The Manchester Cleaning Show celebrated its biggest and best-attended event in 2024, with a record-breaking 85 exhibitors and 2,558 attendees participating in the two-day event.
Attendees descended upon Manchester Central from all over the world, including North America, South Africa, China, UAE and Australia.
Over 40 expert speakers from organisations such as the British Cleaning Council (BCC), Birkin, Reckitt and Killis shared their insights in a range of talks across the two days, with ESG, sustainability and technology being the hot-button topics of the event. A wide range of new product innovations were on display as well, from cobots to cleaning at height demonstrations.
The window cleaning competition was also a key highlight of the show, with Aliscia Burrows posting a time of 16.13 seconds, beating the previous record by just 0.15 seconds, to be crowned as the new women’s window cleaning world record holder.
Aliscia and her father Terry are now the first father-daughter record holders for men’s and women’s window cleaning, with Terry looking ahead to beat his time at the Cleaning Show in London in 2025.
Delia Cannings, Chair of the BCC, which co-produces the show, welcomed attendees with the opening keynote and presented a critical industry update on the eagerly anticipated 2024 BCC research report, as well as a talk on the Cleaning Hygiene Operative Apprenticeship.
She said: “This year’s Manchester Cleaning Show was a huge success and a fantastic experience. In my experience, the best to date.
“It was noticeable just how busy the show was. The buzz was electric, the vibe was so positive. It is wonderful to see the show return to full strength following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and I want to thank everyone involved.”
Networking and sourcing new suppliers were also key components of the show, with visitors at the show revealing that they spend on average £406,000 per year on cleaning equipment, services and solutions.
Holly Greenhalgh from Killis commented: “The highlights of the show have definitely been getting new leads, meeting lots of new customers – especially across different sectors – and we’ve also really enjoyed all the talks.”
Meanwhile, Simon Smith who was visiting the show from Amey, a leading infrastructure services and engineering company, added: “It opens your eyes to new innovations. I came with a specific list I was looking for and am now leaving with a brand-new list.”
Registrations will be open later this year for the next Cleaning Show at ExCel in London, 18–20 March 2025.
Event director for the show, Paul Sweeney, hopes the next event will be as successful as this year’s Manchester show. He said: “We are thrilled with the attendance at this year’s Manchester Cleaning Show and the positive feedback we have received from exhibitors and attendees alike. We are now looking forward to the next Cleaning Show in London, and hope to welcome both new and familiar faces to learn about the industry innovations and insights for 2025.”
