National Clothesline

The Southwest Drycleaners Association is hoping that its first convention in the state of Louisiana will be an unforgettable one.

The association will host its 98th annual event at the Sheraton Baton Rouge located at 102 France Street from March 4-6.

The fun will begin with an “Early Bird Shoot-Out” scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. on Friday. SDA has reserved an area at Precision Indoor Range for a shooting competition. The cost is $55 per person, which includes transport, gun rental and ammo.

There will be other leisure options offered throughout the day, such as an Antique Village tour through Denham Spring’s Antique Village from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that costs $39 per person.

Those who would rather play a round of golf can sign up for an outing that begins at noon at The Bluffs on Thompson Creek. Registration is $95 per person, which covers a cart, green fees, range balls, a box lunch and prizes.

On Friday afternoon, SDA will also host its Executive Committee Meeting from noon to 4 p.m. and an educational seminar featuring the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality at 5 p.m. The program will provide compliance information on “State and Federal Regulations in SDA’s Eight States.”

The evening will conclude with a welcome reception beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Sheraton.

On Saturday morning, SDA will roll out its Board of Directors Breakfast early at 7:30 a.m. Guest speaker IFI Chairman Don Fawcett will be present. An SDA Board of Directors Meeting will follow from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Those seeking in a break in the action can sign up for a tour of Nottoway, the Greek Revival and Italianate mansion which boasts 53,000 square feet altogether, making it the largest plantation home in the South. The cost to participate on the tour, which runs from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., is $40 per person.

Later in the afternoon, Fawcett will return to reside over SDA’s General Membership Meeting from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Afterward, attendees will have a chance to attend an educational session on “Quality Cleaning: How Do You Measure Up?” by IFI Garment Analyst Chris Allsbrooks. She will discuss the issue of customer expectations and what factors cleaners should consider when deciding whether or not to clean a problem garment.

Following that hour-long program, SDA will host a dinner and a sunset tour on the “Alligator Bayou” for an evening of authentic Louisiana food and music.

Complete registration packages — which include admission to Friday’s welcome reception, a spouse hospitality breakfast on Saturday, the General Membership Meeting, all educational seminars and the Saturday evening dinner and Alligator Bayou tour — cost $150 per member. Non-members pay $180 each. The cost for kids 12 and under is $90 per registrant.

Those prices do not include registration for optional events such as the golf outing, the Antique Village tour, the Early Bird Shoot-Out and the Nottoway tour on Saturday.

Room rates at the Baton Rouge Sheraton are available to SDA guests at a reserved rate of $89 per night for single/double occupancy. The hotel features the Argosy Casino (a riverboat casino) and a beautiful 50,000 sq. ft. atrium that features a lush tropical lobby.

To register for the convention, contact SDA prior to February 7 by calling (210) 826-4684.

Those new to the coin laundry industry, as well as those with a few years of experience under their belts, may benefit from two upcoming seminar series offered by the Coin Laundry Association.

The first will be held in Las Vegas, NV, Feb. 25-26 at Bally’s Las Vegas, located at 2645 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

The first day of programming will consist of a “Laundry Management Conference” designed to help current owners and managers grow their laundry I.Q.

Topics to be covered include: strategic business analysis; solving tough employee problems; creating the ideal customer experience; marketing on a budget; and the equipment equation: when and how to upgrade.

The cost is $179 for members and $229 for non-members. Registration covers all educational seminars and materials, plus a network buffet luncheon.

The same program will also take place at the Westin Galleria Dallas at 13340 Dallas Parkway in Texas on Friday, March 11.

Newcomers to the industry will prefer to take “Coin Laundry: Basics for Beginners” on Saturday, Feb. 26, a day-long session which basically emphasizes what owning a laundry is all about.

The cost is $179 for members for the day’s program and $229 for non-members.

The same seminars will also be repeated at the Westin Galleria Dallas on Saturday, March 12.

Hotel reservations are available at Bally’s Las Vegas at a special rate of $129 per night for CLA seminar attendees. For reservations, call the hotel at (800) 634-3434.

Rooms at the Westin Galleria Dallas will cost CLA seminar attendees $149 per night. For reservations, call (800) 228-3000 or (972) 934-9494.

For more information on the upcoming seminar series, contact the CLA office at (877) CLA-IDEA.