Acquires

BNP Media, publisher of Restoration & Remediation, announced the acquisition of The Experience Conference and Exhibitions, one of the largest trade shows in the cleaning, restoration and remediation industry.

The Experience consists of two events held each year. The spring event is scheduled for May 8-10 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The fall event will be held September 6-8 at the Caesars Forum in Las Vegas.

The Experience Events LLC was created in 2012 by Larry Cooper after working in the cleaning, restoration, and remediation industry for over 40 years. Cooper has a strong background in management and marketing, education for the industry and has presented over 1,000 times. Cooper is staying on with the acquisition to continue to lead the 2023 product development and ensure a smooth transition.

"This is great news for R&R, great news for The Experience, and great news for our industry as a whole,” said Michael Balzano, group publisher of BNP Media brands including Restoration & Remediation, Remediation Technology, RemTEC & Emerging Contaminants Summit, SNIPS and The Driller.

“Combining these two respected brands can only enhance the quality and experience for our audiences. And on a personal note, having the chance to be mentored by an industry legend like Larry Cooper is a true once in a lifetime opportunity. We can't wait to get started.”

The name of the shows reflects its educational approach. Cooper had been organizing conferences and trade shows for decades, and he felt the attendees were only capturing a portion of what was presented.

“You go to all these trade shows and people would come to our trade show and sit in a classroom,” Cooper said. “We noticed they were getting a little bored or they weren’t really taking notes.”

He started collecting feedback and doing research on how people learn. What he discovered is that when people sit in a classroom and watch a presentation, they only retain 10-15% of what they see and hear.

“That’s not a very high level,” Cooper said.

However, when there are hands-on demonstrations with the presentations, retention rose to 80-85%. It created a more complicated process for Cooper and his staff, but he feels it’s worth the effort. Cooper sets a high goal for what he wants attendees to take away from The Experience.

“How do we raise the bar as high as we can so that consumers notice that these professionals are really good at what they do?” Cooper said.

The trade shows attract both large manufacturers and distributors in the cleaning, restoration, and remediation industries as well as companies that supply information, technology, specialty products, services, and additional diversifications. The exhibit halls for both events features hundreds of booth spaces and dozens of pavilions for live demonstrations and truck displays.

Features of the trade show include a “flood house” that is built right on the expo floor and is used for live demonstrations on best practices using the ANSI/IICRC S500 Standards.

“It’s amazing how much water these building materials will absorb,” Cooper said.

There is also a cleaning pavilion which has been sponsored by Shaw Industries who bring in technical support to teach live demos. At previous events there has been upholstery cleaning areas, remediation practices area, and spot cleaning areas.

For more information on the events, visit https://experiencetheevents.com/.