High Five! ISSA/INTERCLEAN CEE 2011 Attendance Grows 30%
June 9, 2011, ISSA Europe—Poland was once again at the centre of attention of the entire cleaning industry in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) when both exhibitors and visitors from throughout the region—and worldwide—converged on the beautiful city of Warsaw for the 5th edition of the ISSA/INTERCLEAN® CEE trade show, which was held from May 18-20, 2011.
Organised by ISSA and its long-standing trade show partner Amsterdam RAI, this year’s event attracted 3,684 visitors from some 57 different countries. Of the total visitors, more than 25 percent came from outside of Poland, reflecting the increasing appeal of the show not just in Poland but also in the neighbouring regions and beyond.
This year’s exhibition floor also grew—to over 7,000 square meters of exhibition floor space, which was filled by the industry’s Who’s Who of manufacturers. Of this year’s 193 exhibitors, 54 percent were international, hailing from 29 different countries.
“It’s amazing how big the show has gotten in a short space of time and how well- received it is,” says ISSA Director of European Services-EMEA Keith Baker. “We are enormously pleased that exhibitors and visitors have turned out in record numbers to take part in this year’s show. It certainly vindicates our decision that currently Warsaw remains the optimum place to hold an event for our industry in Central and Eastern Europe.”
During the course of the exhibition, ISSA and the Russian Cleaning Companies Association (RCCA) signed an historic alliance agreement. During a small ceremony, ISSA International Director David Holtzman presented RCCA Director Vera Ushakova with a certificate to commemorate the alliance. The signing was also attended by ISSA President Scott Jarden, ISSA Executive Director John Garfinkel, and Amsterdam RAI Director of International Exhibitions Theo Lingmont and his colleague Rob den Hertog.
Education Extraordinaire!
Alongside the many innovations on display on the show floor and the hub of networking opportunities in and around the show, the event also included an informative seminar program. The lineup of authoritative speakers, who covered major topics affecting the jansan industry in this region, assured all the sessions were well-attended!
One international gathering that stood out for many attendees was a roundtable discussion of the role of associations and trade bodies in the cleaning industry. Among the panel participants were Andrew Large representing the Cleaning and Support Services Association out of the United Kingdom and the World Federation of Building Services Contractors (WFBSC); Andreas Lil, executive director of the European Federation of Cleaning Industries; Tibor Ritz from the Hungarian association, Matisz; RCCA’s Ushakova; Helga Alt, representing the Estonian cleaning industry; and Marek Kowalski of the Polish Cleaning Chamber of Commerce.
Among the many attendees of this session were Clive Damonze of the SouthAfrican-based National Contract Cleaners Association—or NCCA—and Sven Dekker of the U.S.-based International Facility Management Association—or IFMA—both of whom were enthusiastic participants and contributed expertly to the discussion.
Moderation duties were handled by ISSA’s Baker, who explained the rationale behind staging this session: “ISSA’s philosophy has always been to act as a facilitator between companies and between industry organisations. It is vital that our international cleaning community, with so many common goals, be connected, and ISSA is eager to play a leading part in creating a stronger and more unified industry.”
Key issues discussed during the debate included building a better understanding of what members of a cleaning trade association want; understanding the social, economic, and cultural difference of the industry in different countries; how best to work to improve the reputation of the sector to help attract and retain talent; associations’ role in lobbying and government relations; and the overall size and the value of the cleaning industry regionally and globally.
Each panel speaker commented on these key issues in their respective regions, and frank and insightful dialogue followed. The over-arching conclusion arising from the debate was that an ongoing forum to continue, and further, the debate should be created and hosted by ISSA.
It was also determined that ISSA and the WFBSC will cosponsor a seminar program entitled Cleaning for Health in a Globally Connected World to be launched at the ISSA/INTERCLEAN 2011 show in Las Vegas, NV, (October 18-21) and developed further to be included in the next ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam show in 2012 (May 8-11). ISSA and the WFBSC will encourage international organisations, such as the World Health Organisation, the United Nations, and the world labour organisations, to actively participate in these showcases.
“There can be no doubt that this was the best Central and Eastern European show to date,” Baker says. “The statistics prove that beyond question, the feedback from both exhibitors and visitors has been excellent, and the event has provided tangible and substantial fresh impetus for the continued growth and further professionalisation of the industry in this rapidly emerging region.”
About ISSA/INTERCLEAN
ISSA and its trade show partner, Amsterdam RAI, produce ISSA/INTERCLEAN shows around the world, including its annual show in the United States and shows in The Netherlands, Poland, and Mexico. Upcoming events include:
- ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2011 October 18-21, Las Vegas, NV, USA
- ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam 2012, May 8-11, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
For more information, visit www.issa.com.
About ISSA
The leading trade association for the cleaning industry worldwide, ISSA has a membership that includes more than 5,500 distributor, manufacturer, manufacturer representative, building service contractor, in-house service provider, and associated service members. ISSA offers the industry’s largest cleaning shows in conjunction with Amsterdam RAI under the brand name ISSA/INTERCLEAN®, the popular Web site www.issa.com, educational products, industry standards, periodicals, and legislative and regulatory services that specifically focus on the professional cleaning industry.
The association is headquartered in Lincolnwood, IL, USA, with regional offices in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Leicester, United Kingdom; Monterrey, México; and Shanghai, China. ISSA also works with more than 75 associations, alliances, and government agencies around the world to represent the cleaning industry. For more information, visit www.issa.com.
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Contact: ISSA Media Communications & Publications Director Lisa Veeck at lisav@issa.com; phone 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800
