The industry will soon assemble in San Antonio for what should be another productive and informative The Car Wash Show™, hosted by the International Carwash Association (ICA), but at the time of writing this column, we are fresh off another great event: SCWA 2020.

Earlier this year, from Jan. 29-31, the Southwest Car Wash Association’s (SCWA) convention occupied the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The show once again lived up to its stated mission statement: “The focus of the 2020 SCWA Convention & EXPO is simple. Providing you with proven, time-tested strategies, techniques and products to improve your business and create the culture in your operation to be successful.”

Thousands of attendees showed up to meet hundreds of exhibitors on the show floor, and the program — as expected — was chock-full of notable presenters and speakers.  

Included in this year’s program were a CEO Forum presentation by Chick-fil-A’s Arthur Greeno and a keynote by former Vice President Dick Cheney.

A recap of the event is posted on Carwash.com at www.carwash.com/scwa-2020-spurs-networking-education-forward.

On the final day of the SCWA 2020 event, I had the opportunity to host a four-person panel that featured prominent market experts: David Begin, host of “The How of Carwashing” podcast and a past ICA president; Gary Dennis, founding partner and CEO of Mammoth Holdings LLC and a past ICA president; Justin Alford, owner of Benny’s Car Wash & Oil Change; and Ford Noe, regional manager of Marcus & Millichap.

Titled, “Winds of Change,” the session covered several predominant industry trends and advice that operators need to be aware of in order to effectively shift their businesses to thrive. 

The reason I bring up this panel in our issue for The Car Wash Show is because you won’t find the transcripts of our panel discussion or a video of it online. You simply had to be in the room — as many were that day — in order to receive these important messages from the esteemed panelists. 

There are currently three major trade shows in this market that our publication attends each year. These three events are opportunities to make your business better. But, you have to participate and not just show up for the sake of being there. 

While it’s fun to see old friends and network with new ones, which are also very important reasons to attend industry events, if you are not attending the educational sessions that these associations plan, then you’re not getting the most out of your investment to attend. 

So, for The Car Wash Show 2020, I encourage you to examine the Schedule of Events, attend as many sessions as possible and take notes. Then, implement best practices to secure your business’ success in the future.