The Experience Atlanta

[jsjanitorial]

Anyone else attending? My wife and I will be there. Also planning to take the ICRA certification in Friday.

[encapman]

I won't be at this one.

[Act One Cleaning]

I went. I could only stay a few hours, but if you ever have a chance to get to one of these, I very heartily recommend going. If nothing else, you can play with all the toys and have a good drool.

[encapman]

Hi Stephen,
I'm glad to hear that you went and had a good time! For us the shows are not as valuable as they once were. We've been an exhibitor, and even a sponsor in the past. We supported every Connections show, and then the Experience shows since its inception. However in the last couple of years we've backed off. In the early years the shows were a blast! The turnout was great, and we would sell a few machines. The bottom line is that a show has to bring in some sales to make it a break even for the exhibitor. During the past few years the attendance and the interest in carpet cleaning at these shows has been average at best. Unfortunately the recent shows have not been worth it for us (very little ROI). We pay a couple grand for a booth, marketing material, and setup. We pay another grand to ship all our stuff to and from the show. We provide free samples and giveaways items. Then we pay for hotel, rental car, dining, and other travel expenses. When we look at the few thousand dollars invested, and put it next to the 20 or 30 lukewarm leads that we get from the show, it boils down to a poor use of capital. At this point I'd rather invest those dollars more wisely and find more productive ways to grow our business. That being said, next spring the Experience show will return to Clearwater Beach Florida. That's in our backyard. So we will most likely be at that show. I know we'll lose money at that show too, but it's much easier to justify that show as compared to traveling to Vegas or some other town for a show. I wish the shows were what they used to be, but it seems like the carpet cleaning interest at these shows has declined, and I doubt that it's going to reemerge.

[Act One Cleaning]

Well, you never know. The economy has been receding in real dollars for quite a while. However, I have faith in Americans and when they get the chance, we'll thrive again.
Meanwhile, we stay prudent and build our businesses on solid ground.

[jsjanitorial]

We attended and really enjoyed it. I did receive my ICRA certification in Carpet Cleaning. My wife's company does trade show exhibitions and it is definiitely hard to justify the marketing costs. I was surprised at how small the attendance was at the classes. There seemed to be more exhibitors than attendees, and much of the focus was on restoration.

We really enjoyed the instructive classes and meeting some of the experts in the industry like Barry Costa and Bob Merkt to name a couple. That was worth price of admission for us at attendees.

[encapman]

There seemed to be more exhibitors than attendees, and much of the focus was on restoration.

...That's the exact reason why we're not supporting the shows like we used to.

[Lounge Lizards]

It's also one of the contributing factors that's kept me from traveling to the 'states for several years, with all the emphasis on restoration including mould remediation.

(Apart from our cyclone/wet season - school vacation - Christmas - New Year - cyclone/wet season, which is the busiest time of my year).

A lack of seminars on carpet & upholstery cleaning, including new fibers / fabrics coming onto the market & how to deal with any problems.

I also like to attend a few classes when I can, and also the mini seminars at the events.

When attending Connections in Lost Wages, I have also done courses in Vegas, Minneapolis, Roselle (2) & Joliet, once I'm there, travel has been no problem.

These have included Leather Cleaning & Repair, Carpet Repair, SFS & Rugs to Run From, + Leather & Suede apparel cleaning.

Until I see a re-resurgence in the basics for carpet & upholstery cleaning, (the backbone of our industry), I doubt I will be attending any other events over there.

I also take these opportunities to purchase products from the companies exhibiting at these events.

Because of previous purchases and meeting those involved, I also purchase on-line since then from those same retailers.

I particularly enjoy talking to other carpet cleaners regarding new products on the market, many of which we don't see down under for another 18 months, (carpet & upholstery fabrics).

I am envious of the variety of cleaning solutions available to you that I cannot source economically.  

Just my AU.0075c.

[encapman]

And it was at one such event (Experience Show in Vegas) several years ago that I first met Shorty. What a pleasure those old shows proved to be!

[Lounge Lizards]

Would you believe --------------------------- 2004

Connections @ The Riviera

 

[Act One Cleaning]

And that, my friends, is what happens when ozzies don't turn their cameras the right way up while visiting Murka.

[encapman]

No, that's how the Riviera really was - upside down.