In a testament to the rising tide of the global car wash industry, this year’s The Car Wash Show held in Las Vegas again supplanted last year’s show as the most successful show in the past decade.
Produced in partnership with the Western Carwash Association and Automotive Oil Change Association, The Car Wash Show 2018 entertained nearly 8,800 attendees exploring 160,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Newcomer Adam Burkhart of AutoVac Systems Inc., said the show floor wasn’t just impressive because of the size, but the overall look and feel showed how much work went into it for exhibiting companies. “The biggest thing that’s stood out to me is, honestly, how awesome the displays are,” he said. “People have put a lot of time and effort into these displays and really reflects how their product looks.”
For attendees, the show provided an opportunity to see everything they wanted to see — and then some.
“It brings everybody together,” said Leon Marx of Octopus Car Washes Arizona. “All the distributors and all the different people coming here to see things and it’s a good place to get it all at one time.”
“I saw things [at the Show] I didn’t think I would see here,” said Melissa Wilson of DFMWR. “It has everything you’re looking for car washes.”
In addition to enough trade show floor exhibits to keep you busy for days, attendees also had the opportunity to take part in more than 70 education sessions.
Quick Hit sessions on the show floor provided 20-minute education talks for all attendees, giving a brief look at tips, tricks, and trends. For Larry Nelson, of Blue Cow Carwash, Inc. it’s all about getting one good idea.
“I always come out with just a tidbit,” he said. “I take home a tidbit every show.”
While Quick Hits provide a great way to gather fast information, the event featured a full education program as well. A record-number of more than 2,200 people purchased All Access passes to gain full access to the full education program, including the Keynote delivered by NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long.
“This is where everyone from the industry comes to learn about things,” said Nicole Guzman from Super-Splash Car Wash.
Lauretta Sechrest of St. George Car Wash and Retail Center agreed: “This is a definite must. You need to go to this,” she said. “You’ll learn a lot. You’ll meet people. You’ll get to see technologies. And you’ll be able to network and interact with other car wash owners.”
To help facilitate community connections, the Show featured a Welcome Reception on the Trade Show floor and also had an Exhibitor Booth Crawl, so attendees could share a refreshing beverage while exploring new products and insights from exhibitors.
This year also featured a New Investor Seminar and reception as well as an Emerging Leaders Seminar and reception. Also new this year was a gathering for Women in Car Washing, where women in the industry were able to connect with one another about their challenges and triumphs.
For the second year in a row, Motor City Wash Works took home Brian Campbell Best Booth Award honors.
“We’re really proud to accept the Brian Campbell Award this year, back to back, we’re really proud of that,” said Motor City Wash Works President Richard Belanger. “Brian’s our number one fan and a great car wash guy.”
The Best Booth Award is judged by attendees while onsite using the mobile app, and is named after Brian Campbell, one of car washing’s biggest fans, who was diagnosed with Williams’ Syndrome when he was just six months old and has been attending The Car Wash Show since 1993.
“I see a lot of different stuff at the booths,” Campbell said. “A lot of different innovative stuff.”
“It just touches our hearts. We’re very humbled and very honored,” said Valerie Campbell, Brian Campbell’s mother. “Every year it just touches us so greatly.”
Moving from one award to another, the latest inductee into the Car Wash Hall of Fame was also honored during this year’s State of the Industry address. Roy Wakefield of Mister Car Wash heritage, received the award for his four decades of work creating industry standards in the customer experience.
Also during the State of the Industry, ICA CEO Eric Wulf and ICA Board President Haji Tehrani highlighted the new changes, challenges and accomplishments of the industry, including new partnership announcements for Car Wash Show Europe and the Australian Car Wash Association.
They also provided insight into new offerings like new consumer research efforts, the new carwashmagazine.com website and ICA’s initiatives to provide guidance and tools (vehicles.carwash.org) to tackle new vehicle technology changes and its impact on the car care industry.
Throughout the show attendees were encouraged to use the hashtag #GoCarWashShow and post the reasons why they attend the Show or live stream the action during the Show, connecting audiences from across the globe.