With upbeat crowds, an expanded program and mostly clement weather, The Pool & Spa Show: Powered by the Northeast Spa and Pool Association saw another brisk year.
Taking place Jan. 23-25 in Atlantic City, with pre-conference programming held the weekend before, the event was attended by pool and spa professionals from 45 states and 14 countries. Attendance figures were still being processed at press time, but organizers were encouraged by early numbers and crowds large enough to provide steady traffic over a show floor that was 10% larger than the year before.
The outlook for this year was positive overall, with professionals taking a cautiously optimistic approach. “Most dealers feel like this is going to be another solid year,” said NESPA Executive Director Dominick Mondi.
This year saw the continued growth of the show’s Women in the Industry event, bringing female professionals together for a day of seminars, networking and inspirational talks. Topics included how to deal with the challenges of working as a woman in a male-dominated world, maintaining work-life balance, and various business-related subjects. This was the sixth time for the event, which started as a single seminar then gradually grew into a full day. It was organized by NESPA and a number of volunteers, as well as the Penn-Jersey Chapter group called Women in the Industry (WITI). A record 70 attended.
Once again, hands-on technical courses saw the most attendance, with sessions on heaters, tile, pumps and aboveground pool assembly selling out.
Heritage Pool Supply’s concert featuring Cheap Trick and Marshall Tucker Band raised $25,000 to donate to the NESPA Foundation. After a series of donation matches by NESPA and the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, a total of $100,000 was presented to PHTA for its Step Into Swim program.
Next year’s Pool & Spa Show: Powered by NESPA is held Jan. 28-30, 2025 at the Atlantic City Convention Center.
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