There are several similarities between the traditional OP industry and the jan/san sector. Both sell products that often comprise low-interest and highly-commoditised products, both have seen a lasting period of consolidation, with fewer – but often considerably more powerful – players in reseller, wholesaler as well as manufacturing circles commanding the stage.
Bearing these factors in mind, it’s heartening to see that both exhibitor and delegate numbers have been going up at ISSA/INTERCLEAN events around the world and its North American show is no exception. At this year’s event, to be held from 4-7 November at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, more than 700 exhibitors will be bringing janitorial or ancillary facility-related products, services and solutions to the table.
Coming together
Another sign of growth – and of an industry that is doing well – is a continued increase of other industry organisations co-locating their annual events with ISSA/INTERCLEAN, making it the one week in the year when all top professionals in the sector come together. And because all the right contacts are in one place, office products dealers interested in expanding into janitorial lines will find it easy to find partners and network with customers.
From an education point of view, there’s also plenty to specifically engage OP dealers. In addition to the newly launched Janitorial Solutions 101 Day on the last day of the event, dealers should consider sending a top executive to the Advanced Distributor sessions on 4 November which include topics such as: making your service department a competitive advantage branch and operations effectiveness leveraging analytics to improve your business and building a powerful team.
Dianna Steinbach, ISSA’s Director of Industry Outreach, says: “More than 5,000 customer executives attend ISSA/INTERCLEAN, making it a valuable event for distributors to pick the brains of facility decision-makers. And if janitorial products aren’t your core market, then you likely don’t have a lot of time to stay abreast of the latest trends, regulations and customer demands specific to these products. The ISSA convention seminars held throughout the week provide updates on all you need to know to remain relevant and innovative for your customers.”
