PIE delivers despite dip in attendance

Pool & Spa News, Nov 1, 2004 by Bob Dumas

The 18th Annual Pool Industry Expo saw a slight dip in attendance figures this year, hit broke records in terms of booth and new-exhibitor numbers.

Don Koss, a PIE executive director, said attendance at this year's show, held Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at the Monterey (Calif.) Conference Center, was 6,667--down 4.6 percent from its record-setting 6,989 last year--as well as the 6,917 who gathered in 2002.

It's difficult to know why attendance surges one year and not the next, Koss said. One thing is certain: Exhibitors said PIE continues to be an excellent forum for their businesses.

"I didn't think the [floor] traffic was all that slow [this year]," said Paul Walter, Western region sales manager for Sta-Rite industries, a pool equipment manufacturer based in Delavan, Wis. "It seems to be along the same attendance we've had the past several years. We've been introducing a new product and that has been going very wen here."

For other exhibitors, the slight drop-off in attendance didn't impact their success.

"The quality of the people has been good," said Jim King, automatic cover manager for Cantar, a pool equipment maker in Youngstown, Ohio. "We've been very happy with it. I look more at the quality of [the attendees] rather than the number. That is what is important."

The show did set a record for the number of booths on the show floor with 128. Eighteen of the companies exhibiting were at PIE for the first time.

As it is every year at PIE, the education track proved to be the biggest draw. The show featured more than 45 classes and seminars, including the Certified Pool Operator course.

Koss said that most classes were either nearly full, or jam-packed, with attendee lines spilling out into the hallway.

"I like the seminars a lot, especially the business management classes," said attendee Ken Knautz, owner of Ken's Pool & Patio in Lynwood, Wash. "Those are the ones I go to. I send my guys to the technical classes and they get a lot out of them. Plus, it's a perk--they get some time off and get to come to Monterey."

Several years ago, PIE organizers sought to attract more builders to the show. According to Koss, the efforts have been successful because the courses aired at builders seem to fill up the quickest.

"The builder-related classes are filled all the way through [to the end of the show]," Koss said. "And a lot of repair guys go to those, too. It gives them a better idea [about pools in general] and they can answer customers' questions a lot more intelligently."

Of course, this year's PIE continued to feature its most popular events, including a golf tournament, the fiesta barbecue, the Pool Man Olympics, and music and dancing from the Four on the Floor band. Also, as is traditional, door prizes were awarded: Timber Vincent, Blue Dolphin Pool Service in Danville, Calif., won $500; Ron Steincamp, Anytime Pool Service in Fresno, Calif., won $1,500; and Leslie Tripptree, Tripptree Pool & Spa in Coarsegold, Calif., won a trip for two to Hawaii.

Next year's show is slated for Sept. 29-Oct. 1, once again at the Monterey Conference Center.