Registration and more details available at PoolSpaPatio.com.
Dallas
November 16–18, 2021
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center
Events
Tuesday, November 16
5–6 p.m. | Gilley’s Dallas
PHTA WAVE Young Professionals Network Event
Network and socialize with fellow young professionals. Admission includes select alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and appetizers. Registration is free but space is limited, so reserve your ticket when registering for the show.
6–8 p.m. | Gilley’s Dallas
Welcome Party
Kick off the week with food, drinks and entertainment. At the Welcome Party, attendees and exhibitors can network, see a great view of the Dallas skyline and enjoy complimentary beer, wine and appetizers. Trolleys will be available to take attendees to and from the Omni Hotel (the host hotel).
Wednesday, November 17
1:30–2:30 p.m. | Show Floor Education
The Million Dollar Pool Design Challenge
The five finalists in The Million Dollar Pool Design Challenge, including one student, will present their renderings to peers, who will vote live on their favorite. The winning designer will receive a $5,000 cash prize.
5–6:30 p.m. | Grill + Chill Area
BBQ Bash
Expo staff will fire up the grill, and attendees can kick up their feet and enjoy a relaxing evening. Once the expo hall closes Wednesday, the BBQ Bash starts outdoors in the Grill + Chill Area. Attendees can network, enjoy refreshments and devour the goodies being roasted, grilled, poached and more.
7–10 p.m. | The Tower Club
GENESIS Annual Family Reunion & Winemaker Dinner
Engage with fellow GENESIS students, sponsors, faculty and industry personnel on this special occasion. Enjoy incredible wines and relish an extraordinary four-course meal.
Thursday, November 18
2–2:30 p.m. | Show Floor
Pool Prize Party
The Pool Prize Party will wrap up the last day of the show with tons of laughter, excitement and giveaways. Various products in the Pool Prize Party will be displayed within the Product Showcase. Attendees will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win prizes. Collect additional tickets (and increase your chance of winning) by visiting booths of participating exhibitors. Winners will be drawn at the Pool Prize Party, so raffle tickets must be turned in prior.
Education
The PSP Expo/DeckExpo supports professional prosperity through a world-class conference program. Over 45 well-respected speakers will cover topics from every segment of the residential and commercial pool, spa and outdoor living industries. The program is meticulously crafted through an advisory committee of industry veterans, thought leaders and strategic partnerships with The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance and GENESIS. PHTA professional certification courses are available beginning November 13. Additional courses are offered by the National Plasterers’ Council and American Shotcrete Association.
Below are courses that caught our attention. Log in to your PSP Expo account to add them to your Show Planner. There, you’ll find information on the course location and more.
Tuesday, November 16
7:30–8:45 a.m.
Best Practices for an Optimized Service Department
Mike Leone, founder and product manager at Pool Office Manager
This course will cover the principles of streamlining your service department using proven techniques from companies large and small. Learn the LEAN methodology to increase efficiency, customer satisfaction and profits. Understand the formula to effectively improve your service with real-life examples, real data and an open discussion with peers.
7:30–8:45 a.m.
Saltwater Pool Troubleshooting: Beyond the Equipment
Alicia Stephens, education and training manager at BIOLAB, Inc.
This seminar will focus on the chemistry issues common to saltwater pools and provide clear troubleshooting ideas.
2–3 p.m. | Show Floor
BUSINESS 2231: Create a Culture of Accountability
George Frederick, general manager of Vue Custom Pools & Design
Mistakes cost money. By creating a culture of accountability, a business can not only increase its profit margin, but also improve its workflow and productivity. Learn to identify mistakes and analyze them to establish which stakeholder is accountable, then adopt a process to prevent those mistakes.
Wednesday, November 17
7:30–9 a.m.
Compatibility of Hydraulic Components
Dave Penton, president at Fluid Dynamics Pool & Spa Inc.
Kevin Cobabe, president of Dynamic Pool & Spa Construction
This class will discuss the basics of how to determine system needs for different pool and spa configurations, starting with a brief description of how to determine water volume (gallons). Using this information, attendees will learn to determine pump selection, filter selection, pipe-size requirements and drain-cover selection to assure the vessel is code compliant and energy efficient.
9:15–10:30 a.m.
Hiring, Managing and Leading People in Pool Service
Hal Denbar, founding partner and regional president of Texas at National Pool Partners
Bryan Banta, regional president of Florida at National Pool Partners
Chad Nikkel, founding partner and regional president of Arizona and Nevada at National Pool Partners
Eddie Skehan, vice president of operational excellence at National Pool Partners
This course is half presentation and half panel-style Q&A on the best practices for hiring, managing and leading in pool service companies. Hear from owners who have grown from one-polers to large companies; from former employees who have purchased large companies, seeing the transition from employee to owner; and from owners who have acquired large pool service companies from outside the industry.
3:30–4:30 p.m. | Show Floor
BUSINESS 2342: Managing High Lead Volume
Lea Frederick, owner and design specialist at Vue Custom Pools & Design
With everyone stuck at home and not many pools open, the floodgate of prospective pool owners was and is overwhelming. This class will discuss tools for filtering the serious leads from those just trying to get information (and taking your time from serious prospects) about putting a pool in their backyard.
Thursday, November 18
7:30–9 a.m.
Electricity, Bonding and Controls for Service Professionals
Paolo Benedetti, owner of Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa
Electricity and water are incompatible but with proper installation can coexist safely. This short program provides an overview of electrical, bonding and controls with thoughtful attention to how a service professional interacts with them and what they should look for while servicing watershapes.
11 a.m.–noon | Show Floor
SERVICE 2311: Automating a Service Department
Julie Kazdin, vice president and partner at Kazdin Pools & Spas
This service-sector training is designed to assist in computerizing a service department. In a post-pandemic world, the need for paperless workspaces is increasing and this program will assist a service department in operating a paperless office, field and customer experiences. There will be time for service department members to ask questions in a non-sales arena to get real-world answers about managing an automated world.
12:30–1:30 p.m. | Show Floor
How to Create and Execute a Growth Plan
Shan Johnson, co-owner of Premier Pools & Spas Dallas
What do you need to successfully grow your business without hurting your customer experience? Learn which areas to focus on at each revenue level of creating your company’s custom growth plan. Learn what minor adjustments, with minimal effort, will drastically improve your growth results while minimizing growing pains.
Exhibits
Don’t forget to hit the showroom floor and discover something new; this event is often where vendors launch new products. If it pertains to outdoor living, you’ll likely find it at the International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo, co-located with DeckExpo, including the following product categories:
- Barbecues / Patio Heaters / Fire Features
- Business Services / Software
- Commercial Equipment
- Chemicals
- Cleaning and Maintenance
- Construction Materials and Equipment
- Covers – Pool / Spa
- Decking and Fencing
- Fiberglass Pool
- Fitness and Disability Equipment
- Filters
- Furniture and Décor
- Gazebos / Enclosures
- Green / Eco-friendly
- Technology
- Hot Tubs – Portable / Inground
- Ionizers / Ozone / Chemical Feeders / ORP
- Ladders / Slides / Diving Boards
- Landscaping / Garden Accessories
- Leak Detection
- Lighting
- Magazines / Media / Associations
- Package Pools / Vinyl Liners
- Pools – Above Ground / On Ground
- Pools – In Ground
- Pumps / Heaters
- Recreation / Game Room Products
- Safety Devices
- Saunas and Tanning Beds
- Tile
- Toys / Games / Floats
- Water Features / Fountains / Ponds
