More than 10,000 people from various segments of the pool, spa, and landscape industries attended this year’s Int’l Pool | Spa | Patio Expo (IPSPE), representing a five per cent increase over 2011 and the third consecutive year attendance has grown, say show organizers. The expo, which was held in early November, returned to Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La., for the first time since 2003. The show floor encompassed 14,446 m2 (155,500 sf) comprising 1,555 booths from 548 exhibiting companies of which 107 were first-time exhibitors.“We are very pleased with the number of attendees and with the enthusiasm they brought to the buying and selling activity on the show floor,” said expo director, Lindsay Roberts. “New Orleans was a real draw for attendees as exhibitors enjoyed steady traffic.”In addition to the buying and selling activity on the show floor, an additional 929 m2 (10,000 sf) was dedicated to educational and training space. The show’s conference program offered 74 different educational sessions pertaining to business, technical, and ‘hot topic’ seminars that were designed to improve skills through best practices and the latest technologies.
In addition to the show’s core educational program, advanced, pre-show educational programs were also offered for pool/spa builders/designers and service company professionals through the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP), the show’s official sponsor, and Genesis 3 Design Group.
“Feedback we received from exhibitors and attendees about the quality of educational offerings and leads proves this show contributes to the industry’s continued success,” added Bill Weber, APSP president and CEO.
Other highlights of the show included hands-on, live classrooms in the APSP Live Zone where attendees learned about some of the products being demonstrated in the workshops and the ‘Product Showcase’ area, where attendees could find the industry’s latest innovations. From a selection of more than 96 products, a panel of industry experts awarded Natural Current the ‘Best New Product’ for its Savior™ 5000, a floating, submersible, portable, solar pump and filtration system by Aqua Sun Ozone. The panelists also awarded SNTech with ‘Best Green Product’ for its Infinity 2.8 VS pool pump motor.
It was also announced that next year’s Int’l Pool | Spa | Patio Expo would return to the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nev. The expo will be held Nov. 12-14, while the educational conference will take place Nov. 9-14. Housing and online registration will open in late June.
