The 2012 Car Wash Show™ has come and gone, and the buzz from those who attended seems to be on the favorable side. More than 5,700 attended the Show, which was held at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas from May 7-9. That means the numbers were up from last year’s Show, then known as the Car Care World Expo, in which about 5,500 people attended.

“We were very pleased to see a 4 percent increase in attendance, our first year-over-year increase since 2005,” said International Carwash Assocation® (ICA) Executive Director and CEO Eric Wulf.  “We are hopeful that our attendance increase, coupled with the positive feel on the trade show floor, is a good indicator of the industry’s rebound.”

A lot of the positive buzz had to do with the more optimistic viewpoints of the carwash owners and operators in attendance. Many remarked that they feel as if things are “turning around” in terms of the economy, and many were ready and willing to start spending some saved up money, either for new equipment and upgrades, or to add on a new carwash altogether.

Another popular aspect of the Show had to do with the educational sessions which were held Monday and Tuesday (May 7-8) with a New Investment Seminar that was held the night before the Show on Sunday, May 6.  “Our educational seminars were particularly well-attended again, with standing room only in nearly every session,” said Wulf.

The ICA is offering up more information about the sessions and even the handouts and data shared. By using The Car Wash Show™ 2012 Mobile App (found by searching “Car Wash 2012” in your app store or Android Market, or by clicking here) you simply have to visit the session’s page and then click Schedule at a Glance, according to the ICA website.

You can also read all of the Tweets that were sent out referencing the Show and the sessions and read bios about all of the speakers and session leaders.

Also, if you met with a company representative but cannot find their business card or information, please reference our Buyers Guide which lists company contact information. The Buyers Guide can be found by clicking here.