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Cleaning Show 2009 - a positive boost for the industry
By Steve Wright, chairman, British Cleaning Council.
So did you make it to the Cleaning Show? If so I hope you’ll agree that it was a cracker! I would go as far as saying that it was one of the most successful in the show’s history.
Despite the current economic climate, an impressive 8000 visitors graced the halls - not bad by any standards. Exhibitors were inundated from the doors opening but it wasn’t just about quantity, but quality too. Having spoken to many exhibitors over the course of the three days there was a consensus that the show had seen a new type of visitor this year. These were the ‘really serious guys’, those on a mission. Visitors had a real sense of purpose, whether looking for the latest innovations or researching new ways to cut costs. Lynne Webster, national vice chair of BICSc, summed it up very nicely when she said: “They’ve come to do business not just to chat. In the current climate if you have a day out of the office you know that you have to justify it and this is apparent.”
While it’s all well and good talking, exhibitors of course need to justify their marketing spend. I heard no complaints in this respect, with a number of exhibitors having taken several orders in addition to enquiries. Mike Egerton of Host Von Schrader said: “We’ve taken orders - on the spot - on the stand, which doesn’t happen very often!” Some exhibitors took it one step further by re-booking their space ready for the next edition of the show in 2011.
In the lead up to the event some were sceptical and questioned how motivated exhibitors would be. I was so pleased therefore that the stands looked great - a clear indication of exhibitors’ determination to make the show a success. Another point worthy of note was the fantastic atmosphere throughout the show. People were doing business and they were having fun. The hall was really buzzing. It was as if any negative vibes had been left at the door and visitors had become part of the positive aura surrounding our industry in hall 20! I am sure that this industrious buzz has served as a strong tonic for our industry and will have set the scene moving forwards.
Over the course of the show a number of awards presentations and competitions took place. One high profile event was the Clean Britain Awards 2009 presentation ceremony. On behalf of the British Cleaning Council I applaud the 63 participants who took part in the scheme, particularly our national winners. While we hope they will receive deserved praise, both locally and nationally, we hope that all those who entered will continue to ‘Strive for Gold’ when it comes to maintaining standards of cleanliness. North Norfolk District Council won the UK winner’s trophy and over 230 guests attended the awards ceremony - representing participants, sponsors, media and BCC representatives. The Clean Britain Awards 2010/2011 were also launched at the event and are now open to all Local Authorities and other guardians of, or organisations managing, public spaces.
The third BCCE Innovation Awards which honour pioneering advances in the cleaning industry also took place on day one of the show. Over 60 entries were received across 5 award categories which ranged from Best Chemical Innovation to a Hand Tools award. My congratulations go out to these deserving winners. I hear that standards were extremely high and the judges had a hard task on their hands to select the winning companies. Finally, the event which brought loads of laughter and all for a good cause was the ‘Ride on Charity Challenge’.
Bemused on-lookers saw teams manoeuvre a ride-on scrubber drier through a prepared obstacle course. Despite several professional cleaning teams taking part, amateur team ‘Judith’s Double D’s’ took the title in a best time of 4 minutes 47 seconds with no faults. The competition earned £625 which will go to the winning team’s chosen charity, Macmillan Nurses. Following such a successful launch of the competition it is highly likely that this will become a fixture in the show’s programme from now on.
To sum up, I would like to thank show organisers Quartz, sponsors, exhibitors and visitors alike for yet another highly successful Cleaning Show. Before I sign off for this month I would also like to inform you that the BCC is currently investigating the launch of another industry event, a new cleaning conference to take place in 2010. Watch this space!
