You are here

Textile Care Industry Ready for Clean ’19 (Conclusion)

Tips for maximizing experience, registration information

NEW ORLEANS — When the Clean Show takes to the floor of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center here June 20-23, it will be an event of firsts and lasts. 

For some attendees, it will be their first experience of the biennial event formally known as the World Educational Congress for Laundering and Drycleaning.

It will also be the first Clean Show under new ownership in its 42nd year. 

In December, Germany-based Messe Frankfurt, an international trade fair, congress and event organizer—the largest in the textile care industry—purchased the Clean Show from the five sponsoring associations: Association for Linen Management (ALM)Coin Laundry Association (CLA)Drycleaning and Laundry Institute (DLI)Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA) and TRSA, the association for linen, uniform and facility services.

As part of the acquisition, the sponsor associations will maintain their close involvement with the show, and Messe Frankfurt aims to continue the Clean Show success story. 

“We look forward to this first Clean Show under the ownership of Messe Frankfurt, whose portfolio of laundry trade shows includes Texcare International in Frankfurt, Germany, and its expansion into China with Texcare Asia and the United Arab Emirates with Middle East Cleaning Technology Week, as well as global Texcare Forums,” says Joseph Ricci, president and CEO of TRSA, and executive committee chairman of Clean ’19.

Because this marks the first Clean Show under Messe Frankfurt, Clean ’19 will be the last organized and managed by Atlanta-based Riddle & Associates. 

The collaboration and management between the sponsoring associations and Riddle & Associates helped put the Clean Show on Trade Show Executive magazine’s 50 Fastest-Growing Shows and the Trade Show News Network Top 100 shows, as well as being the largest textile services and care show in the world, Riddle shares.

“It has been a pleasure to work with John Riddle of Riddle & Associates, which has managed the show since 1993,” says Ricci. “John had indicated several years ago that he would be retiring from full-time event management following the 2019 Clean Show. We salute John and his staff for their excellent service to the show sponsors and our attendees.”

Riddle & Associates says Clean 2019 will provide a platform for all industry professionals and companies to come together on the show floor to share ideas, technologies, education and networking. 

10 TIPS TO MAXIMIZE CLEAN

At the world’s largest exhibition and education platform for the textile care industry, it is difficult to see and do everything, but most people who attend Clean ’19 will have specific things they want to accomplish. The show is only held every two years, so you want to get as much as possible from the experience. 

Advance planning can give you a solid return on your investment of time and money and help keep your business running smoothly. Here are 10 ideas from Riddle & Associates for maximizing your Clean 2019 visit.  

1. Set specific goals. What do you want to accomplish? Is it purchasing or upgrading equipment, learning about new technologies, finding a solution to a business problem, or interacting with colleagues and friends? Prioritize what is important to you.

2. Develop an action plan. Search the Clean Show website, www.cleanshow.com, for the exhibitors and education that interest you most. Add these to your itinerary. Check the floor plan to locate the booths you want to visit. It will keep you on track and ensure that you meet your primary goals.

3. Learn in the classroom. Take advantage of the many educational sessions that are pertinent in today’s market. The morning classroom sessions and afternoon exhibit-floor sessions cover a multitude of industry-related topics for all segments of the industry. You would pay hundreds of dollars for these sessions in another setting, but they are included in your low Clean Show registration fee. Sessions are listed on www.cleanshow.com. Add those of interest to your itinerary.

4. Make advance appointments. For a product you are particularly interested in seeing, make advance appointments with the exhibitors of that product. This ensures that you will get one-on-one time.

5. Don’t miss the new stuff. Leave enough time in your plan to the visit as many booths as possible beyond your original plan. See what is new and exciting, and don’t miss the small booths. You might find a something that is just right for your operation.  

6. Join the discussion. If you participate in Facebook or Twitter, connect with the Clean Show so you can be up to date on anything from Clean 2019 news to interesting facts about New Orleans.  

7. Write it down. When the show is over, it can all seem like a jumble of information. Listening carefully and documenting important points in education sessions or exhibitor conversations can be invaluable in reviewing and analyzing your show experience. Use your phone or iPad, a notebook or write on the back of business cards for later reference.

8. Dress for comfort. New Orleans can get very hot and humid in June. Wear light, comfortable clothes and comfortable walking shoes. You will walk miles on the exhibit floor. Travel light. Carry only what you absolutely need. Several exhibitors offer bags for carrying items you pick up along the way. If you gather too much literature, you can mail it home from the building’s business center.

9. Have some fun. New Orleans has a lot to see and do. Take a stroll around the world-famous French Quarter or take a ride on a streetcar to visit the renowned Garden District. See what’s new in the Warehouse District. In the evenings, enjoy the region’s outstanding cuisine and enjoy the jazz music that plays on every corner.   

10. Educate your coworkers. When you return home, share your new knowledge with coworkers who did not attend Clean 2019. They will feel like they had a part in it and can apply the information to make your entire operation go smoothly.                       

STILL TIME TO GET PRE-REGISTRATION DISCOUNT

Industry professionals still interested in attending Clean ’19 can take advantage of pre-registration discounts on the show’s website (www.cleanshow.com) through June 10. The pre-registration fee is $119 per person for any member of one of the sponsoring associations, and $149 for non-members. After June 10, attendees must register onsite at Clean 2019 for a fee of $169 per person.

Registration hours at the convention center will be 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19; 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, June 20-22; and 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sunday, June 23.

The show starts June 20, when attendees will be able to explore the exhibits 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Distributors have exclusive access from 8-10 that morning. 

The show floor opens at 9 a.m. Friday through Sunday (June 21-23) and closes at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday (June 21-22) and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 23.

On show days, the Clean Show will provide a complimentary shuttle between most official hotels and the convention center, according to Riddle & Associates. 

Several U.S. cities have hosted the Clean Show over the years. The first two shows were in Chicago, where it has been held four times. New Orleans is hosting Clean 2019 for the sixth time, tied with Las Vegas. Atlanta follows closely behind Chicago with three shows. Orlando has hosted twice and Dallas once. 

Future events are planned for Atlanta and Orlando in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

“The Clean Show is the culmination of nearly 24 months of collaboration and hard work between the sponsoring associations that represent nearly every market and demographic of the textile care and textile services industries, from small local, single facility or store operations to regional, national and even international companies and show management,” says Ricci. 

“Our common objective is to create an international marketplace for innovative products, services and solutions, as well as a forum for exchanging information regarding trends and best practices, all focused on helping our respective laundry, dry cleaning and vended laundry members improve productivity, operations and profitability.”

The sponsoring associations and Riddle & Associates have worked hard to ensure Clean ’19 will touch on all aspects of the industry in New Orleans, creating a solid foundation for the future.

“The Clean Show absolutely addresses every sector of the textile care industry,” says Riddle, “whether you’re operating in the coin laundry environment, if you’re operating in laundry, dry cleaning, commercial/industrial laundry, or if you’re in textile rental, whether it be uniforms or linens, etc., software, hangers, computers, everything that one needs to be in this business for all sectors is there.

“This is not just a laundry show, or a rental show, or a ‘this’ show or a ‘that’ show. This show really covers the entire industry called textile care.”

Miss Part 1 with details about the New Orleans show? Click HERE to read it.

crescent city connection by richard nowitz 0408 web

The Crescent City Connection spans the Mississippi River in New Orleans. (Photo courtesy New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau/Richard Nowitz)

img 1488 web

Onsite registration will be available every day during Clean ’19. Those who pre-register by June 10 can take advantage of discounts. (File Photo: American Trade Magazines)

Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].