he association name is gone from the event and the attending staff will be smaller, but the National Spa & Pool Institute’s role in the upcoming International Pool & Spa Expo in Phoenix will be as important as ever, according to NSPI officials.

That role — helping to educate members of the pool and spa industry and enhance its professionalism — will be evident in the programs and services offered to show attendees and exhibitors, NSPI Chief Staff Executive Jack Cergol said.

The expo is Nov. 27-30 at the Phoenix Civic Plaza and adjacent Bank One Ballpark.

Last spring, NSPI sold the rights to its annual Expo (then known as the NSPI International Exposition and Conference) to Washington, D.C.-based Hanley-Wood and entered into a 45-year agreement in which NSPI remains the show’s sponsor, according to Hanley-Wood officials. It will also serve as the advisory agent for the Phoenix show. Hanley-Wood bought Pool & Spa News and its sister publication, Aquatics International, in June.

“Education is the crucial thing we’ve tried to maintain this year as we entered into this partnership with Hanley-Wood,” Cergol said. “We’ve worked with [Hanley-Wood] throughout the summer to develop programs that will benefit our members in the best possible way and help make this show the best ever.”

Examples offered by NSPI include:
• Seminars: As of press time, the Expo was slated to feature 42 seminars and classes designed to help pool and spa professionals stay abreast of technological advancements, customer service, promotion, management and financial performance, according to Hanley-Wood. The presentations feature prominent speakers, authors and industry officials as moderators or instructors.

• Advisory efforts: In a similar vein, NSPI and its Hot Tub Council will present “The Energy Crisis: What You Need to Know To Survive,” a course on how to take proactive steps with consumers and local media, plus consumer perceptions about pool and hot tub energy consumption.

• Quality reminder: NSPI also will present a seminar on “Quality Installations: Applying NSPI Workmanship Standards to Build/Renovate Pools and Spas,” designed to keep builders performing at a top-notch level.

• On-site demonstrations: The show will feature a live, hands-on educational demo area, designed to update pool and spa builders and service technicians on the latest construction tools and service techniques, said Ken Suzuki, NSPI Education Development and Marketing manager. The demo site, co-sponsored by the NSPI Builders and Service councils for the second consecutive year, will include topics such as the newest automated controls, concrete repair methods, fiberoptic lighting systems and tile installation.

Hanley-Wood’s involvement also means NSPI will send a smaller contingent to the 2001 expo. Marianne Kiernan, executive assistant to Cergol, said NSPI is dispatching 12 people to Phoenix, about half the number who went to the 2000 show in Orlando. The staff will run its product store, The NSPI Resource Marketplace, and handle the NSPI membership booth on the show floor, Kiernan said.

She added that NSPI will conduct the usual meetings during the show’s run, including the convening of NSPI’s Service, Retailers, Builders, Hot Tub, Manufacturers, Manufacturers’ Agents and Distributors councils; the NSPI Board of Directors gathering; and the International Awards of Excellence presentations.