Interview

GOING global

The ISSA Pulire Network has big plans to develop the cleaning industry throughout the EMEA region and beyond

In May 2018, ISSA – the trade association for the global cleaning industry – expanded its footprint by creating a jointly owned platform with Italian cleaning sector manufacturers association Afidamp, owner of the Pulire trade show (‘pulire’ meaning ‘clean’ in Italian). 12 months later, their collaboration was formalised with the establishment of the ISSA Pulire Network, headed by former Afidamp Executive Director Toni D’Andrea. In August 2021, D’Andrea’s responsibilities were extended when he was named as Director of ISSA EMEA after Dianna Steinbach – who had been responsible for all ISSA’s regions outside the Americas – moved back to the US.

OPI caught up with D’Andrea to find out more about the workings of the ISSA Pulire Network and how he is looking to develop it.

OPI: Toni, can you start by telling us about the goals of the ISSA Pulire Network?

Toni D’Andrea: Our goals are to pursue the business of holding trade shows around the world, something Afidamp has successfully done for over 20 years now. These include a dozen international projects in Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and South America.

ISSA has done the same in various regions, as well as developing training and certification

OPI: Your roots are in Italy – is this still your most important market?

TDA: Without doubt, our ancestral roots are in Italy. It’s a country that has, along with Germany and the US, been one of the top manufacturers of machinery, products and equipment for the global cleaning market for many years. However, our expertise is international.

OPI: What is the size of your team?

TDA: We are actually two separate teams working in perfect harmony. An integrated, eight-person group handles exhibition-related activities, such as organisation, sales, promotion and communications, social market interface management and administration.

The second, five-person team has an international slant (Africa and the Middle East). Speaking nine different languages – Italian, Serbian, German, Latvian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Swahili – this group looks after institutional issues, training and certification activities throughout the EMEA region.

OPI: What synergies have arisen out of the relationship with ISSA?

TDA: ISSA has boundless experience in terms of training and certification issues, knowledge we draw on regularly. When it comes to trade shows, we each have the tools and content that, while acknowledging our differences, perfectly complement one another.

OPI: How many members do you have and what is your strategy to grow the membership?

TDA: Currently, in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, we have 680, 88 and 1,151 associates respectively, making a total of 1,919. The goal is, of course, to increase numbers and expand the range of services on offer, which in itself attracts new members. It’s something we are actively working on. In fact, we’re about to unveil compelling new reasons to be an ISSA member.

OPI: What certification programmes do you run, and what further plans do you have?

TDA: ISSA has contributed a host of programmes to the ISSA Pulire Network for the EMEA market. These include the Cleaning Industry Management Standard, which we’ve begun translating into Italian and Spanish, and Custodial Technician Training at basic and advanced levels.

OPI: Tell me about the GBAC Star initiative – what kind of traction have you had with this?

TDA: GBAC is revolutionary. ISSA’s strategy was to have a top-level research organisation folded in as one of its own divisions, working in both preventive and routine management on variables related to biohazard threats. That move turned out to be both ingenious and innovative.

GBAC Star certification adds value to every action and activity in the cleaning world. It is

a guarantee of quality for service enterprises, managers of hospitality venues, and especially for service end-users who are able to count on certified hygienic quality standards.

OPI: The timing of the GBAC acquisition prior to COVID was certainly fortuitous. How has the pandemic changed people’s attitudes towards cleaning and hygiene?

TDA: COVID has revolutionised our perception of many values, particularly collective hygiene. The world has finally realised that cleanliness is not just a private need; rather, it’s a right worth vigorously claiming.

Before vaccines became available, cleanliness was the only tool for breaking the chain of infection, putting handwashing firmly in the spotlight. Shifts in cleaning and sanitation services have also intensified, ensuring safer workplaces, hospitals, public transportation and restaurants.

One may say that social distancing, masks, space cleansing and handwashing produced effective results. My fear is that, as we return to normalcy, we may forget what COVID actually was for us all. As infection rates rise again, it is important we do not lower our guard and maintain the level of discipline still required.

OPI: What is the potential for sustainable cleaning solutions across EMEA?

TDA: Being ‘green’ is a necessity. Machines, products and equipment are already required to meet progressively stricter compliance demands. Some companies in our sector – true champions of sustainability and zero impact pioneers – have made sustainability their core business.

This is a major opportunity for us in the future, and one that has been increasingly opened up by research and innovation.

OPI: You have your ISSA Pulire Forum event in Milan this October. Tell me more about that.

TDA: The Forum originated in 2012 as a platform for in-depth discussions on topical issues and a meeting place for the entire supply chain, both in Italy and internationally.

Held over one and a half days, the 2022 themes are: the value of memory and building a civil conscience; designing for occupational health and safety; and the future of integrated services management under the new normal.

Our end goal is to be part of a scenario where the common facets of different experiences and professionalism inspire us to design new approaches and activities.

OPI: You are moving the ISSA Pulire trade show to Milan next year as well, aren’t you?

TDA: Yes. After being a ‘travelling’ fair across Italy for years, then from 1992 more stable in Verona, in 2023 ISSA Pulire will finally get a permanent home at Italy’s foremost exhibition centre.

Before vaccines became available, cleanliness was the only tool for breaking the chain of infection

The aim is to grow in terms of visitors and exhibitors through a strategic repositioning which acknowledges geographic centrality, easier access for attendees from abroad, and co-location with other events that have compatible content.

Above all, it is an opportunity to expand without space limitations, thereby making it possible to add new players from the integrated services sector which fit in with our current offerings.

OPI: You will be holding your first show in Nigeria in November 2022. What are the opportunities for you in Africa?

TDA: For a long time, I’ve believed that the African continent presents the greatest growth opportunity out there for us all. Even more so for countries bordering the Mediterranean and sharing a common sea with Europe. Over the next two decades, Africa will double in population from one to two billion, while Nigeria will grow from a current 210 million people to approximately 450 million.

Alongside this explosion, demand for services will increase exponentially. Qualified personnel will be needed to deliver these services in cities, hotels and hospitals. Hence, the need to plan training activities at all levels, from top management to operators, and to build the next generation of service world practitioners.

With the exception of South Africa and some small tourist areas in North African countries, the cleaning industry is still in an almost primitive state in this region. And even new hospitality structures, hotels and healthcare facilities age quickly due to a lack of maintenance and cleanliness. I recently visited a fair in Cameroon, for example, and noticed almost all new buildings there were suffering from premature deterioration.

As is true of many other nations, Cameroon’s population has an average age of around 25. These are very young countries looking toward a better future. We want to stake our claim in building that future.