CHICAGO — More than 40% of dry cleaners responding to this month’s American Drycleaner Your Views survey say they are planning to attend Clean 2015 in Atlanta, while another 24.7% are unsure at this point.
Approximately 34% of those responding to the unscientific survey say they will not be attending the biennial event slated for April 16-19 at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Asked about the biggest factor in favor of attending (whether they were personally planning to attend or not), 45.2% of respondents named “exhibits of equipment and supplies.” Roughly 8% listed “networking and socializing” as the chief factor, 6% look to Clean for its “educational sessions,” and 4.8% are most drawn to “combining business and pleasure.” For a sizable portion (35.7%), “It’s all of the above.”
The Clean Show returns to a four-day format after trying out a three-day schedule in 2013. More than half of respondents (52.4%) are “indifferent” about this change, and 38.1% are “OK” with it. Just 9.5% “don’t care for this change.”
Among dry cleaners who do not plan to attend this year’s event, 40.8% “can’t spare the time,” 30.6% “can’t afford the cost,” and 10.2% have “made other plans.” The remaining 18.4% have “other” reasons, some of which include earlier-than-usual show dates, or a belief the event is “geared mostly to industrial” laundering.
Among the six educational sessions being sponsored by the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute (DLI) throughout the event, How to Sell to the #SELFIE Generation is garnering the most pre-show interest among respondents, at 36.6%. Other popular topics based on our survey results are Success = More Than Just Drycleaning (26.8%), Is Great Customer Service Worth It? (11.0%) and Policing Employee Policies (11.0%).
While American Drycleaner’s Your Views survey presents a snapshot of trade audience viewpoints, it should not be considered scientific; percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Subscribers to American Drycleaner e-mails are invited each month to participate in a brief industry survey they can complete anonymously. The entire trade audience is encouraged to participate, as a greater number of responses will help to better define owner/operator opinions and industry trends.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].