Florida show sees attendance jump - Making News

Summer-like weather and a new, larger venue spelled success for the Florida 2003 Pool & Spa Show, held Feb. 21-22 in Orlando.

"Moving to the Orange County Convention Center was the best move the Florida show could have made," said Wendy Parker, show manager at NSPI-Florida.

The number of attendees rose significantly from 3,011 in 2002 to 3,700 this year, an increase of 23 percent, according to Parker. She also said the number of exhibitors rose from 169 last year to 222.

"With larger booth space and a bigger exhibit hall, we were able to accommodate many new exhibitions and have all the exhibitors in one hall," Parker said.

Attendees seemed pleased with the changes. "I think this [floor] layout is better," said Dave Williamson, sales manager at Riviera Pools in Tampa, Fla. "Last year was more spread out."

Exhibitors noticed a measurable difference. "We had a lot of traffic, close to 50 percent more," said Garet Daugherty, branch manager at Superior Pool Products in Cape Coral, Fla. "This is a better walk-through format."

Out-of-state vendors reported gathering strong leads. "It's 100 percent better than I thought it would be," said first-time exhibitor Don Ridpath, vice president of CAPO in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. "There are a lot more retailers and service technicians at this show. I'm making good contacts."

The show's educational program also enjoyed a boost in activity. "Several classes sold out at 200," said Parker. And attendance of nearly 300 was recorded for two seminars, "Vanishing Edges, How to Make the Magic," instructed by Dan Johnson, and "Water in the Design of Landscape," taught by Genesis 3 cofounders Skip Phillips, Brian Van Bower and David Tisherman.

"The courses were helpful," said Chris Calise, store manager at Majestic Pools in Orange Park, Fla. "I'll be able to give valuable information to the customers, so they can better maintain their pools."

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