Facility managers and building services contractors should not miss the 2022 ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo in Sydney.
Sustainable products and robotics innovation will be among the headline acts as the cleaning world reconnects at the 2022 ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo in Sydney on September 14 & 15, 2022.
The Expo is a chance for building and facility managers to examine the latest products and services as they respond to COVID-19 hygiene requirements. ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, is hosting the event at the Sydney International Convention Centre.
Lauren Micallef, Oceania Manager ISSA, says this year’s event will host more than 3,000 attendees. It will have 70 exhibitors, more than 40 speakers, 16 free-to-attend speaker sessions and four other workshops.
“This is a chance for facility managers and exhibitors to connect for the first time in two years since the outbreak of COVID-19,” says Micallef.
Innovation in the cleaning and hygiene space will be of particular interest to attendees. This excites Airhygiene Training director David Jones, who understands that businesses and facility managers need to keep advancing to succeed.
“The face of business has changed forever. We need to be more proactive than reactive in this space, leading the way with innovative solutions to emerging problems,” says Jones.
This sentiment is supported by RapidClean Australia and New Zealand general manager Bruce Lees. Lee states that “it’s important for people to attend the ISSA show as the best manufacturers and distributors in the cleaning industry will be exhibiting new and innovative products”. “It’s also a place where people can come together and learn from each other, as well as from the expert speakers,” says Lee.
The two-day, free-to-attend event in Darling Harbour is the only show in the southern hemisphere that is dedicated to the cleaning and hygiene industry. Dr Greg Whiteley, executive chairman of Whiteley, says the Expo “is a vital part of our industry, especially this year as it gives all attendees the ability to tap into the latest industry trends as businesses emerge from COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions”.
“Our industry is dynamic and everything is subject to constant change and evolution,” he says.
“If you do not keep up with changes, new products and technologies, as well as changes in processes, then you and your business will be left behind the competition.”
Education to the fore
Micallef says the Expo is also a great educational opportunity for attendees as they seek to learn the latest about trends, technology and training.
The education program will cover a wide range of important topics, including corporate social responsibility; technology and innovation; aged care cleaning and hygiene; and the risk of working with chemicals.
At the Expo, Associate Professor Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, Senior Director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, will co-present a session with Dr Whiteley on disinfection and infectious disease prevention for facilities.
“With more people realising that the built environment influences their health, cleaning for health is a key issue for everyone,” he says. “When you clean, you need to follow evidence-based practices to create a healthier clean, avoid cross-contamination and avoid potentially toxic cleaning procedures. We’re finding more people with chemical sensitivities and that improper cleaning can damage surfaces and be very costly to repair or replace.”
During his session, Dr Macgregor-Skinner will cover how GBAC’s goal of “first, do no harm” can help inform a system of cleaning procedures for facilities and cleaners. “(The key is) that we don’t harm the building occupants, our workers, and the built environment, but at the same time we eliminate the germs that make us sick.”
Former champion Sydney Swans Australian Rules star Michael O’Loughlin, who represents ARA Indigenous Services, will be one of the featured speakers as part of the education program at the Expo that will discuss the post-pandemic road to recovery.
ARA director Adam Mercer, who will be on a panel discussion at the Expo, is also eager to engage in networking while checking out new innovation and technology trends. “In cleaning, after COVID-19, there’s been a bit of a race to the bottom with costs,” Mercer says. “Cleaning is always the first that’s targeted to reduce costs, so we have to find efficiencies and we’ll see innovation at the show to give us those solutions.”
With the Expo now just weeks away, Micallef urges facility managers and other business representatives to sign up.
“This is the biggest cleaning and hygiene show in town and it really gives facility managers the prospect of gaining a competitive edge in their respective markets as they rebound from COVID-19.”
The article was originally posted in Facility Management.