[Ken Wainwright]

I hate this term, but I'll use it anyway.  Partly because of the Credit Crunch, the recent Cleaning Show at the NEC didn't have a lot offer us specialist Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners. There was quite a bit to see and talk about with many of the exhibitors though.

I can see a potential problem though. Perhaps our suppliers are not prepared to make the significant investement required to exhibit at The Cleaning Show because not enough specialist carpet and upholstery cleaners are visiting. And if they're not exhibiting, not enough of us are visiting to make their attendance cost effective.

We could be stuck in a spiral and falling downwards.

Carpet cleaning is indeed a very small fish in the big pond of the cleaning industry. Many of our suppliers are minnows even within the our specialist industry. It costs them 10s of thousands of £££££'s to attend this 3 day show, so they need to see lots of faces to justify their considerable financial commitment.

Is it about time that we should all make the concerted effort next time and schedule the time to attend regardless of who is/isn't there? If we don't support our industry, then who will? Someone needs to break the circle. Let's be optimists, not pessimists.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Hi Ken

I appreciate what you are saying, but it really is chicken and egg.

If the suppliers were there, then those of us who went the first day (You and I included) would have reported back via the forums and others would have attended. As it is, we gave a negative feedback and consequently a lot of the guys didn't bother going.

I appreciate that Hydramaster put a lot of money and effort into their Dirty Weekend and therefore can get their target audience there. Equally, Alltec do a lot of one-off days throughout the year.

I didn't go to Carpex last year, so I can't comment on it - but maybe that's the way things are heading, the suppliers will only show there on mass and give the cleaning show a miss. I know I will !

Steve

[Joe H]

Its a difficult one Ken.

but perhaps the organisers need to look at how they could cut the cost to the exhibitors. Give them an incentive to be there, so we would have a bigger incentive to be there.

Is bad enough for me and I only have to travel 90 miles each way. But its a day thats costs me when I could be earning - so the incentive has to be there for me as well.
Feel sorry for those that travelled a long distance say from Scotland or Ireland.

I'll try harder for Carpex at Coventry next March.

[COLIN BRIGHT]

 thought the show was good, gave me lots of time to talk to suppliers and collegues
everyone should make the effort, its not like we didnt get enough notice
i, for one was glad of the midweek break after the busiest start to the year i have ever had
nice talking to you Ken and thanks as always for your opinions and insight into various cleaning topics ect
see you all at the CCDO
 

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

These shows are a long way for most of us and as businessmen we have to justify the time /expense ourselves.

With CCDO coming up, most of us have to decide where we are going to spend our visiting time and mine is with the latter.

It's up to the suppliers to entice their customers not the other way round, I didn't receive any contact from anyone regarding this and my emails are all over the internet !

Cheers

Doug

[Mike Halliday]

was the show aimed at us small fry? or is it geared towards the big spenders, the local authourities & hospitals out to buy 50 rotories or spend $50k on cleaning equipment.

perhaps we are too small to be of interest to them

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Perhaps the cleaning show is too spread with different suppliers perhaps Carpex and especially the CCDO is more for the specialist trades so long term supporting these could infact ork better for our part of the industry.

The Cleaning show was the only show around at one time but now cleaning in general has become bigger as a business so specialist events were bound to happen.

Shaun

[clinton]

Shaun

I agree with what you said and a few years ago the show was the only place to see new setups.

With the internet we can now find out what a certain new product looks like and then maybe make our choice to go and have a demo

[Joe H]

If Alltec are bringing out this super duper portable very soon I am really suprised they were not there.

To do the John Gregory clean today I had to drag the Scorpion up 2 flights of stairs - just glad it only weighs 89lbs - shudder to think what the new Alltec machine is going to weigh.

[carpet_care]

Could see this coming last time around as I have been every other year for the last 10 years and 2 years ago the amount of carpet cleaning suppliers was down by over half then.

 From memory Ashbys stopped going 2 years ago hydramaster where there last time around but had no truckmounts on show.

 The main attraction was alltechs thermalwave and the girl on the stand    but they were not there this time , solutions where also a no show.

Texatherm wern,t there either this time very dissapionting but you calnt really blame them with the prices of stands and a lot of them getting there own days up and running can only see it becoming a none existing show for carpet cleaners unfortunately



 Andy Locke.

[des]

The answer is for all the carpet cleaning companys .Hydramaster -Alltec Prochem Solution,s ect and any other company with cleaning equipment   to rent out a large sports hall and put on there own show .The money £21000 for three days is daft. Ive being told that its letting people know that its on is the problem  but im sure the  word would soon get around Des

[Shaun_Ashmore]

It'll either get smaller or cheaper i think the first one though as the NEC just rent the hall.

Shaun

[clinton]

Joe

Why didnt you use the t mount

[Joe H]

Clinton

John passed the job to me because he deemed it wasnt good to use the tm due to poor access.
It was a flat on the 2nd floor (ground being zero) so 2 flights of stairs and the flat was at the back of the complex.
He wasnt going to run hoses up public access stairs due to H&S (and he didnt want to leave his van open unattended in that area) and neither would I.
No doubt some other TMer would, but these 2 wouldnt.

[derek west]

joe
i lock my van when i'm cleaning in dodgy areas, its impossible to get in the van as the only access would be the side door where the truckmount is and any thief trying that way would burn his face off.
just a thought
derek

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I used to have an Ashby's Diamondback and if I went up stairs and down stairs too often it shook itself apart but if I pulled my Alltec pro plus up it was always good to go, Alltec do make good built machines.

Shaun

[clinton]

Mine too are bulletproof

Why didnt john do it with his portie

[Neil Williams]

I was going to go, and although I'd made up my mind on which new machine to order, seeing the list of those attending/not attending finally made the decision for me.
We keep telling each other on how we need to sell ourselves, but if several big names can't be bothered/afford to be there then don't be surprised if the number of potential buyers are low.
Times change and perhaps it's time to move onto a much larger type of CCDO with displays, techniques, selling etc and move away from the expensive locations.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

That'll only happen if you go to the day, if the numbers don't go up each year then neither will the suppliers.

Shaun

[clinton]

Maybe niels right things are changing and the suppliers will have to get our attention in other ways and even smaller venues