Inaugural Clean Buildings Expo: A Resounding Success
The inaugural Clean Buildings Expo (CBE) concluded last week
with attendees praising its value and touting their take-aways and new business
connections.
CBE is a new trade show for the commercial cleaning industry
that delivers education, innovation, and product information for in-house
cleaning managers, executive housekeepers, in-house service providers, and
building service contractors. The expo, which took place March 26–27, 2019 at
the Baltimore Convention Center, is co-produced by ISSA, the worldwide cleaning
industry association, and Trade Press Media Group.
Attendees eagerly consumed the curriculum of more than 20
educational seminars scheduled throughout the two-day event and the grand
opening of the expo hall featuring nearly 60 exhibitors showcasing the latest
innovation in cleaning technology. Activities and events on both days were
free-of-charge to industry professionals.
"The attendees received tremendous value from
CBE," said Kim Althoff, ISSA vice president of sales, trade shows, and
publications. "In addition to seeing new innovations from top industry
manufacturers, the free seminars were led by expert-level trainers and
certification professionals from ISSA's Cleaning Management Institute (CMI) and
Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) programs."
Additionally, before and after the expo, visitors had the
opportunity to participate in three optional certification workshops and earn a
maximum of seven hours of continuing education units (CEUs).
Chelsea Johnson of Priority Solutions from Alexandria, VA,
was one of many attendees expressing complimentary feedback on their CBE
experience. "Today we learned about safety issues and how to prevent
accidents—I loved it! Really good information," she said. "I met a
lot of people from all over the country. It was impactful to me to see all the
exhibitors and get samples to help see how all the products really work."
A popular aspect of CBE was its co-location with NFMT 2019
Conference, providing CBE attendees and exhibitors unique access to a spectrum
of facility management solutions in addition to jansan.
Adding a little fun to the show floor was a contest wherein
two attendees—one each day of the expo—were randomly selected to win a US$1,000
cash prize. John Winfrey, operations manager for Gainesville, GA-based Turnkey
Facility Maintenance; and Ely Cunningham, area manager for Kansas City Public
Schools in Kansas City, MO, each walked away with $1,000 each when their names
were randomly drawn during the end-of-day raffles that took place on the CBE
show floor.
As with attendees of the CBE debut, exhibitors also felt
that the event was a valuable experience. Jennifer Meek, director of marketing
at Charlotte Products Ltd., stated, "The 2019 CBE definitely exceeded our
expectations as an exhibitor, educational speaker, and gold sponsor of this
event. The attendees were highly engaged, eager to learn, and passionate about
finding innovative solutions for their business. We look forward to
participating in this show next year!"
Carissa Gappa, product manager at TEAM Software, Inc.,
echoed those same sentiments. "Attendees were engaged, looking for ways to
grow their knowledge and improve their businesses," reported "The
BSC-specific educational programming in the mornings added a unique charge to
interactions on the expo floor. We demoed our latest solution with business
owners who were actively seeking ways to put the morning's insights into
action."
Clean Buildings Expo has been embraced by the cleaning
industry as a valued and respected event, rich with meaningful, practical
content. The second edition of CBE returns to the Baltimore Convention Center
March 17–18, 2020. Details, including the educational lineup and expo, will be
announced soon.