ATLANTA — Professionals from all facets of the textile care industry will convene here once again April 16-19 for the biennial World Educational Congress for Laundering and Drycleaning—better known by most in the industry as the Clean Show.
“I’m anxious to see what this time slot in April will do,” says John Riddle, president of Riddle & Associates, the show’s management company.
“Atlanta is a good city, [and] I think people are going to find out a lot of positive things are going on around here.”
NETWORKING & EDUCATION
At this writing, 416 exhibitors are listed on the Clean Show’s website.
The biennial show not only provides an arena for networking and business opportunities, it also presents professionals in the industry this year with more than 40 hours of educational sessions (which will be previewed here in detail later this month).
For Riddle, the show’s various educational opportunities is one of the highlights of attending the Clean Show.
“Education is key to the success of anything,” he says. “If you’re in this business, there’s a need for you to be here if you want to be in this business and want to grow.”
Educational opportunities occur not only in the show’s classroom sessions, but on the show floor, as well.
“The largest classroom in this industry is the exhibit floor. You can see things work. You don’t just don’t come up and look at pictures … You can compare [equipment],” says Riddle.
Faced with plenty of exhibits and activities, managing one’s time at the Clean Show can be quite challenging.
To help with this, Riddle & Associates is again offering a Clean Show app for use on all smartphones, “allowing attendees to virtually connect with exhibitors, organize their day and navigate the show floor.”
Those without smartphones can also create an account on the “My Briefcase” feature on the show’s website. Attendees can view and print the show’s floor plan, as well as browse the show’s list of exhibitors and select which companies they’d like to include in their itinerary.
Riddle & Associates acknowledges how the show has “moved with the times technologically,” and has once again established a “Cyber Café” at this year’s show where attendees can check their e-mail.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Attendees can pre-register for the show online and take advantage of the $99 per person fee until March 31.
After that date, it will be necessary to register on-site at a cost of $149 per person.
On-site registration hours will be 1-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 15; 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16; 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 17; 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 18; and 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, April 19.
The show is offering special discounted rates at a variety of hotels in downtown Atlanta, but time is short. Reservations for official Clean 2015 hotels can be made on the show’s site through March 13.
For full registration and show information, visit www.cleanshow.com.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].