The anticipation of reconnecting with the industry came to fruition last week when ISSA Show Canada – held June 8-9, 2022 – made its return to an in-person exposition. Only the second live event since the show’s launch in 2019, the 2022 edition, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto, ticked all the boxes when it came to delivering on new technology, educational opportunities, and networking events.
“Although the COVID pandemic continues, our industry proved it was ready to re-connect and meet again face-to-face,” said ISSA Canada Executive Director Mike Nosko. “Judging by the feedback we’ve received thus far from both exhibitors and attendee delegates, we were all ready for the ‘reset’.”
With a theme of “Reset for the New Clean,” this year’s trade exposition focused on educating and inspiring the industry following the transformation experienced during the COVID pandemic.
The show kicked off with an inspirational panel discussion featuring some of the leading ladies in the industry. Moderated by Shannon Hall, Vice president of Sales, Dustbane Products Ltd., and captain of the ISSA Hygieia Network Canada Region, the Breakfast & Panel Discussion featured wise words from Laura Craven (Imperial Dade Canada), Sandra Hudon (Polykar), Margo Hunnisett (Bunzl), Judith Virag (Clean Club Calgary) and Kathy Kroupa (United Services Group).
With over 100 delegates in attendance, the skilled panelists detailed their personal journeys to achieve the success they have today. Additionally, they each provided words of wisdom on how to recruit and, more importantly, retain more women in the cleaning industry.
The ISSA Hygieia Network is an ISSA Signature Charity focused on advancing the careers of women (and men) in the cleaning industry. The organization provides education, mentoring, networking and support programs to help women succeed in the workplace.
Following the ISSA Hygieia Breakfast was the highly-anticipated keynote session sponsored by the ISSA Canada Building Service Contractor Council. Featuring professionals from the property management and commercial cleaning sectors, the 125 delegates who packed the room were certainly not disappointed.
Moderated by Philippe Mack (Bee-Clean building Maintenance), building service contractor representatives Roberta Polyak (Bee-Clean Building Maintenance), Chris King (Hallmark Housekeeping Services) and Tony Raposo (GDI Integrated Facility Solutions); and property management professionals John Castelhano (BGIS), Elspeth Evans (QuadReal Property Group) and Kimberly Train (Oxford Properties), provided insight into the question many are currently asking – where do we go from here?
Representing both industry sectors, the packed room listened to the panelists as they detailed the latest technologies they have implemented in their facilities, the challenges they currently face in terms of labour, and the pain points experienced by property managers. Of particular interest was the conversation regarding attracting, developing and retaining quality people, the capability of providing a living wage, and the challenges of poor service delivery/scope degrading resulting from inflationary circumstances.
Another issue top of mind in both the business and consumer markets is the ongoing supply chain issues. Moderated by Tom Fournier, founder of Shade’s Mills Group, the “Valuing the Role of Distribution in the Cleaning Products Supply Chain” session featured professionals from distribution. Giselle Chartrand of Balpex, Brock Tully of Bunzl Canada, and building service contractor David Clementino of Hallmark Housekeeping, outlined the measures they took to ensure product continued to flow to ensure end-users had the tools and resources required to battle the unseen enemy.
“Everyone assembled in the room, including myself, was awed by the quality of the individuals on the panel both in terms of their knowledge, and their varied perspectives and experiences,” Fournier said. “Afterwards, I was approached by many who spoke about how valuable the session was.“
Speaking of value, the Value of Clean Moving Forward was also a worthy topic of discussion at ISSA Show Canada. Featuring an entertaining and informative presentation by Jim Flieler, Vice President of Global Sales for Charlotte Products, the approximately 60 delegates in attendance were reminded of the critical importance of cleaning as an investment in human health, worker retention and wellness. Additionally, Flieler also touched upon human resources and labour shortages, logistics and supply chain issues, and financial challenges and return on investment.
The educational programming was rounded out by two sessions focused on infection prevention and indoor air quality – two areas of critical importance in the battle against COVID-19. The first session featured Dr. Mark Hernandez who addressed several options for improving the quality of indoor air in non-healthcare settings such as schools, recreation facilities, commercial spaces and more. The information provided in this session was based on a recently-released peer-reviewed paper from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, of which Hernandez was a co-author.
The final session revolved around the proven technologies that were vital during the pandemic. Featuring Michael Diamond, Senior Director of GBAC, and Shawn Watkins of LuminUltra, delegates were schooled on qPCR testing which became the gold standard in COVID testing and was later adapted to test surfaces and wastewater for the infectious virus. Watkins also discussed how qPCR technology can be deployed as part of either a routine monitoring program to evaluate the efficacy of cleaning protocols and products, or deployed as pre-clean as a non-evasive way to routinely monitor regular occupants.
Although ISSA Show Canada is built on an extensive educational program, developed by committees representing all facets of the sanitary maintenance and supply industry, the event also featured a large trade show floor and multiple opportunities to connect via various networking receptions – two on the trade show floor and another at the nearby Elephant & Castle.
“It’s been a difficult two years of meeting in the virtual space and people were just zoomed out,” Nosko said. “Early in the year, there was fear that ISSA Show Canada could be in jeopardy due to the surge in the Omicron variant. Fortunately, all of our show partners were in agreeance that the show must go on and judging by the turn-out, the industry was also ready for a reset. We are already looking forward to another outstanding event in 2023.”
The result of a partnership between ISSA, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and MediaEdge’s Real Estate Management Industry (REMI) Network, ISSA Show Canada provides an ideal forum for facility, property and operations managers, environmental services executives and facility managers in the healthcare, education, government, hospitality, building services and residential sectors to meet leading suppliers of cleaning products and services, keep up with industry trends and share experiences with peers to benefit their buildings, staff, customers and tenants.
Attendance data from the 2022 ISSA Show Canada is still being processed and details will be released soon.
Source: ISSA Canada
