Education wins out at Atlantic City show

The 2005 Atlantic City (N.J.) Pool & Spa Show continued its tradition of success in the face of adverse weather conditions. Running Jan. 25-27, the industry's second-largest annual show drew nonexhibitor attendance of 8,457, just edging out last year's 8,390.

While that number didn't surpass the 2003 all-time attendance record of 8,864, this latest event attracted a strong crowd, especially considering what the Northeast winter threw its way.

In the days leading to the show, heavy snow storms blanketed the East, causing travel and freight shipping delays across the region. But according to show manager Trish McCormick, it was business as usual.

"The storm didn't keep anybody away," McCormick said of attendance. "The numbers are exactly where we want them to be.... The exhibitors are happy and the attendees are happy."

Heavy snowfalls and freezing temperatures also failed to slow the continuing growth of the Northeast Spa & Pool Association's education program, which offered its largest slate of courses to date.

"Even though we had three [speakers] cancel because of weather and health-related things, we still brought the numbers in and were able to distribute those [students] to other classes," said Paulette J. Pitrak, NESPA's deputy executive director.

As in past years, the program covered a broad number of topics, but was designed to focus on one aspect of the industry. "This year, we picked water chemistry," Pitrak said. "We did everything from the new nanotechnology to chlorine generators, which were hot this year.

"The heaviest hitter that came out of the show was Randy Dukes' seminar on the chemistry of newly plastered pools. He had 189 people in that class," she said. "It was phenomenal."

Builder Stephen Andrew of Bedford Poolscapes in Bedford, N.Y., agreed. "The technical courses are getting a lot better," he said, "and there's also a wider variety [of seminars]."

Philip Saltzman, director of sales at Meyco Products in Melville, N.Y., was impressed with the heavy traffic he saw at his pool covers exhibit. "We have a staff here of six representatives, but at certain times during the show, we seemed to be overwhelmed," he said.

"This is the first time in four decades we've been at the show," Saltzman added. "Based on the phenomenal response we're having these past few days, I'd say we're here to stay."

COPYRIGHT 2005 Hanley-Wood, Inc.
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