Robotics Gets Dedicated Space at ISSA Show NA

ROSEMONT, IL -- ISSA Show North America will return to Las Vegas in November, and the most visible change on the show floor will be a new robotics and autonomous cleaning experience.

The dedicated space will occupy roughly 4,000 square feet over the three days of the event, Nov. 17-19, with 40 robotics companies participating.

The layout matters as much as the square footage. Two demo areas and a content stage sit within the footprint, keeping the equipment running rather than parked behind stanchions.

“Rather than simply a static display, we’ve got two demo areas, as well as a content stage,” said Ed Nichols, director of ISSA Show North America.

Programming within the space includes product demonstrations with sessions on leasing and financing options, along with two panel discussions. Nichols framed the goal in practical terms for anyone weighing an equipment purchase.

“They should be able to walk away a little more educated on what’s available and what’s applicable for them,” Nichols said.

Innovation program rebuilt from feedback
The show’s innovation program returns in reworked form after nearly two years of development, and a long run of attendee focus groups. The reasoning behind the overhaul starts with a number.

“We understand that 80 percent of those in attendance at the show are coming specifically to see new products and innovation, regardless of the demographic that they represent,” Nichols said.

Entries now go online ahead of the show, and part of the judging happens before anyone lands in Las Vegas, giving attendees a read on the products as they walk the floor. Demonstrations move into exhibitor booths, though they stay on a schedule.

Students compete, and one gets hired
The Global Collegiate Sales Competition returns for a second year, added originally because attendee feedback pushed the show to bring young professionals into cleaning. Fifteen universities with accredited sales curricula each send four students. Competitors face two formats, role play and speed selling, with judging Wednesday, the second day of the show. Finals run on the show floor in the Robotic Experience Theater.

One sponsor plans to hire a winner, though Nichols stopped short of naming the company. “I have it on really good authority that I believe one of our sponsors intends to hire one of the winners at this year’s show,” he said.

Exhibiting companies can still sign on as judges, a role that works out to something closer to an interview than a scoring exercise.

A show floor that keeps shifting
Through the first eight weeks of registration, attendance tracked 20% to 26% ahead of last year. Distribution runs 13% up year over year. The building service contractor audience climbs 55%. Facility services jumps 45%, and better than half of that group has never attended before.

Nichols said the makeup of the audience is the biggest evolution he has watched at the event, and the direction is clear enough that he described the show as becoming a facilities event.

“Despite some of the challenges economically and via the supply chain that we’re realizing, the ISSA Show is still the place people come to figure those out, and to establish the network and the partnerships necessary,” he said.

“Everything isn’t for everyone at the ISSA Show, and it’s that matrix that’s created that does allow folks to meet, find commonality, and ultimately develop those relationships,” Nichols said.

Exhibitor expectations have moved quickly in the same direction. No exhibitor wants the entire audience. They want a defined slice of it, sorted by demographic and often by company name. Large-scale parties have lost their pull, Nichols explained, while smaller gatherings of people with shared business interests hold it.

An event platform introduced last year handles part of that work. Attendees build a profile, scan who is registered on both sides of the aisle and set up meetings before leaving home. AI-generated recommendations suggest other people worth contacting.

“The reasonable expectation is that we as the organizer are going to provide the tools and the opportunity for you to find the people that you’re looking to see, to ensure the connection, and in the great words of Mr. John Barrett with ISSA, ‘lubricate commerce,’” Nichols said.

For more, go to issa.com.