REGULAR
THE CLEANING INDUSTRY: A CONTINUING
EUROPEAN UNION
Following the success of last month’s Cleaning Show, Lee Baker, Media Manager for the British Cleaning Council, looks back at some highlights of the event, and discusses the Council’s thoughts on the UK’s impending exit from the EU.
After the success of the first London Cleaning Show at the Excel in 2015, organisers, the BCC and Quartz, decided to forge ahead with a much bigger event this time, and were rewarded with the most successful show to date.
The three day exhibition in March attracted almost 6,000 visitors, which was a 5% increase on the previous London Show, and included a 9% increase in those coming from overseas.
Attendees ranged from professional buyers with million pound budgets, right through to small first time businesses, who are taking their first steps in the industry.
It is reassuring to know that a lot of lucrative business is conducted during the event, but the Cleaning Show has become much more than just a trade expo, it is a meeting of the industry, and a place where people can congregate and learn best practice from each other.
One example of that is the huge numbers who attended the free seminars at the show. Over 1,000 visitors heard presentations on; immigration, health and safety, building a success business, and robotics, and many will have left the Excel wiser for the experience.
One of the most interesting keynote presentations came from Director General of the European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI), Andreas Lill, who shared his thoughts on Brexit.
The EFCI is a very influential organisation within Europe and is recognised as a social partner by the European Commission – a body the UK has just decided to leave.
26 | Tomorrow’s Cleaning
Andreas told the audience he was saddened by the UK’s decision to leave the EU. He also expressed concern that the UK and the EU may not be able to reach a mutually acceptable deal by the end of the two-year Brexit divorce time table.
Listening to Andreas speak illustrated just how much the political landscape has changed since the last London show just two years ago.
In April 2015, the UK was on the verge of a General Election, the word Brexit hadn’t yet entered the lexicon and the thought of Donald Trump becoming US President seemed too absurd to contemplate.
They say a week is a long time in politics, so 24 months is an eternity, and recent events show just how quickly things can change.
But Andreas Lill and cleaning industry colleagues from across Europe have made it clear that whatever happens during the Brexit negotiations, the bond that unites the industry across the continent must continue.
The BCC is very much in agreement and the Council wishes to remain part of the EFCI and continue to forge strong links with Europe. But there will undoubtedly be challenges ahead. And with Article 50 now triggered, it means the next Excel Cleaning Show in 2019 will be the first with the UK outside the European Union.
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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