Like many of you, International Carwash Association has much to be thankful for as we finish the year. By most reports, 2015 will end up being very successful for operators and suppliers alike — as supported by the information gathered through the Wash Count program. In fact, the last two to three years have featured steady to strong growth for many car wash companies. With new auto sales in the United States and Europe on the upswing, we are all hopeful that these results will continue into 2016.
International Carwash Association certainly reflected the underlying health of the professional car wash industry in 2015 by experiencing the largest year-over-year percentage increase in attendance at The Car Wash Show in its modern history. We also ended 2015 with increases in membership, WaterSavers and Wash Count participation. Not to be forgotten, the publication you are holding in your hands also reached a highpoint in published pages in its still young existence.
But, the highlight of the year was certainly the launch of Car Wash Show Europe. (Included with this edition of CAR WASH Magazine is a special commemorative issue that celebrates the inaugural event that occurred this past October in Amsterdam.) With more than twice the number of attendees as we anticipated, we were amazed by the response to this new concept.
More important, and even more satisfying, was the feedback we received during the show and since. My favorite: “Thank you for finally providing the European car wash industry with a home.” It was also gratifying to hear from many of the North American operators who attended, who brought back new ideas from a market they had never visited prior — and were excited to make new investments in their own washes as a result.
Providing car wash operators with new ideas to grow their business is core to International Carwash Association’s mission. Now, with Car Wash Show Europe, we have another valuable venue for that learning to take place.
On behalf of our board of directors and staff, I want to thank everyone who was a part of our events and programs in 2015. We value your support, welcome your input and look forward to continuing to do our part to helping you succeed in 2016.
Sincerely,
Eric Wulf
