The largest professional cleaning show in the world returns to Amsterdam this spring. Taking place from May 10-13, ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam is dedicated to “Networking and Innovation” and promises some exciting new features to live up to its theme.

Already confirmed to fill more exhibition halls than ever before, the 2016 show will be the largest cleaning and hygiene industry event ever to be held in Amsterdam — and therefore the world.

The main focuses for distributors attending the show are: to look for new suppliers and to find new products. For U.S. distributors, ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam provides an opportunity to see new product trends from all over the world. With more than 700 exhibitors from 40-plus countries, there will likely be products that can meet a niche need for customers. Finding innovations currently unavailable in the United States gives distributors market exclusivity they may be lacking.

The latest innovations should be easier to find at the 2016 event. Organizers promise more live demonstrations, including in the Outdoor Cleaning Show and the High Pressure Demonstration Area where visitors will be encouraged to “try-it-yourself” with many of the products on display.

The new InnovationLab also is designed to be an area where pioneering products and other ideas are presented and discussed by exhibitors and visitors alike, and where knowledge and experiences in the field of cleaning innovation are shared freely. Attendees will also find all Innovation Award nominees on display. Visitors can browse the submissions on iPads and evaluate the features and performance data said to make them “ground-breaking.”

“Innovation propels the cleaning sector forward and ISSA/INTERCLEAN has long been the platform of choice when it comes to showcasing new developments,” says Rob den Hertog, manager ISSA/INTERCLEAN from RAI Amsterdam. “In addition to the Amsterdam Innovation Awards, the ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam show always witnesses thousands of innovations and new products. Yet, due to the competitive ‘noise’ of the large number of introductions and the wide range of marketing and promotion opportunities available, not all these product launches get the full attention they deserve. The new InnovationLab concept helps address this issue and creates a platform so that no true innovation need go unnoticed any longer.”

As acquisitions, as well as the connectivity of the Internet, continue to shrink global boundaries of the industry, U.S. distributors can benefit from making worldwide connections. ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam is the show where American distributors can network on an international level. Attendees come from 130 countries and more than a third of visitors are distributors.
The 2016 show promises even greater opportunity for network gatherings and learning opportunities.

“The Amsterdam event and its associated ISSA educational and other social networking programs offer unique networking possibilities,” says den Hertog. “In the last years the feedback from visitors was the need for more seating areas, the new hall makes it possible to create more networking and seating areas in the halls to sit down and have a coffee, talk to your peers and check your mail in between your show visits.”

An educational seminar schedule is still being finalized, but some of the topics to be covered include the Internet of Things, supply chain changes, a Women’s Forum and more. 

Most U.S. distributors probably don’t consider attending ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam, but more make the commitment each time it is held, says den Hertog. The United States is one of the top 15 countries sending visitors to the show.

“Past attendees have been truly satisfied with their experiences. In fact, 94 percent of 2014 attendees recommend visiting this show,” adds den Hertog.