improved management.

Bisswurm recommends that returning attendees seek out new things this trade show; new people, products, seminars and more await even the most seasoned of convention-goer.




POSTED ON: 8/1/2007