Last year, carwash professionals once again gathered in the Southwest U.S. in Arlington, Texas, for an event hosted by the Southwest Car Wash Association (SCWA). The 2016 SCWA Convention & Car Wash EXPO’s theme was “Better Stronger Together,” and it offered a variety of educational seminars as well as exhibitors to visit.

There was a noticeable buzz in the air. When attendees were not standing in line to register for the expo or waiting in the lobby area to enter the show floor, they were learning, networking, catching up with friends and having fun.

At last year’s event, SCWA President Eric Warden promised “three days that will challenge you — motivate you — build you and refresh you.”

Noted as the “largest SCWA EXPO ever, including two [exhibit] areas,” the show did not disappoint. According to Chuck Space, SCWA’s executive director, attendance in 2016 was slightly over 1,600. “We had the largest attendance ever of carwash operators. The carwash attendee who traveled the longest distance was from Kuwait. We had the largest ever number of states represented by actual carwash operators attending — 28, which included Hawaii, Washington, California, Oregon, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee.”

If you haven’t made plans to attend the 2017 SCWA Convention & Car Wash EXPO, which will be held from Feb. 26-28, 2017, at the Arlington Convention Center and Arlington Sheraton Hotel, you may still have time.

Previews of the event, including its scheduled presenters, support the association’s focus for the 2017 show: to provide attendees with proven, time-tested strategies and techniques to improve profit.

For more information about the 2017 SCWA Convention & Car Wash EXPO, please visit www.swcarwash.org.

If you are reading this magazine at the show, please be sure to visit Professional Carwashing & Detailing’s booth.

Also, check back with Carwash.com regularly this month and next month for show highlights and photos.