Federation of Window Cleaners – Trade Show 9th October 2009
An estimated 300 people attended The Federation of Window Cleaners annual trade show at the De Vere Hotel in Blackpool on the 9th of October. They managed to attract four new members to their Federation and sold numerous DVD’s of their new window cleaning safety production over the course of the day.
The days activities also raised money for charities, which included water for Africa and Cerebral Palsy.
Terry turbo breaks his own World Record
Martial Arts specialist, Terry Turbo Burrows left all three Competition windows gleaming in just 9.14 seconds at the 2009 FWC Window Cleaning Competition held at the De Vere Hotel in Blackpool. He left only two water smears that resulted in a one second penalty point being added to his original time of 8.14 seconds, to make 9.14 seconds which is an excellent achievement; plus a New Guinness World Record. Click Here for more on BBC News.
Open Speed – Winner Matthew Poole of Astound Cleaning – far right took first prize of £150.00. His original time of 13.01 + 2.50 penalty point = a total time of 15.51. Matt very kindly donated his prize money to Water for Africa.
Another fantastic achievement from Debbie Morris of Hayle in Cornwall pictured below – left who also achieved a New Ladies World Record – with an original time of 16.92 plus 5.50 penalty points for smears = overall time of 22.42 seconds. Pictured below – right – John McClean from Essex who came second in the Open Speed with a total time of 19.31. John Beresford came third with a total time of 21.26
The Cleaning Show 2009 – 10-12 March NEC Birmingham
In spite of the current economic climate an impressive 8,000 visitors graced the halls of the 2009 Cleaning Show on10 -12 March. The Federation of Window Cleaners stand had a constant flow of visitors from the minute the doors opened each day. As well as welcoming existing members for a chat, there was a genuine interest in the association’s activities which was obviously demonstrated by the number of membership applications completed then and there!….Not to mention the huge number of application packs taken over the three days.
Several awards and competitions brought further enjoyment to the three-day show with North Norfolk District Council scooping the UK winner’s trophy at the Clean Britain Awards which recognise the efforts of authorities, organisations and voluntary bodies to maintain high standards of public space cleanliness throughout the UK. Over 230 guests attended the awards ceremony representing participants, sponsors, media and BCC representatives. Meanwhile, the third BCCE Innovation Awards designed to honour the latest advances in the business took place on the afternoon of day one of the show. Over 60 entries were received across 5 award categories which ranged from Best Chemical Innovation to Hand Tools Award.
The 17th edition of the Fastest Window Cleaner competition presented by Terry Turbo Burrows took place on each day of the show. The three winners who competed against a record number of 27 contestants scooping first prize were; Glen Bailey with a top time of 14.53 seconds. Stefan Tinkler 15.40 seconds, Steve Fox of Window Cleaning Warehouse with15.00 seconds.
Finally, a new competition, the ‘Ride on Charity Challenge’ brought heaps of fun and laughter to the show! Teams had to manoeuver a ride-on scrubber drier through a prepared obstacle course – easier said than done! The heats were done against the clock with time added for hitting cones or taking the wrong course. Despite several professional cleaning teams taking part, amateur team ‘‘Judith’s Double D’s’ took the title in a best time of 4 minutes 47 seconds with no faults! The competition earned £625 which will go to the winning team’s chosen charity Macmillan Nurses.
With another highly successful show under their belt the organisers are already looking to the next edition in 2011. Paul Michael, Managing Director of BCCE Limited & Quartz Publishing & Exhibitions said: “The Cleaning Show has exceeded even our high hopes. From the comments of exhibitors and visitors alike you would not think there is a recession. The Cleaning Show had a happy and industrious buzz about it and has set the scene for the industry going forward, so much so that we have already taken many bookings for the next show, which will be at the NEC from 1st – 3rd March 2011.”
A record breaking 2200 visitors at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry
When asked about their attendance at the shows, the serious motives of visitors were quite apparent. Exhibitions might be a bit of a jolly for some or just a chance to meet up with old friends but for the guys at Carpex Windex it was definitely all about return on investment. Jon Ottway, a window cleaner said: “I’ve come here to source new systems and to find the latest gadgets to make my job easier and more profitable.”
Visitors were not the only ones to take a professional approach. Exhibitors were praised for an all time high in the presentation of their stands. Andrew Lee, safety officer with Windex sponsor Federation of Window Cleaners said: “Exhibitors have shown a new level of professionalism at Windex this year. The stands look fantastic and I’ve noticed a real passion for our industry across the board.” Awards for ‘Best stand’ Windex/Carpex were presented to Aquafactors Direct and Vax Commercial respectively. Stands looked impressive and many companies had clearly come well prepared to use the shows as a launch platform. Amongst new products were the Aridex low moisture upholstery cleaning system from Host Von Schrader and Dry Fusion’s Bactoshield OV, MRSA/anti-bacterial protection for carpets. Meanwhile, Facelift Cleaning Systems took pre-orders for its new F1 high modular carbon waterfed pole range to be available in May. Exhibitors reaped the rewards of their efforts as many took orders and made sales during the show. “We’ve got a large pile of forward orders and have been offered cash and cheques galore!” said Jackie Bromley, commercial national account manager at Vax Commercial. Alan Matthews of Aquafactors Direct was equally thrilled: “We had an amazing response to the kitted out Ford Ranger which was ‘something different’. Again interest was amazing and we believe we have sold four at £33,000 each!”
Another key factor which contributed to the professionalism of the show was the outstanding new venue. The venue which is part of Coventry City’s football ground which includes a hotel, restaurants and function rooms proved infinitely popular for its facilities and location. In previous years the majority of visitors came from the south east, this year however, the Midlands venue welcomed 80% of its visitors from other U.K regions with just 20% coming from the South East. Shaun Bradbury, managing director of Dry Fusion UK had noted the new visitor demographic: “We’ve had fantastic sales with people coming from locations as diverse as Inverness, Dublin and Southampton. I think the new Coventry location has had a lot to do with this.” The excellent venue facilities made the event a much more enjoyable experience for everyone. John Sobucinski, general manager, Unger UK agreed: “During my 25 years in the cleaning industry I’ve never been to a better venue! The Ricoh Arena is a great improvement on both Excel and the NEC.”
Buyers came from both industry sectors with the co-location of the two shows being a draw for some. Martin Stainsy of Wipe Clean said: “As someone interested in both window and carpet cleaning this is perfect. It was nice and easy to get here and I prefer the layout this year too. A good show.” Specialist areas within each industry were well represented by exhibitors and visitors. While at Windex both traditional window cleaners and waterfed pole users were present, Carpex saw parties interested in low moisture cleaners, traditional hot water extraction and truck mounts. In addition, considerable interest was shown in hard floor cleaning which could indeed pinpoint a future trend for the industry.
Further to the exhibitions, both industries enjoyed free seminar programmes organised by show sponsors the Federation of Window Cleaners and the National Carpet Cleaners Association. The seminars proved extremely popular and covered hot topics which led to passionate debate amongst delegates. Andrew lee, safety officer for the Federation of Window Cleaners said: “The seminar programme has been very well attended. The seminar regarding ladder use and work at height regulations was particularly popular. With lots of questions and passionate comments it was quite clear that a genuine passion exists within certain areas of the trade to continue to use traditional window cleaning methods. There is also a notable concern within the industry to access the latest training and technology. The fact that our new waterfed pole and ladders training course is almost fully booked evidences this.” Brian Dolby, chairman of the Federation of Window Cleaners continued: “As far as the Federation of Window Cleaners is concerned our main focus for Windex was the seminar programme and this was a big success. In recent times we have tackled health & safety issues and our next challenge is to develop a training course for window cleaners.” Fun was also an important component of the two days. The 16th edition of the Fastest Window Cleaner competition coupled smiles with an air of intense concentration. Terry ‘Turbo’ Burrows – the world’s fastest window cleaner tried to beat his own world record and staged two competitions, one for professionals and one for amateurs. Commenting on the competitions Terry Burrows said: “The standard just gets better and better. The new competition for exhibitors was great fun!”
The main competition for professionals was won by Glyn Baily of Hazel Window Cleaners with an impressive time of 13.09 seconds, meanwhile the new exhibitors competition went to Steve Fox of Window Cleaning Warehouse who completed in 16.56 seconds.
The laughter continued well into the evening with a Gala dinner held onsite. The new lady president of the National Carpet Cleaners Association June Frankum particularly enjoyed herself. Commenting on the evening June Frankum said: “The gala dinner went down a real treat. The meal was splendid and the entertainment had us all in stitches”. On a more serious note the evening saw £700 being donated by exhibitors for charities NSPCC and MedEquip4Kids. So, with another highly successful show under their belt do organizers Quartz Publishing & Exhibitions have ideas to build on this success in 2010? It would appear so. Comments Martin Scott, the show director: “We have already confirmed that the 2010 event will return to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, a decision that has proved extremely popular with all our current exhibitors. We will be adding a hard floor cleaning area to the next event, which has also been well received by the exhibitors and visitors we have surveyed this year. Quartz is now very focused on ensuring the event in 2010 takes another step forward to reflect the specific demands of the carpet, window and hard floor cleaning sectors.” Pawlo Woloszyn, chief executive officer of the National Carpet Cleaners Association feels this could be just what is needed. Commenting on the next edition of the shows Pawlo Woloszyn said: “Bookings for 2010 have already started and the new addition of a floor cleaning area at the next show will make this a totally unmissable event! Date: 4th April 2008 /From: Quartz Publishing & Exhibitions Ltd.
Dates for 2010 have not yet been announced but will be available in the near future at www.carpex.co.uk and www.windex.co.uk Pictured below is Bryan Dolby & Beryl Murray at the opening of the Show
