Cleaning: the forgotten budget line item

Cleaning: the forgotten budget line item.

How is it, that after all the attention to details of every facet of an event are meticulously planned, that all too often Cleaning is glossed over or entirely forgotten as a budget line item? You wouldn’t think of wearing dirty shoes with a Tuxedo or Evening Gown so why would you not invest time and resources into keeping the show floor and Registration areas spotless.

Are you looking for 1 simple rule to determine if you need cleaning services at your event?  The rule is ….If you are producing any event, YES…you need to clean; Maintenance of the area is essential, always.

Facilities with exclusive contractors have their own guidelines and requirements.  Let’s briefly touch upon a broad topic, in most cases having an exclusive janitorial/maintenance contractor in a venue limits competition and has a strong tendency to increase costs.  No matter the guidelines and agreements a facility has, Cleaning is still on the must do list.

Pricing can be structured by square foot (sq.ft.), hourly, Flat rate or a hybrid of these rates.  For many clients, janitorial services are only noticed if they fall short. By using professional and top-quality janitorial services, Las Vegas Expo never permits the areas it keeps to miss the expectations of anyone.

Cleaning is labor intensive.  Besides the equipment and manpower needed to maintain a pristine show floor, we need somewhere to put the trash and recyclables and that is the part that sometimes riles up show managers.  What do you mean I have to pay for the dumpster?  Well, the trash has to go somewhere…it can’t pile up outside the convention center and that requires the dumpster to be hauled off premises.  The bigger the show, the more dumpsters will be used.

There are certain areas that are apparent first regarding neatness and cleanliness.
The general scent of a building is among the most significant areas to attend to on a consistent basis, since any bad or poor smelling area will shut down customers and develop an adverse environment to conduct business.

The front of the house focus also is important with normal cleaning:  such as vacuuming, sweeping and mopping. These steps are extremely simple and relatively easy strategies to keep the front entrance and Registration and public areas in the finest condition it needs to be for both your attendees and exhibitors.

The restrooms within your convention area unquestionably need the highest priority in terms of service, not only for a satisfying physical appearance but health precautions, also.  In the vast majority of cases, these areas are cleaned and maintained by the facility as part of your space rental agreement.  Confirm these arrangements and the facilities proposed cleaning schedule.

The rest of the place is your responsibility.  Any break or eating area should be held in top form at all times. Do not take any shortcuts in taking good care of these cleaning issues.

The labor must sort the cardboard and other recyclables from the wood and food service disposables and other trash.  Step back and picture your show with people unpacking their exhibits and discarded shrink wrap, bubble wrap, styro- packing peanuts, fast food wrappers and everything else just accumulating on your show floor.  Obviously aisles filled with streams of refuse and mini mountains of garbage would result if the area wasn’t cleaned.  Then why is it such a shock when we discuss budget parameters of cleaning the facility?  Not a single event producer would ever want anything less than a spotless show floor yet when the tab is mentioned it seems to be a point of contention.

It is strongly recommended that you use trained and experienced staff that know how to clean buildings while minimizing noise and distractions through detailed scheduling of operating hours and also the proper usage of cleaning compounds and various materials needed for janitorial work.

As Kermit the Frog says,”It ain’t easy being Green”.  More prevalent and in demand than in the past, green isn’t just a growing trend or a marketing scheme to earn business. Show managers, Contractors and facilities have embraced and created a culture of environmental stewardship in all operations. LVE recognizes that true success stands on our ability to minimize our environmental footprint and impact, while still providing quality service.  Green events must start with green cleaning basics entailing Green Seal certified cleaning products and implementing, (depending on your needs), green cleaning methods. Including effective and efficient green janitorial equipment as part of the protocols necessary.

Every show needs cleaning.  Every event budget needs a line item that is an accurate projection.  With the attention to reuse, re-purposing and recycling (sorting) efforts almost universal nowadays you just can’t ignore cleaning and hope “it’s okay”.  A qualified cleaning contractor is the last ingredient to a successful show.  The facility provides a clean empty hall and must be returned upon conclusion of the show back to the facility in the same pristine condition.  There is a cost for this.  During the installation and dismantle the floor must be cleaned of all the accumulated trash.  And if there is food service during the show, then the costs will go up as porter service will be needed.  For some types of events with limited or no refreshments being offered then a preshow cleaning and after the event closes each day will be sufficient.  The more hospitality functions and catering food and beverages throughout the day, the more resources are needed for Porter service.

Outstanding janitorial services go far beyond just cleaning and basically come with a wider number of tasks and jobs. If you hire a janitorial service provider, you are definitely supplying an extension of customer care.

We wouldn’t want to stand in a hall of filth and neither do attendees or participating vendors/exhibitors.  It’s easy to become a savvy cleaning savant and properly negotiate for these services.  There are so many ways to crunch the numbers that the budget line item is totally controllable.  The essential part is that without cleaning there would be a lot of frowning faces on the show floor and that can’t happen.  Clean aisles, clean, registration and Lounge areas and clean booths allow for buyers to do what they are there for and not be distracted by a dirty show or stale food aromas or even worse.  You know you have done a great job when nobody talks about the show being clean.  After all, it is the forgotten budget line item.

Do you have suggestions on fine tuning your cleaning costs or success stories you would like to share?  Send them along to Mitch Isaacs.

Contributed by: Mitch Isaacs – Sales & Marketing Manager, General Contracting Division