LAS VEGAS — When the red ribbon twisted silently to the floor Monday morning among boa feathers and soap bubbles, it signaled a milestone in the life of the Clean Show: It had officially turned 30.
Executives and board members from the six sponsoring associations, flanked by a bevy of beautiful showgirls, gathered at the exhibit hall’s main entrance to cut the ceremonial ribbon and welcome a steady stream of visitors to the World Educational Congress for Laundering and Drycleaning.
Clean, for short.
The Las Vegas Convention Center was abuzz with activity throughout the day, as some 480 exhibitors endeavored to grab the attention of attendees by a variety of means. Product demonstrations, flashing lights, giveaways, candy and cookies, and games of amusement were just some of the tools exhibitors used to lure passersby in.
But once there, the attention was almost entirely on the products or services. And there are a number of new products being introduced here. American Laundry News will be covering them here in the coming days and probably well after the show has ended.
A manufacturer of a new bulk linen truck that’s awaiting final patent approval took a unique approach by keeping the cart behind an enclosure, offering glimpses of it only to select customers and prospects.
In walking the show floor today, energy savings, increased productivity, ergonomics and green (as in being environmentally friendly) were the buzzwords we heard.
Educational sessions featuring hotel and motel laundry cost factors, an Extreme Makeover for the linen system, developing succession plans and predicting the future of coin laundries opened the 20-hour seminar slate that will run each show day.
As is tradition, distributors had the show floor to themselves for two hours before the doors officially opened today.
But once those doors opened, traffic was constant throughout the day. It looks and sounds like visitors to this anniversary bash are having their cake and eating it, too.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].