Expanded Sydney pool and spa show bustles with buyers

Forced by NSW covid restrictions to add another hall at Rosehill Gardens exhibition centre, the Sydney Pool & Spa Outdoor Living Expo nonetheless was packed with enthusiastic pool and spa buyers.

Event owners SPASA Australia say the buoyant pool market continued to deliver for consumer expos, with many exhibitors judging this show an outstanding success. SPASA Australia COO Spiros Dassakis says that visitor attendance was in line with expectations with many exhibitors saying it was one of the best expos they had exhibited at over the past few years.

“The pool and spa market has been experiencing strong growth and sales throughout covid-19,” he says, “and demand is expected to continue with many pool builders booked up for months ahead.” He adds that spa manufacturers and suppliers are experiencing stock shortages due to strong sales.

The expo had to be reconfigured and expanded into two halls to meet the current covid-19 capacity restrictions, and all the outdoor displays were moved inside which effectively doubled the size of the show. Perfect weather saw visitors pour through the doors, the car park was full and exhibitors reported excellent sales and a high number of quality leads.

Dassakis says he was delighted with the turnout for the event and the exhibitors were extremely happy with results.

“Following the success of the SA show several weeks ago, it was great to see such a good response in Sydney and our members are looking forward to the Queensland show in three weeks and the Melbourne show in July,” he says.

From the exhibitors

Colin Mauger, director of Supreme Heating, says he found the experience at the pool and spa expo to be very refreshing. “The show was well attended and there was a genuine interest in pools, spas and associated products,” he says. “Most importantly it was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with fellow industry people and the consumer face to face. After the experiences of covid last year the team is feeling invigorated.”

Paul Martin from Black Onyx Plunge and Jacuzzi Company also had an excellent show. “We’ve had a fantastic experience at the show, we’ve had great traction and numerous expressions of interest. We would have pre-orders for at least 10 spas so far," he said early on Sunday, with hours of trading still to go. "We make a 365 day a year experience – you can run it cool in the summer and run it warm in the winter at 38 degrees. We’ve set ourselves apart from other spa manufacturers by offering a product that is less intrusive and more aesthetically pleasing. So we couldn’t be more happy. The show organisation’s been great too, it’s been a really, really good experience. This is our first year but absolutely we’ll come again and we’ll jump into Brisbane and also the SPLASH! pool and spa trade expo at Surfers.”

Darren Milne director of Naked Pools says they got a lot of good consumer enquiry. “A lot of them are just looking to build at the moment – so we see that flow through from the show a few months later when we get the enquiry from the builder. The consumer talks to the builder when the pool’s getting done to upgrade their salt system to a freshwater system. I think the show’s been worthwhile, the flow of people’s been consistent, and the leads have seemed pretty genuine. No tyre-kickers.”

Remonda Martinez from Blue Haven Pools says the show has been really busy. “Everybody wants to stay at home and create this amazing vibe at home, so they’re all trekking into the pool show. And as they can’t travel, we want them to be able to create something amazing at home, like Morocco or Mexico, and customise a staycation in their own resort.”

Gordon Clarke, director Skypebble says it was the busiest show he has ever been involved in. “I have been doing shows and been in the industry for a long time and this one has been fantastic.”

Anne Badr, franchise support manager from Narellan Pools says the show was amazing with a lot of people coming through. “The feedback from all the staff that worked this weekend is that it has been better than other years.”

Paula Cowell-Yench, director of Europe Imports says the show was absolutely fantastic. “We had an extremely busy day yesterday and even more today. It has been truly magnificent, and we are so glad we made the decision to come back this year after such a turbulent 2020.”

The next pool and spa show is in Queensland on May 22-23 at Brisbane Showgrounds, followed by the Melbourne Pool & Spa Lifestyle Sale on July 24 -25 at Melbourne Showgrounds.