FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2015:
Most Successful Show in Years!
November 12, 2015— Northbrook, IL, USA—Based on exhibitor and attendee feedback, a sold out exhibit floor, and the highest attendance in nearly a decade, the 2015 ISSA ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America trade show and ISSA Convention once again succeeded in being the one week where key leaders and decision-makers in the commercial cleaning industry come together.
The event, co-produced by ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, and its trade show partner RAI Amsterdam, took place in Las Vegas, NV, USA, October 20-23, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“Our debut at the ISSA/INTERCLEAN show was a resounding and overwhelming success,” said first-time exhibitor Ori Rosenbaum, president of REN Escalator Cleaning Tools, one of the 126 new exhibitors this year. “We had to skip lunch every single day because we were so busy. Our sales will most likely more than double this year, partly because of this show.... It was hands down the best show I’ve ever exhibited at in more than 30 years of participating at trade shows.”
The trade show, which sold out of show floor space with 729 exhibitors, attracted 16,311 attendees, making it the most highly attended show in nearly a decade. Further, this year’s event attracted a high number of distributor and wholesaler attendees as well as the most building service contractors (BSCs) the show has ever seen.
This growth is due to ISSA’s efforts to attract the top executives of the leading janitorial distributors as well as to draw from a variety of new audiences through relationships with organizations and buying groups in the office products arena, such as OPI, Trimega, and Independent Stationers, as well as other ancillary markets, such as Universal Unilink (uniform and textile rentals and sales), NetPlus Alliance (industrial), and TopCo (retail).
Exhibitor Jeff Chochinov, management consultant for Techtronic Industries Co., a division of TTI Floor Care North America, said this cross-section of decision-makers from top distributors, BSCs, and large purchasing organizations kept him and his team extremely busy with full, completely booked days. “This really is the one show for facility solutions because it represents the full value chain,” he said. “It’s just a really nice cross-section of end customers across all verticals, so we can really cover the market.”
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Tom Unger, sales manager for Minuteman International, agreed: “This truly is the one show for facility solutions because there is everything anyone in the commercial cleaning industry wants to find right here all under one roof.”
Buyers who packed the aisles cited their desire to meet with exhibitors and find innovative products and ideas as a top reason for attending the exhibition. And Wayne Human, area supervisor for property management firm Human Technologies, summed up his experience simply: “I’m in awe. This show has exactly what I’m looking for.”
Co-Location Partners
This year four industry groups held their annual conventions in conjunction with ISSA/INTERCLEAN: the Association of Residential Cleaning Services International (ARCSI), Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI), Cleaning Trade Equipment Association (CETA), and IEHA. Many supporting associations throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia-Pacific also participated in this year’s show, and there was a strong showing from top buying groups and their key members.
Jim Keough, vice president of marketing for the distributor marketing group Triple S, said the show “is very successful for us in many ways as it affords us the opportunity to meet with both our members and suppliers," which is why he said the group chose ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2015 as the venue to launch its newest strategic initiative, Triple S Holdings, Inc.
ISSA Excellence Awards
In addition to ISSA’s efforts to attract a diverse group of industry influencers to the 2015 event, the association also offered attendees more reasons to stay for the whole week, culminating in an ISSA Keynote Address: How You Can Be a Successful Entrepreneur at Everything You Do presented by TV's Shark Tank host Kevin O’Leary on Friday, October 23. In addition to delivering a standing-room-only presentation, O’Leary headlined the ISSA Excellence Awards Luncheon.
Companies honored included long-standing ISSA member companies, the 2015 Best Customer Service Award winners as selected by buyers at the show, and the winners of the 2015 ISSA Innovation Award Program.
O’Leary finished the presentation by announcing the winner of the ISSA Excellent Idea Contest, Teresa Ward, of Teresa’s Family Cleaning, and her partner, Maria Reitano. “It just goes to show you, you don’t need a large business to be successful,” O’Leary said. “You don’t need to be overly complicated to win. You just have to solve a problem for somebody.”
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To see the winning entry as well as the other finalists, visit
In addition to O’Leary, ISSA/INTERCLEAN also featured two other ISSA Keynote Addresses: Secrets of Flawless Execution with a global team of real fighter pilots, Afterburner, Inc. and Funny Business: A Private Performance with Jay Leno presented by the former Tonight Show host and comedian.
Cleaning industry professionals who did not attend the show, or missed the ISSA Keynote Addresses, can watch the Afterburners’ and O’Leary’s presentations, as well as other show highlights, on demand at
More Show Highlights
Below are just a few of the many other features that helped make ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2015 such a success:
• For the first time, ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America featured an Outdoor Exhibit area, where visitors could see demonstrations, grab a bite to eat from a food truck, or take a selfie with some vintage cars and celebrity lookalikes.
• The ISSA Convention seminars included a Women’s Forum, sponsored by the ISSA Hygieia Network, which is open to ISSA members complimentary until December 31, 2015. The ISSA Hygieia Network also hosted a reception, where several industry professionals were honored with awards.
• Numerous seminars were packed to room limits and elicited feedback that the topics and speakers were top-quality and extremely relevant to attendee businesses. Participants can download the handouts at
• Many of ISSA’s more than 24,000 LinkedIn group members turned out for an in-person meet up held in conjunction with the ISSA Show Floor Happy Hour (To join the group, go to
Given this year’s positive results, it’s easy to see why exhibitors and attendees alike consider ISSA/INTERCLEAN a must-attend event.
Just ask J.D. Stewart, vice president of operations and diversity at SBM Management Services, who knows exactly why cleaning industry professionals should attend ISSA/INTERCLEAN.
“If you are looking to bring value to your customers and be disruptive in the marketplace, this is the place to come,” advised Stewart. “I’m juiced to be going to Chicago next year. It’s one of the best places to go.”
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Register Now, Travel on ISSA Later
Cleaning industry professionals who register for ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2016, October 25-28, in Chicago, IL, USA, will be automatically entered into a drawing to win a free trip to the show! Find out more at
About ISSA/INTERCLEAN
The award-winning ISSA/INTERCLEAN® family of exhibitions brings together executives from all segments of the jansan industry to do business and gather information to better manage distribution companies, building services companies, and facility management departments. ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, and its tradeshow partner RAI Amsterdam, produce ISSA/INTERCLEAN shows around the world. ISSA also hosts more than 45 educational seminars and networking opportunities in conjunction with ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America. For more information, visit
Upcoming ISSA/INTERCLEAN exhibitions include:
• ISSA/INTERCLEAN Amsterdam 2016, May 10-13, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• ISSA/INTERCLEAN Istanbul 2016, September 7-9, Istanbul, Turkey
• ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2016, October 25-28, Chicago, IL, USA
• ISSA/INTERCLEAN Latin America 2017, February 22-24, Mexico City, Mexico • ISSA/INTERCLEAN Central & Eastern Europe 2017, April 26-28, Warsaw, Poland.
About ISSA
With more than 7,000 members, including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, BSCs, in-house service providers, and associated service members, ISSA is the leading trade association for the cleaning industry worldwide. The association is committed to helping its members change the way the world views cleaning by providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line. For more information on ISSA, visit or call 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.
Contact: ISSA Media Communications & Publications Director Lisa Veeck at ; phone, 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800