Amsterdam's new golden age

It is that time again when the cleaning industry’s attention turns to Amsterdam; a city known for its canal system; the tall, narrow houses with gabled facades that are legacies of the city’s 17th-century “Golden Age”; and its welcoming, open-minded culture. Few cities meld history with modern urban verve like it and throughout the centuries Amsterdam has also been a hub of international commerce and a crucible of innovation. From 10-13 May, this home truth will again be confirmed with the staging of the 26th ISSA/INTERCLEAN Show at the RAI Amsterdam venue. 

“ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam is the single most effective week to do business in the professional cleaning industry,” Dianna Steinbach, ISSA director of EMEA Services, said. “There is no better event that offers the chance to network with so many high level executives from across the globe, personally investigate such a broad array of innovative solutions and find the next inspiration to drive your organisation’s success forward.”

Who's there...

The last edition of the show in 2014 was the world’s largest ever cleaning industry show and indications are that both visitor and exhibitor numbers will surge higher and break all records. Already more exhibition space has been reserved and the show will occupy more halls at the RAI Amsterdam than ever before with some 700 exhibitors from over 40 countries, showcasing their products and solutions in a total floor area of approximately 60,000 m². These exhibitors range from a who’s who of the largest and longest-established manufacturers in the industry through to hot, new technology start-ups with remote workforce monitoring apps. 

More live demonstrations are also planned across the show floor than ever before, including in the Outdoor Cleaning Show and High Pressure Demonstration Area. Here visitors will be encouraged to ‘try-it-yourself’ with many of the products on display. 

New innovation area

The ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam show has built and maintained its success as an unmissable event by constantly innovating. For example, at this year’s show, a new InnovationLab will be located in Hall 9 to provide a showcase for the nine products nominated for the prestigious, and always hotly contested Amsterdam Innovation Award. 

At the InnovationLab, attendees will be able to browse the details of all Amsterdam Innovation Awards short-listed submissions on tablets and evaluate the features and performance data that make them ground-breaking. In addition, the InnovationLab is intended to be an inspiring environment where pioneering products and other revolutionary ideas are presented and discussed by exhibitors and visitors alike, and where knowledge and experiences in the field of cleaning innovation are shared freely.

"Innovation propels the cleaning sector forward and ISSA/INTERCLEAN has long been the platform of choice when it comes to showcasing new developments," according to ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam show manager Rob den Hertog. "In addition to the Amsterdam Innovation Awards, the ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam show always sees thousands of innovations and new products. Yet, due to the competitive ‘noise' of the large number of introductions and the wide range of marketing and promotion opportunities available, not all these product launches get the full attention they deserve. The new InnovationLab concept helps address this issue and creates a platform so that no innovation need go unnoticed any longer.”   

Management and Mobility Pavilion

Situated next to the new and exciting innovations of the InnovationLab, and also at the leading edge of the industry in terms of the adoption of technology, is the Management and Mobility Pavilion. Here visitors can discover the latest online solutions and dashboards for remote workforce management, cleaning machine and asset tracking, productivity enhancement, smart cleaning and other tasks from 15 specialist cleaning app developers. Given the recent surge of interest in and use of robotic machines, plans are also being made to have a dedicated Robotics Arena at the show where different manufacturers machines will be demoed and put through their paces. 

Building on this theme of the power of information, ISSA itself will have a larger stand at the show. This will serve to showcase ISSA’s increased collection of member benefits, tools and events all of which are part of ISSA’s efforts to increase the value members derive from their affiliation with the worldwide cleaning industry association. Throughout the week the ISSA stand will additionally host meet-ups and networking opportunities for its fast-growing membership base drawn from the various regions of the EMEA.  

Women's Forum

In the business world generally, gender equality and the education and empowerment of women are of critical importance. In the cleaning and hygiene industry specifically, ISSA’s Hygieia Network initiative has been established to tackle these socio-economic issues as well as increase the retention of and advancement of women in the industry. During the exhibition the ISSA Hygieia Network will host a Women’s Forum which will bring together top female leaders in the industry, along with their male peers, to discuss important leadership topics. 

First held at ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam in 2012, the Young Cleaning Professionals (YCP) has also grown to become a popular programme at the show for students and new professionals working within the industry. It will help attendees get their foot in the door, aid personal development, offer opportunities to meet others in a similar position, and give the chance to receive inspiration from existing Young Cleaning Professionals who are already making their way in the industry.

Other new features taking the visitor experience to a new level include free Wi-Fi access and a new ISSA/INTERCLEAN app. This valuable networking tool is free and enables all visitors to instantly acquire and exchange contact information and exclusive content. Additionally, the app offers a pocket-sized guide to the show with full exhibitor list, complete exhibitor profiles, a new product list, exhibition information and social media links. 

For full details of all that ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam has to offer visit www.issainterclean.com. You can also now register to attend at www.issainterclean.com/register.