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Interview with Rob den Hertog. Interclean Amsterdam 2018 results

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Rob den Hertog, the Director of Interclean, shares the plans, results and innovations.

Rob, we are very happy to hold an interview with you once more! The show has been passed and emotions after the show calm down. But what can we say with hindsight? In brief we can say that the show was fantastic and momentous! In general I have noticed that each booth of Interclean was filled with innovations and modern technologies. Let’s make our interview in the same vein.

A lot of people are familiar with Interclean. A great many participants became an inherent element of the show. But still we believe that few are aware of the preproduction of a crucial and mega event in cleaning industry.
Rob, please share with our readers, how many people are working on the project? We would like to get on the inside.

Our core team this year consisted of 6 people, and with the ‘core’ I mean the people that are part of the project from the very beginning. Obviously as the date of event gets closer, lots of other people become involved in some form or way. During the show over 750 persons are working onsite for the events success.

Please, tell us about Interclean life cycle. What steps does the organization and preproduction of the show include? What does the process start from?

There are different cycles for the ‘brand’ of Interclean, and our different shows, but for Interclean Amsterdam it all starts with the evaluation of the previous edition. We analyze all the feedback from visitors and exhibitors, which gives us an idea of the industry wants. That is one of the great success factors of Interclean: It’s a show made for, and by, the professionals in the cleaning industry. Once we have their wishes mapped out, we go to the drawing board, and develop a plan for our next edition. This plan is presented to our stakeholders including the Exhibition Committee and with their feedback we further shape and develop our plans.

We understand that it is not easy to estimate your own activity, but still…Rob, please, estimate your contribution on 10 point scale. Now in social networks it is very popular to use combination of words “expectation vs reality”. So if we apply this combination of words to Interclean, please describe your expectations and actual results.

My contribution? Well, in all honesty, it is a team effort. We each bring our strengths and skills to the table, and acknowledge our weaknesses. There are things I do not get involved with, which I leave to the experts in my team.
Regarding the “expectation vs reality”, that’s a funny one. You see, things never really go the way you plan them. The largest ‘loose cannon’ that we have, are our exhibitors. We never know what they themselves will organise or host on their stands. We’ve seen clogdancers, tango dancers, men in silver gimp-suits, frog-suits cocktail shakers, ice-cream carts, basketball fields.. So the expectation of Interclean could be a trade show, filled with serious professionals in their business suits, and it is that.. but in reality there’s also this whole other, fun side that can make it feel like a fun fair some times.

If we are talking about just dry figures, please provide us with statistics on attendance and participation.

We had a total of 892 exhibitors and 21,158 unique visitors. The visitors rated us with an 8,2 and our exhibitors rated us with an 8, meaning everyone absolutely loved the show. We are very happy with the end results. Those visitors visited the show in average 1.6 days and came from 143 countries.

Rob, what are main benefits and radical departure of Interclean 2018 comparing to previous shows in Amsterdam?

It’s must larger than previous editions, and more complete; Laundry has its own segment, cleaning in healthcare was well represented, and eco friendliness is up and coming, so that was our third new segment. As always, the show echoed changes in the industry.

Segments: Laundry, Waste Solutions and Healthcare Cleaning and also new one that is On-Premise Laundry, Zero Waste LAB and Healthcare Cleaning demonstrate how the show 2018 has been changed.
Who inspires you and who is your main source of ideas, plans, upcoming events, themes and topics of the show etc.?

The industry is our inspiration. This is a show created for the industry, but also very much by the industry. All changes that we notice, trends that we see, are woven into the concept of the show. For example, we see and increasing interest from companies in green solutions.

Next Interclean Amsterdam is going to be in 2020. This number seems to be magical and significant. What magic are you expecting from the next Interclean Amsterdam 2020? Any dreams?

We aim to create an event that makes the industry proud. I think, at this point, we do not want to become larger, but we do want to become more inclusive; show more diversity in the industry by adding more segments. That’s a dream. But we’ll see what the future holds.

Please, tell us about two interesting events alongside the show: Healthcare Cleaning Forum and Facility Inspiration Event. Where were these events carried out? What was the agenda? Who participated in those events? What are the results and achievements?

The Healthcare Cleaning Forum was an initiative that we started because we saw a growing demand in that specific sector. Cleaning in healthcare requires specific skills and tools, it’s a bit of a niche. It took place on May 16 and was attended by a great mix of scientists and CEO’s of healthcare institutions and cleaning contractors. It was a separate event. The Facility Inspiration event, however, was part of Interclean Amsterdam. It took place on the Thursday, at the innovationLAB. The programme consisted of seminars that specifically targeted the interests of facility managers, and a specific tour on the show floor.

One of the most representative and symbolic hall was Innovation Lab. What products were represented there?

The products at the InnovationLAB were the 12 products that were nominated for the Amsterdam Innovation Award. These products excelled in certain areas, and had features that were completely new in the field of cleaning products.

During Interclean 2018 Vincent Everts, a trend watcher was very active. Can you tell us about him for Internewx?

Vincent has been with us for some years now. He is a technological trend watcher and easily picks up on trends that we’ll see in the cleaning industry in the coming years. But he also able to mirror these trends towards trends in other technology driven industries like Automotive, Block chain, Education, Services etc.

Rob, tell us about Amsterdam Innovation Award in brief. How long has the award ceremony been held? Also we would like to know about the jury.

The first Interclean Award was given in 1996. The jury consists of International experts that have been active in the cleaning industry for a good number of years. Even though the makeup of the jury is different each year, the majority of them have been with us for quite some time.

They say that Interclean Circle Run is a very interesting idea, because cleaning professionals had an opportunity to prove that they’re in a good sport shape. Where did Circle Run take place? What was the award for the winner? Why did you decide to organize such an event? Is there any prehistory?

As result of our continues growth we used this year all the halls of RAI Amsterdam, allowing us to walk around in a full circle. We also have a new logo, with a circle, and there was no better way to emphasize this new aspect of our brand than to organise a mini-event around it. And that lead to the existence of the Interclean Circle run. On the Thursday, before opening hours, over 35 people from the industry gathered and ran the full circle. A great and sportive result.

In a rapid life pace a global trade show cannot exist without Auping Refresh Lounge! Rob, please, tell us who first thought of the idea? Do you have any statistics who managed “to get some sleep” at Interclean Amsterdam 2018?

A good 150 visitors had a nap in the refresh lounge, and those who did were very positive about it. You’re walking around all day, and at some point you get tired and your feet get sore. Having a power nap is a great way to recharge your batteries, so that you can keep going.

Taking into consideration successful events at Interclean Amsterdam 2018 we can safely assume that RAI team is planning a great number of events on a grandiose scale for Interclean Amsterdam 2020. Thank you for such a great event which makes cleaning industry more exciting, amazing and interesting. What would you like to say several words to those who is going to visit and exhibit in Interclean 2020?

Be there and be welcome! We have just evaluated the 2018 show and have started with the preparations of the 2020 event. I’m already excited to see what we are going to come up with for the next edition. And please feel free to share your ideas, suggestions and comments so we together can keep the show inspiring again for all those active in our important industry.

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