National Clothesline

With the Clean Show just around the corner, now is the time to register while discounted prices are still available.

Those who pre-register prior to May 21 will pay $50 for admittance to the exhibit hall and all of Clean ’07s educational seminars. However, after that date, all registrations will take place on-site and the cost goes up to $85 per person.

This year the event will be held from June 11 to 14 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

It will mark the third time the biennial trade show has been hosted by Las Vegas; previously the event was held there in 1991 and 1997. However, one thing has changed since the previous go-round: the Show will sport a different look for attendees.

Gone will be the familiar purple and yellow logo that has been around since 1992. Instead, the design will be updated with softer blue and green colors.


	Clean Consultations Many of the industry’s leading consultants, among them columnists and contributors to National Clothesline, will be featured at the Cleaner ’s Supply booth at the Clean Show in Las Vegas. Consultants Corner will feature open Q&A sessions and a chance to pick the industry’s top brains on a variety of topics. The line-up and schedule is as follows: Don Desrosiers, Tailwind Systems, assembly and work flow systems. Monday through Wednesday, 1 to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 1 to 3 p.m. Harvey Gershenson, Sterling Dry Cleaning Consulting, business planning, cutting costs and increasing profits. Monday and Tuesday, 3 to 4 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 to 11 a.m. and noon to 1 p.m.; Thursday, 10 to 11 a.m. Dennis McCrory, Golomb Group, marketing and management. Monday 1 to 2 p.m.; Tuesday, noon to 2 p.m. James Peuster, The Route Pro, Building Profitable Routes. Monday 10 a.m. to noon. Sid Tuchman, Tuchman Training Systems, 12 ways to pump up your profits. Daily 2 to 3 p.m. Steve Boorstein, The Clothing Doctor, CSR training, inspection and quality control. Monday, noon to 1 p.m. and 4 to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 9 to 10 a.m. Everett Childers, plant processes. Tuesday, 4 to 5 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to noon. Jane Zellers, CED, JCZ Training and Consulting, specializing in productivity and efficiencies. Wednesday, 9 to 10 a.m. Darcy Moen, Dry Cleaner’s Ad Shop, websites and customer relationship management. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to noon; Wednesday, 1 to 2 p.m. and 4 to 5 p.m. Diana Vollmer, Methods for Management, management development, profit and process improvement. Wednesday, 3 to 4 p.m. Ted Barry, John Barry and Associates, plant design. Thursday noon to 2 p.m.

The fresh look was specifically crafted according to Brian Wallace, chairman of the Clean ’07 Executive Committee and president/CEO of the Coin Laundry Association.

“The new logo is a reflection of the innovative technologies that exhibitors and attendees have come to expect from the Clean Show, and brings us into the 21st century, ” he noted.

Showcasing the latest drycleaning technology has always been a staple of the Clean Show ever since it first began in 1977.

With so many equipment and product advancements in the past three decades, it’s hard to imagine the industry once preferred to dye garments rather than dryclean them. However, that was often the case in the early 1900s, around the time the International Fabricare Institute was originally founded.

While the methods for handling customers’ clothes may have vastly changed in the past century, they have not been forgotten. In fact, IFI, along with over two dozen other exhibiting companies, will contribute to an antiquities display at Clean ’07 that celebrates the industry’s history with a collection of photos and equipment from the past.

Attendees will be able to see washers, dryers, ironers, extractors and more dating back as far as 1914. That should contrast sharply with the latest in garment care technologies on display in the exhibit hall by more than 400 companies.

In addition to helping with the antiquities display, IFI plans to honor its 100th anniversary with a special birthday bash at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 11. It will be held at the association ’s headquarters hotel, the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

IFI members who plan to stay there can secure a room for a nightly rate of $119 by calling (877) 584-6938.

Housing options for members of the trade show’s other sponsors are available, also.

CLA members can call (800) 762-0296 for a $110 rate at Harrah’s Las Vegas.

Three associations will use the Las Vegas Hilton as its headquarters hotel. The rate is $145 nightly.

TCATA members should call (800) 858-1017; TRSA members should call (800) 709-2885; and UTSA members can contact the hotel at (877) 335-5215.

NAILM members wanting to stay at the Paris Las Vegas for $135 per night should dial (800) 479-6336.

General housing options for all Clean Show attendees are available at all the aforementioned hotels, as well as several others: the Riviera Hotel and Casino ($89), the Wynn Las Vegas Resort ($209), Bally ’s ($120) and the Flamingo ($99). Call (888) 892-5822 for reservations.

Once cleaners have registered and made travel arrangements, they should make plans to attend Clean ’s educational seminars. Overall, there will be over 30 hours of programming, so cleaners will have to decide which topics are most important to them.

On Monday morning, IFI will begin its educational itinerary with “Celebrating a Second Century of Excellence” at 8 a.m.

Afterward, Alfred Lautenslager, the author of “Guerilla Marketing,” will help cleaners learn how to unleash their creativity with marketing tools designed to keep customers coming back time and time again.

IFI will only discuss one topic on Tuesday, but it’s a big one: “Solvent Options.” The 8 a.m. session will run an hour and 45 minutes, enough time to examine several of the cutting-edge advancements in cleaning technologies, including DrySolv, INPRO, GreenEarth, CO2, Solvair, Hydrocarbon, PureDry and Rynex.

The following morning, the association will shift its focus to seminars that focus on cleaning garments. First up will be Don Desrosiers of Tailwind Systems who will examine “Sagging Shirt Production Solutions” at 8 a.m. Attendees will learn how to boost productivity, lower costs and wipe out the possibility of errors.

At 9 a.m., IFI Garment Analyst Chris Allsbrooks will be on hand to explain some common, and sometimes not so common, garment problems and what to say to customers whenever such problems arise.

IFI will conclude its programming on Thursday by hosting certification exams from 7 to 10 a.m.

The Coin Laundry Association will present a half dozen seminars over a span of four days, focussing on everything from evaluating an investment in coin laundry to what the future holds for the industry. There will also be several programs that focus on ways of making coin laundries more profitable.

Show organizers have added a seminar by the American Reusable Textile Association to the schedule. “Reusable vs. Disposable Technologies: Manufacturing, Performance and Regulatory Requirements ” will take place on from 8 to 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 14.

The National Association of Institutional Linen Management and the Textile Rental Services Association of America also have several guest speakers lined up. A full list of programs is available at the Clean Show ’s official site, located at www.cleanshow.com.

While Clean ’07 promises something for everyone in the cleaning industry inside its exhibit and lecture halls, attendees may want to put aside some time for recreation and gambling in Las Vegas.

While many may want to experience the bright lights of the Strip on foot, taxis are another viable option for getting from Point A to B. Fares are based on both time and distance. A typical taxi airport run should cost about $18 plus tip.

Cleaners can also take advantage of the complimentary Clean ’07 shuttle service, which travels between all eight official hotels and the convention center.

It will run approximately every 15 minutes beginning at 6:30 a.m. on opening day, and 7 a.m. on subsequent days, until 11 a.m. In the afternoon, service resumes from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Thursday.

An evening loop shuttle will run between the Hilton and headquarter hotels Monday through Wednesday from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

A less expensive mode of transportation is the city’s Monorail system, which can whisk travelers from the MGM Grand on the south end of the Strip to the Sahara on the north end in only 15 minutes. On the way, it makes stops at Bally ’s/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah’s/Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Hilton.

Trains run about every five minutes from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 3 a.m. Friday through Sunday.

Five fare options are available: one ride, $5; 2-ride, $9, 10-ride, $35; one-day unlimited pass, $15; and three-day unlimited pass, $40.