ISSA and IFMA expand relationship to support commercial cleaning, facility maintenance industries

ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), and Informa Markets announced a partnership to best serve the global cleaning and facility management industries. The partnership will provide increased value to each association’s membership and encourage key connections through discounted rates to attend both association’s leading tradeshows: IFMA World Workplace and ISSA Show North America.

“IFMA is the world’s most widely recognized association for facility management professionals, so we are thrilled to combine their reach and capabilities with those of ISSA,” said ISSA Executive Director John Barrett. “Due to the current state of our industries, it was a no-brainer to team up and provide our diverse membership base with new opportunities and change the way the world views cleaning.”

The ISSA-IFMA partnership supports the following events:

• IFMA’s World Workplace, October 26-28, 2021 in Kissimmee, FL – Hosted by IFMA, this event has been the gold standard in facility management education, knowledge exchange, career development, and professional network building for over 40 years. Taking place at the Gaylord Palms Resort, the event is for professionals who support the built environment and features 200 exhibitors in 120,000 square feet of exhibit space. More than 4,000 people attend each year to experience keynote speakers, education sessions, facility tours, deeper dive sessions, and IFMA courses.
• ISSA Show North America, November 15-18, 2021 in Las Vegas – As the commercial cleaning industry’s largest event for top-tier education, networking, and product discovery, ISSA Show North America connects the full supply chain of manufacturers, distributors, and end users and attracts 16,000 attendees annually. Produced by Informa Markets and ISSA, this year’s event is hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center, a GBAC STAR™ Accredited Facility, which features more than 550 exhibitors in 250,000 square feet of exhibit space, 60 education sessions, an innovation showcase, spotlight power panel and workshops, and more.

The partnership will include a cross-marketing communications and promotions plan along with association-hosted education, representation through booth space, and discounts for each association’s members at both events. IFMA and ISSA will also partner to deliver content to the facility management market during ISSA Show North America’s Preview Week, a series of 10 webinars taking place October 4–8, 2021.

“Over the past year and a half, facility managers have relied on the cleaning industry to guide and support their buildings and team members through this challenging time. We felt partnering with ISSA was the best way to connect our membership to the latest cleaning innovations and solutions,” said Don Gilpin, IFMA president and CEO. “Both ISSA and IFMA members benefit greatly from this partnership, and we look forward to the many opportunities ahead.”

The partnership also has global benefits through Informa Market’s Global Portfolio of events:

• Both ISSA and IFMA will be participating in Informa Market’s Abastur (hospitality) and Expo Med (healthcare) co-located events from Sept. 29 to October 1, 2021, in Mexico City. The presence includes an ISSA Pavilion, shared partner booth space, industry talks hosted in the booth space, a happy hour on the show floor, and three full days of ISSA-hosted educational workshops.
• Planning is also underway for IFMA to join existing partnerships in India through the ISSA Conference taking place Oct. 21-22, 2021 in Mumbai, India, and in an ISSA Pavilion within Informa Market’s China Clean Expo, taking place March 29-April 1, 2022, in Shanghai.

“We’re excited to expand our partnership domestically and internationally to span four countries and two continents,” said Lindsay Roberts, Group Director, Informa Markets US. “By leveraging the strength of both associations and Informa Markets, we are well-positioned to scale events, experiences, and member benefits internationally.”