All about car wash trade shows

For anyone interested in the car wash industry, association sponsored trade shows and conventions offer the best means of learning and perfecting your vocation. Whatever unusual problem or curious situation you may have encountered at your business, the chances are pretty good that someone else has faced it and will be talking about it at a trade show. Traditionally, the most popular topic of discussion has been labor, but lately wash efficiency, going green, site conversions, and business planning in a stalled economy have risen to the fore. Here are some suggestions for attending your next show.

Plan your items of interest.
Make a list of specific vendor booths and seminars you want to attend, and look for answers to the problems you want to solve. If you're bringing a group of key personnel, assign tasks to everyone. You may, for example, ask your service tech to find three ways to reduce unexpected closures due to equipment failures. It's a good technique for employees who don't have the gift of gab to fall into a conversation about car washing. If you don't have a real problem per se, instead try to find opportunities for improvement. Make your assignments focus on equipment, procedures, or strategies for improving car counts, service consistency, utility consumption, or customer satisfaction.

Stay focused.
Get involved with the discussions that apply to your location. Ask questions and don't hesitate to initiate a conversation about the topics that interest you - it's likely that someone just as interested will be within earshot to offer their experiences as well. If you're with a group, have frequent meetings during the shows to discuss what you've found and how it might be applied when you return. If you're on your own, make some notes and have a meeting with your staff immediately after you get back while everything is still fresh in your mind.

Get connected.
Networking provides you with a group of people that share a common interest and who have, collectively, a knowledge base greater than any one person can reasonably expect to have. Before implementing a new idea, bounce some ideas off your peers. They may have some recommendations to improve or simplify your plan.