ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The cleaning industry is entering a year when many of the European trade exhibitions are taking place - including London, Paris, Milan, Berlin and Madrid. If you’re visiting any of those shows, how can you make the most of your time there rather than wandering aimlessly through the aisles? Some planning and preparation can make all the difference, writes industry expert Lauren Kyle.

The first cleaning show I attended, I remember leaving with bags full of leaflets, pens, pencils, cleaning cloths and a collection of business cards. The fact that nearly everyone else was doing the same, it seems that collecting ‘freebies’ was definitely a part of the experience back then! I also thought at that first one I attended that, to make it worthwhile as a ‘day away from work’ I should try and visit every stand and talk to every company that was exhibiting. By the end of the day, my head was ready to explode!

Of course, some things change – business cards have largely been replaced with QR codes and a greater focus on sustainability means there are fewer ‘freebies’. During the height of Covid, many of us wondered whether ‘live’ trade shows were set to become a thing of the past, being replaced with virtual events. Here we are though, with shows well and truly re-established in the industry calendar - opportunities to meet in person and to experience at first hand a wide range of the latest products, equipment, systems and technology.

Since that first trade show experience, I’ve attended many events and have gradually refined my approach to get the most from these opportunities. If you’re thinking about attending your first cleaning show in the months ahead – or if you’ve been to many, I hope some of the suggestions below will be useful.

Plan your attendance

With busy works schedules it can be easy for a show to suddenly ‘appear’. You knew it was coming, you had an idea that you want to attend your national, regional or even one of the international shows, but the date has crept up on you and you realise your diary is full. Despite your best intentions you don’t have time to go. Oh well…maybe next time.

It’s well worth looking at the events schedule for the year ahead. If you’ve worked in the cleaning industry for a while, you’ll be familiar with the regular pattern of trade shows – when the events are taking place in your country and even when the next international shows are coming up.

Of course, there is a cost in both time and money to visit trade shows. Many of them remain free to attend, but there are still travel and time costs. However, the investment can far outweigh both. Recognise what you can afford – both in time and money - and choose an event (or events) for the year ahead. Schedule them in your calendar and guard those dates as if they were your holiday!

Don’t forget follow-up time

For those of us who have previously attended exhibitions, how many of us have left a show buzzing with new ideas to investigate further, new contacts to speak with, excited about how a particular innovation could be a game-changer for our business or one of our clients? Of course we’re going to follow up, of course we’ll be arranging the demo of that new machine next week or having a follow-up meeting with that potential new supplier we’ve just met.

Then the ‘day job’ takes over. You’ve left the exhibition centre, your phone pings with something urgent and by the next day you’re back into the regular routine and all of those good intentions are relegated to the ‘non urgent’ pile.

Sound familiar? I’ve found that scheduling ‘follow-up’ time in the days after attending a show is invaluable. Even blocking out two or three hours on the following day to reflect and work your way through all the new information you’ve gained can really help.

Subscribe to alerts

With digital and social media, it’s never been easier to stay abreast of what’s going to be happening at the event you’re going to attend. As the date gets closer you can start to refine your approach as you find out who will be exhibiting, what topics will be covered in the conference program and who else will be visiting. Some shows now invite you to connect digitally in advance with others who will be attending.

Talk to your existing contacts

Industry exhibitions provide a great opportunity to connect with lots of people in a short period of time – think ‘professional speed dating’!If you’ve been trying for months to get a meeting with a customer or a supplier and it just hasn’t happened because it’s proving impossible to align diaries – here’s your opportunity to make that meeting happen!

Rather than trying to find that elusive mutually convenient time slot, a simple ‘Are you going to London/Berlin/Amsterdam?’ could provide the solution. You don’t want to spend your whole time at the show in meetings, but this could be an ideal time for a few ‘coffee catch-ups’.

Customise your day

As I mentioned earlier, I used to think I needed to visit every stand at a show - an approach that takes its toll on your legs as much as your brain!If you’re new to trade shows, you might still want to do this – it could help you to get a view of the wider industry landscape, and you don’t want to shut yourself off to potential opportunities too soon.It’s still worth prioritising though. Attending an exhibition is an exercise in time management. If it’s a show spread over two or three days and you have the luxury of time on your side, perfect – you can take a more leisurely approach.

However, you don’t want to suddenly realise as you’re leaving the show that you’ve missed something you really wanted to see. (Or as I did at my first Interclean Amsterdam show, realise as I was about to head to the airport that there was a whole hall I hadn’t been to!)

The conference programme

Identifying your own priorities before you attend will help you get the best out of the show. Exhibitions are a great place to find out about wider industry trends – presentations, guest speakers, product launches and discussion panels. You probably won’t want to attend every session but look at what’s most relevant to you. There are usually a wide range of subjects – from sustainability to automation, from digital technology to AI and training.

It’s a great opportunity to expand your knowledge – and if you plan what you’re going to attend in advance, you can arrive at a session in time to get a seat. (Your legs will thank you!)As with the speaker programme, look in advance at who will be exhibiting and prioritise according to your main
areas of interest.

Exhibitors

Are you wondering whether robots would work for your clients? Are you being challenged in bids to demonstrate your company’s sustainability credentials? Are your cleaning teams telling you the cleaning products you’re providing are not as effective as they could be?

By prioritising visits to exhibitors most likely to be able to support you, you’re making great use of your time and by the end of the day you’ll hopefully have at least some of your questions answered.

On the subject of questions - don’t forget to ask lots of them, including the challenging ones. Connecting with colleagues, whatever their role in the industry, is a learning opportunity for all of us - so asking a manufacturer the questions you want the answers to will also help them to understand their clients even better.

Network, network, network

For every person who loves to talk to other people and isn’t bothered by the idea of talking to strangers, there’s another one who cringes at the thought. However, guess what? Networking
isn’t as daunting as many people think. If you go to a show with a genuine desire to learn and be curious about what’s new, you’ll soon find that the whole experience becomes much more natural. Practice makes perfect.

Meeting new people - and re-connecting with those you already know - is a big part of the experience. More shows are starting to provide dedicated networking spaces and opportunities, which help to facilitate those informal conversations.

Have fun!

In case you have not yet been to a cleaning exhibition you might be forgiven for thinking they could be a bit serious, a little bit ‘full-on’ and everyone’s only interested in selling you stuff.

Well, of course exhibitors want you to be interested in their products or services – but this certainly doesn’t mean you have to sign up to anything (although business deals do of course get done at shows).

Attending shows can be a lot of fun - and at times, a tiny bit surreal. Where else would you see world records for window cleaning broken, bump into colleagues you haven’t seen for years, or enjoy a beer while watching a talented cover band dancing on the bar?

So why not grab a coffee, take a few minutes out of your day to find out when the next shows are and schedule one or two for the year ahead. Looking forward to seeing you!

Click here to contact Lauren Kyle.