Records crash at SPLASH!

The records tumbled almost as much as the rain this year at the SPLASH! Pool & Spa Trade Show on the Gold Coast. The event reinforced its stature as the leading trade show for the wet industry in Australasia.

The very heavy rainfall ensured even greater attendance from pool builders, pool shop owners and pool technicians. The trade show attracted a record 2287 registered visitors, representing an increase of 30 per cent over buyer numbers from 2008.

A noticeable trend this year was the increase in overseas visitors, with significant increases in buyers from New Zealand, Thailand and the USA.

In addition to the record buyer attendance, other events during the week attracted greater participation. The SPLASH! Environmental Awards drew substantially more entries than in 2008, and a group of more than 170 attended the Awards dinner with guest speaker Stephen Bradbury. Bradbury’s “last man standing” auction achieved a winning bid of $9000, with proceeds going to the Hannah Foundation.

Education was at the forefront of the week. Thanks to the sponsorship of Pentair Water, international guests Genesis 3 gave a series of workshops and seminars that received rave reviews. The Queensland branch of the Australian Leisure Facilities Association (ALFA) held its inaugural conference alongside SPLASH! and according to president Stephen Butler, there are hopes the conference will grow at future shows.

Interpoint Managing Director, Simon Cooper says that the success of the 2010 event is going to be hard to beat.

“Record exhibition and visitor attendance indicates that the pool and spa industry is emerging strongly from the GFC,” he says. “On the show floor there was a sense of cautious optimism – with strong support for the Environmental Awards and the Andrew Simons Golf Day.”

Interpoint Events also announced the launch of a new show for the Asia market, which will take place in Singapore from 4-5 May 2011.