Every October I make my way to the annual International Sanitary Supply Association show — a ritual I’ve performed every year for the past 29 years. Why? As a cleaning professional, the show is my chance to see the whole industry at once. I can see new products, meet old friends, and discover what’s happening in the world of cleaning. Peers and professionals from around the world are on hand to provide me with the very latest information.

This year, I convinced a colleague who had never attended the show that she really owed it to herself and her company to go. After four days of seminars, networking and product demonstrations, she said, “I should have done this years ago!”

The show, now called ISSA/ Interclean USA, is open to all segments of the cleaning industry. This change first was instituted in 1999 and end users will be able to attend every show from now on (the 2000 show, the final conference in the traditional format, was open only to distributors.)

It is the best place I know of where cleaning professionals can see and sample so many cleaning products at once. This year, cleaning professionals met at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. More than 700 exhibitors from all around the world participated in the three-day event, according to ISSA officials.

Custodial comparison shopping has never been easier. With products practically side by side, it’s much easier for building service contractors to evaluate products they currently use and products they may never have seen before the show.

My friend was able to ask questions and talk to other contractors who use certain products. She learned about benefits and disadvantages before making an investment.

In fact, the ability to talk with other cleaning professionals may be the most valuable aspect of the annual ISSA/Interclean convention. At this year’s show, thousands of end users, distributors and manufacturers met in the single largest industry event. It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity to have professionals from all facets of the business together at one time.

This year, the talk understandably included terrorism. In light of recent events, many BSCs were worried about protecting their clients and co-workers from bio-terrorism. Security issues — from how new measures will slow down cleaning times in facilities, to extra measures contractors and their customers might have to take when screening employees — also were a concern. With these topics so new, many attendees were pleased with their ability to get such quick feedback by discuss their worries with one another and swapping their strategies about what works and what doesn’t.

More traditional cleaning concerns such as hiring and training, workloading and budgeting also were hot topics. ISSA responded by offering more than two dozen educational seminars on those topics, as well as selling in the new century, building repeat and referral business, family business challenges and keeping current regarding regulatory updates.

Many of the seminar presenters also were available for smaller, round table discussions. Scheduled several times daily, these informal meetings helped convention-goers get one-on-one time with experts to discuss specific problems or just exchange ideas.

It was during one such informal visit that my friend met a colleague from Canada.

“He’s the cleaning director at a large health center and he told me his budget has just been cut by more than $100,000,” she remarked. “Now he’s trying to figure out how to clean the same amount of space with much less money.”

She went on to discuss the similarities between the director and herself, as well as those of other convention-goers, and marvelled at the chance to share those experiences.

“Whether we live in Canada or California, we’re all looking for partners who can help us provide superior service to our customers that is cost effective for both of us,” she said. “The issue is less about cost and more about value. We’re all trying to educate our customers about the value of what we do.”

In fact, at some seminars, audience members — both contractors and in-house cleaning professionals — began sharing ideas with one another, leaving even the speakers with new ideas to take back with them.

This year’s ISSA/Interclean convention was packed with first-time attendees facing similar problems. Some were from large, internationally known cleaning organizations. Others were from smaller companies. Stephen Lehnhoff was one of them.

The new human resources director for a cleaning company in the Grand Cayman Islands, Lehnhoff came to ISSA/Interclean USA to learn how to build his company from the ground up.

“I want to get as much information as I can get my hands on,” he said. “I’m ready and willing, but I just need to know where to plug in.”

The biggest cleaning exhibition in the world was a good place to start. He talked with other business owners and seminar speakers about resources and recommendations. He took notes and asked questions. He gathered literature and business cards. When it was all over, Lehnhoff went home with a suitcase full of potential solutions to his business needs and renewed enthusiasm to enact them.

It’s success stories like these that prompt me to go to the ISSA/ Interclean convention every year, and why more building service contractors should go too. Next October, ISSA/Interclean will be meeting in Las Vegas. It’s a safe bet that you can help build your cleaning business by attending.

John Walker is a regular Contracting Profits columnist. He is a veteran building service contractor; owner of ManageMen consulting services, Salt Lake City; and founder of Janitor University, a hands-on cleaning management training program.




POSTED ON: 11/1/2001