The show must go on

The online conference programme, which takes place on 14 to 15 October 2020, has been designed to provide visitors with a broad cross section of insight from cleaning and hygiene experts. 

Wednesday 14 October 2020

11.15: Welcome to the Manchester Cleaning Show - Paul Thrupp, chairman of the British Cleaning Council.

11.30: The use of technology to enhance cleaning and hygiene in a post-COVID-19 world - Dominic Ponniah, co-founder, Cleanology.  

Since its launch 20 years ago, Cleanology now employs 700 people, boasts annual sales of over £10million, and includes royalty, blue-chip corporates and luxury brands amongst its clients. CEO Dominic Ponniah accredits growth to the company’s modern approach that focuses on environmental impact, people and innovation.  With hygiene under the spotlight more than ever before, cleaning firms need to use every tool available. During this presentation, Dominic will explain how to make use of technology to provide a more hygienic, effective service and to safeguard contracts.

Dominic Ponniah graduated from the London School of Economics and founded a number of businesses, including the high-profile TucTuc in Brighton, Europe’s first motorised rickshaw service. He co-founded Cleanology with his mother in 1999 and today employs around 600 people across London and Manchester.

12.15: Single use plastics post-COVID-19 - what it means to the cleaning industry -Lorcan Mekitarian, general manager, Berry bpi recycled products, and chairman of the CHSA.
Environmental concerns around SUP was top of the agenda for buyers and users pre-COVID-19. The government sought to address these concerns via a packaging tax. Along came the pandemic and brought a complete reversal of fortune for SUP. We saw home delivery of groceries exponentially grow and the use of plastic carrier bags reinstated to protect items and delivery drivers. We saw a demand spike for polythene aprons and disposable masks, both now essential to protect hospital staff and care home workers. We have seen shortages of dispenser pumps for hand washing, which are key in good hygiene practices.
Worldwide demand for disposable plastic has increased beyond production capabilities. We still need a packaging tax to increase the amount of recycled plastic that is used in our everyday items. Single use plastics are here to stay….but we need to find a way to stop them becoming litter.
Biography:
Lorcan Mekitarian joined Berry bpi recycled products in 1990 and has held a variety of positions over the years including technical and commercial. He is currently the sales director for the company’s refuse sack business. In July 2019 he was appointed chairman of the CHSA.

13.00: How to grow a business in a completive market - Nik Wyers, joint managing director, The Floorbrite Group. 

The Floorbrite Group has doubled in size from £10 million to £20 million in five years – how, and what’s the secret to its success? During his presentation Nik Wyers will discuss the exponential growth of what is now one of the North West’s largest cleaning and FM companies and how to create a successful business development function to accelerate growth. From marketing, technology, operations, organic and geographic growth, and the introduction of additional service lines, there are many different elements to a successful cleaning company and multiple ways to grow in what is an incredibly crowded market place. Nik will touch on all of these elements, but will focus on his core passion - developing a sales function that works, looking at different methods of leadership, and how to drive growth through consistency.

Nik Wyers is joint managing director at Sale-based cleaning and facilities service provider, The Floorbrite Group. He’s worked at the family-run business for 16 years in warehouse, operations, accounts, and sales. 

14.00: Innovation for a new era of cleaning: how science and technology is underpinning changing consumer demands and expectations and how we meet them - Dr Eileen Buttimer, managing partner - consumer advisory, Oakland Innovation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the drive for global research to address a number of areas in order to fight infection. As a result we are seeing emerging science and technology approaches going beyond the traditional chemical method and instead exploring a hybrid approach combining physical and biological strategies. During this presentation, Dr Eileen Buttimer will explore new innovations that will drive the next generation of cleaning solutions, not just in the professional settings of hospitals and workplaces but for consumers use and in the home as well.
Dr Eileen Buttimer has more than 20 years’ experience working with global consumer organisations, helping them to identify and evaluate new market and technology opportunities to drive future growth. Eileen holds an MBA and PhD in Biochemistry, and prior to joining Oakland, worked with DuPont, USA and UK leading new product development groups, and for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, UK.

14.45: Revolutionising the way we clean and disinfect with hypochlorous acid - Steve Courtney, business development manager, Toucan Eco.

The impact of COVID-19 means frequent cleaning and effective disinfecting have never been so important. Sustainability remains on the agenda for businesses, schools and workplaces looking to reduce their environmental impact by cutting carbon emissions, improving recycling strategies and minimising single-use plastic waste. Toucan Eco offers an effective and sustainable way to do all of these things, and it removes the need for most chemicals as well as the single-use plastic bottles they are supplied in.
Toucan Eco is helping businesses transform cleaning practices with an effective, safe and eco-friendly hypochlorous acid disinfectant they can make themselves from water, salt and electricity. That’s it. It’s certified to EN 14476 and 16777 for its high virucidal efficacy and is proven to kill viruses, including coronaviruses, at speed. Hypochlorous acid disinfectant is already being used around the world to help control the spread of viruses. 
Steve Courtney will demonstrate Toucan Eco, explain the technology behind it and share examples of where it’s being used here in the UK, as well as in developing countries to turn polluted water into safe drinking water. 

Steve Courtney is Robert Scott’s product specialist for Toucan Eco, helping businesses adopt this sustainable and innovative technology to transform their cleaning routines, as well as advising national partners on wider cleaning hardware. Steve has worked in the cleaning industry for over 20 years in various roles with distributors, manufacturers, independents, and PLCs. 

15.30: Fireside Chat - Neil Nixon speaks with Paul Ashton, CEO, Birkin Cleaning Services, about his experiences during the pandemic and his thoughts on the future of commercial cleaning post-COVID-19.

16.00: A global perspective: what lessons can we learn from cleaning contractors around the world in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic?

Hosted by Neil Nixon, this panel comprises: Dianna Steinbach, vice president of international services, ISSA, Germany; Jonathan King, CEO, Samsic; Shawn McIntosh, COO, Atalian Servest, USA; and Paul Fereday , head of operations, UK Cleaning Excellence, ISS.

As the challenge of getting countries open for business post-COVID-19 rolls out across the world, this webinar will seek to understand the challenges faced by different countries and regions. Contractors from Europe and the USA will discuss the solutions they have employed to meet the specific problems they have faced in their own countries, creating an ‘information exchange’ for the benefit of all participants. The take-away should be a list of tried and tested techniques that can be applied in the fight against COVID-19.

Thursday 15 October 2020

10.45: Fireside Chat.
Neil Nixon speaks with Paul Thrupp, chairman of the British Cleaning Council, CEO, about the cleaning sector’s role during the pandemic and his aspirations for the future of commercial cleaning post-COVID-19.

11.30: A change in philosophy - the benefits of hiring your industrial cleaning equipment - Martin Doran, general manager at Astley Hire.
 
Astley Hire will be exploring the benefits of hiring your industrial cleaning equipment and challenging the industry status-quo of outright purchasing. Astley Hire is a business with significant expertise and experience in the specialist equipment hire industry, and this presentation will provide a fresh perspective on why the time for hiring is now! From expert hints and tips, compelling customer testimonials and decades of industry experience, don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn how you can deliver efficiency to your cleaning equipment processes. 

Martin Doran, general manager at Astley Hire Ltd, has 15 years’ experience of working in the hire industry, across many different sectors. Martin originally started life as a commercial management accountant before progressing to the general manager role at Astley Hire. Martin is passionate about hire and the commercial benefits it can bring to any business model. 

12.15: How a good marketing strategy can help grow your business - Suzanne Howe, managing director, SHC, and Neil Nixon, conference director, Manchester Cleaning Show.

Neil Nixon quizzes Suzanne Howe about different marketing techniques that can be employed to have a positive impact on winning and retaining customers. Topics to be discussed include: marketing to establish your brand; understanding your customer and how to reach them; retaining customers through engagement; the power of social media, including detail on the how, when and why of each social media platform; the power of photographs; reinforcing your brand through good CSR; and using a successful mix of marketing techniques and platforms.

Suzanne Howe, managing director of Suzanne Howe Communications (SHC) established her business 22 years ago as a specialist B2B PR and marketing agency. Suzanne works across a number of clients including Kimberly-Clark Professional and the Golden Service Awards as well as Berry bpi recycled products, InnuScience, P-Wave, Clarity, and Cleanology, providing PR and marketing campaigns, event management and social media consultancy.

13.00: The importance of training and assessment - Stan Atkins, CEO, British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc).

The British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) has been delivering training since the 1960s. This presentation will take a deep dive into the importance of training and assessment, how it can benefit your organisation and - more importantly - your people. It will also cover how training motivates and promotes experiential learning within your organisation. ‘What happens if I train them and they leave?’ Well, think about what happens if you don’t train them and they stay! BICSc will share a ‘train and retain’ ethos, and how training will have a positive effect on your company’s bottom line. 

Stan Atkins has over 40 years’ experience in the cleaning industry, and is first and foremost driven to address the needs of the cleaning operative. Stan has keen interests in the areas of technical skills and training, quality control and measurement, and robotics. Stan has been at the helm of The British Institute of Cleaning Science for over 12 years and is proud to lead an organisation that can help form the future direction of the cleaning industry.