By Marcelle Dibrell
The Western Pool and Spa Show is celebrating its 44th anniversary this year at the Long Beach Convention Center in beautiful and sunny California from March 10 to 12, 2022.
Show organizers are expecting thousands of service professionals and exhibitors, and with a venue like they have, why not?
Vendors large and small will be arriving in droves from all over the country. Nearly 100 exhibitors are planning to attend. The exhibit hall doors open on Thursday, from 6 to 9 p.m.; and continue Friday, from 2 to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, from 1 to 6 p.m.
And with COVID restrictions lifting and herd immunity increasing every day, a large number of attendees are expected to venture out to the premier event of the pool and spa service industry.
Attendees can look forward to close to 90 brand new classes, on subjects ranging from hydraulics and electricity, advanced water chemistry and disinfection byproducts, to pool inspections, business software, and everything in between.
For novice pool service technicians to veteran service professionals, the seminar schedule of the Western Pool and Spa Show has you covered.
Seminars are available to registered attendees and will take place on Thursday, from 1 to 5:45 p.m.; Friday, from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.; and Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. See class schedule and seminar locations on page 16 of this issue.
This year, slightly breaking tradition, the show will conclude with a $20,000 grand prize awarded to one lucky pool professional That’s right. Li’l Algy, the show’s root’n, toot’n mascot, is giving away $20,000 to one pool professional, drawn from finalists who enter over the three days of the show.
And if you don’t win the cold hard cash, your chances are even better of winning one of the more than $10,000 in other prizes at the end of the show. We’re talking valuable items like heaters, pumps, filters, automatic cleaners, and more!
Long Beach, California, is a perfect place to take the whole family. There’s the magnificent California coast, where a refreshing ocean breeze will greet you every time you step out the door. There are myriad amusement parks like Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure, Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farm, and Magic Mountain.
The city itself boasts countless exotic restaurants and bistros. Get your ribeye or filet mignon at the sumptuous 555 East American Steakhouse on Ocean Boulevard. A steaming bowl of New England clam chowder awaits you at King’s Fish House on Pine Avenue. Sip buttery chardonnay and slurp succulent oysters on the oceanfront deck of Parker’s Lighthouse on the pier. And feast on the Ossobucco Milanese at the timeless and sophisticated L’Opera Italian Restaurant on Pine Avenue.
Time allowing, you can take the family to the Aquarium of the Pacific, where you can see sea otters, sharks, sea jellies, frogs, and more. Or get on the free passport shuttle and in five minutes, you can be on the dock of the historic Queen Mary, the proud art deco themed vessel, built in the 1930s, once the grandest ocean liner in the world. Dubbed the “Grey Ghost” because of her stealth and stark color, the Queen Mary was the largest and fastest troop ship to sail in World War II, capable of transporting as many as 16,000 troops across the sea.
This special issue of Service Industry News is your guide to the Western Pool and Spa Show.
The full seminar schedule can be found beginning on page 16.
Exhibitor listings are featured beginning on page 20.
