The global cleaning industry has descended in record numbers on Sydney this week for Australia’s premier cleaning and hygiene event. Across 11 and 12 September, cleaning professionals, manufacturers and distributors are gathering at ICC Sydney to demonstrate the newest products, reveal innovative tech and listen to expert advice from a range of panellists and presenters.

As the doors opened this morning, exhibitors were set up on the shop floor, offering everything from cleaning robots to colour-coded cloths. It didn’t take long for the buzz to build — the free coffees might have helped — and stallholders were delighted by the strong foot traffic and interest.

Highlights from the first day included free sessions tackling hot topics, including indoor air quality (IAQ), the risks of mould exposure and infection prevention at major sporting events.

For ‘How to track the invisible’, Dr Claire Bird, Scott McFadzen and Andrew Bagnall discussed the need for improved regulation, awareness and training within the IAQ and building maintenance sectors. While COVID-19 has accelerated research and standardisation efforts, ongoing attention is required to ensure healthier indoor environments.

Bird said improved training and guidance were needed.

“At the moment, it’s very hard for facility managers to know where to go,” Bird said. “Reach out to your professional organisation. Reach out to ISSA or to these other organisations who can point you in the right direction.”

Carpets were highlighted as a major issue for mould. McFadzen said facility managers, in particular, needed to take advantage of the training available in the area.

“At Coach8, a training company, we have never seen a building facilities manager on any course, whether it’s water damage, mould, crime and trauma or carpet cleaning, we don’t see them, he said. “Building facility managers and their cleaners need to understand that the training is there, particularly on how to carpet cleaning properly.”

Likewise, at ‘What’s the game plan?’, Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner highlighted the importance of training in understanding and improving cleaning practices in large facilities. He pointed out that many facility managers lack a clear understanding of their cleaning processes. 

“It’s an opportunity to help them tell their cleaning story and identify areas for improvement,” Macgregor-Skinner said. 

Through the ISSA GBAC Star Program, Macgregor-Skinner’s team works with venues to assess and enhance their cleaning procedures. He noted, “Effective cleaning can also improve indoor air quality,” citing an example from the Formula 1 at Hard Rock Stadium where adjustments led to better air quality and increased safety. He also noted better cleaning and hygiene — including IAQ — don’t just protect visitors but improve performance for sportspeople and performers.

His fellow panellist Dr Navin Sharma also questioned the notion that visible cleanliness was a satisfactory baseline when it came to hygiene in mass venues.

“Is visibly clean really clean?” Sharma asked.

He referred to a study on quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) that revealed basic cleaning with just water can sometimes lead to more contamination. He emphasised the need for developed targeted hygiene approaches to ensure effective and sustainable cleaning. For instance, during the 2020-2021 cricket season, venues provided around 300,000 wipes and 1700 litres of hand sanitiser to prioritise the safety of participants.

Other session highlights included a talk from Christopher Joyce, CEO of Asepsis, on thinking strategically about business and a panel discussion on ‘IAQ now and into the future’, which looked at the way climate change and emerging viruses are presenting serious challenges to how we deal with air quality. Again, increased awareness, widespread training and targeted approaches will be essential.

Professor Bronwyn King said technology around IAQ was still at a comparatively early stage.

“At the moment, we’re at the brick mobile phone stage and we need to be at the iPhone 17 phase,” King said. “We want consumers to have easy access to information about IAQ. It’s hard for them to advocate for better IAQ when they don’t know what the baseline is.”

Attendees wanting a more hands-on approach enjoyed two paid workshops on the first day, covering estimating and bidding (led by Steven Kuiper of Australian Property Services) and leveraging AI for business (led by Ian Farmer of University of Technology Sydney).

Much of the excitement was saved for the end, as ISSA closed the day by announcing the winners of this year’s ISSA Excellence Awards. This year’s winners are:

Lauren Micallef, Oceania manager at ISSA, said she was delighted with the response to the first half of this year’s expo.

“Today’s opening has been an incredible success, with more industry professionals than ever before coming together from across the region to showcase innovation, sustainability and the future of cleaning,” Micallef said.

“It’s exciting to see such strong engagement and enthusiasm from exhibitors and attendees alike.”

The ISSA 2024 Cleaning & Hygiene Expo continues on 12 September.