Another regular highlight of the ISSA/Interclean Amsterdam experience is the ISSA aftershow party and Wednesday evening's seemed to go on until quite late.

These gatherings provide a most enjoyable way of ending what is always a tiring day, and allow those that attend the opportunity to catch up with the latest gossip and find out a great deal more about what is going on in the industry than is normally divulged in the more official surroundings of the exhibition halls. As they say, "Watch this space"...

It was good to catch up with Alan and Angie Hardcastle, of Inclean Magazine,(Australia and New Zealand) Lionel Koh, (Asian Cleaning Journal) some of the manufacturers whose stands had been too busy for us to get onto - and of course our American hosts. It was also good to be able to put some of the old familiar faces into their new companies. Is it just the UK's cleaning industry that functions with people staying within the industry and moving from company tocompany, or is it like that everywhere else too?

We wouldn't even have been there if a young lady called Lisa who works at the Hilton Hotel hadn't stumbled upon John's credit card wallet - dropped in the street - Googled the name on Cleanzine's company credit card to get John's phone number and rung to arrange the handover. We always said the Dutch were lovely people... If you're staying in the Hilton in which Lisa works, do make sure you tell her "Well done".

While awaiting Lisa's arrival at the restaurant John retrieved what he tells me was an enormous bundle of cash from under a table being used by a group of Americans, one of whom was naturally delighted that John did the right thing and handed the money back. A good example of Karma if ever there was one, (and perhaps we Brits aren't quite as bad as we're sometimes made out to be?)

On the way to the halls yesterday morning we bumped into Bay West Europe's Paul Halliwell. Paul told us that the new business the company is now getting from Romania, "is going great guns". He explained that the business came about via a recommendation from Bay West in the US, who had been asked by a contact in the Romanian Embassy if they knew of a company offering great products and a fantastic service. Some 10 days after initial contact the deal was done and the first truckload was wending its way through 6ft snowdrifts to new importer/distributor Marian Coman of the Framinor Group in Bucharest, who has had a lot of success in selling the products into schools. A second truckload is heading out to Transylvania next month. (contact@framinor.net / Tel: 0040 2122 34 030)

One company that took us by surprise a little was NFC Specialist Products, if only because we'd approached the stand thinking it was a Northern European outfit because of Tommy Thompson's pale blonde hair. Bearing in mind NFC has been exhibiting at the show for the past 10 years, (and John and I have beencoming out here for the past 20), it was odd that our paths hadn't crossed before. NFC is displaying an enormous range of filtration systems, which Tommy tells us is attracting a lot of interest.

Harold Moore, which manufactures and exports globally a range of thermoplastic injection moulded colour coded shovels, paddles, forks, hand scoops, scrapers and stirrers, is also having a good show - their third in the past six years.

Managing Director Peter Moore and Sales Manager Brian Workman said they attend the event to meet up with existing customers and get to know new ones.

Export Director Jari Eronen of Finnish company Muovihaka Oy, (try saying that after a couple of beers!) is showing a new product - the Optima external doormat, which measures 57 x 38 cm and comes in a selection of colours. Showing us the special design, Jari told us: "Optima is constructed to scrape mud, dust, grass and snow from shoe bottoms and its open design provides immediate drainage, keeping the matting surface dry and safe". The company has an impressive range of interior matting on show, all designed to prevent dirt and moisure from being tracked into a building.

As well as distributing paper disposables and wipes for brands such as Katrin, Fasana, Plum and Chicopee, German company Nordvlies Hygiene has its ownmanufacturing facility. Export Manager Steffan Gunz was singing the praises of the show, saying: "I make good international contacts here and the event is so well organised that it's a joy to attend".

Another company involved in paper disposables is SCA, whose paper carrier bags with paper handles carry the slogan: "The Greenest Tissue Manufacturer in the World". And true to its word, instead of what can sometimes be bulky and cumbersome press packs, the company's blurb was handed out in a pocket sized cardboard pouch carrying it labelled: "Eco usb: the friendly alternative in electronics". Everything I needed in a usb 'memory stick'... So why the carrier bag? I hear you ask. To carry the little tree I now have for planting in my garden back home, of course! Nice touch SCA!

Ionic could be seen at the top end of the hall and for once its stand didn't look as if it was staging a rugby scrum. Managing Director Reuben Reynolds told us that there always tended to be a short lull there at around mid-afternoon - possibly when visitors decided they needed some refreshment.

Seeing a slogan on a nearby stand that said something along the lines of 'different to all the other pressure washer manufacturers' we decided to stop and find out about the claim. Matthew Dunn of USA Sales told us that although Italian company Idrobase makes its own range of pressure washers, it also manufactures spare parts for other companies' machines. It sells to 60 companies worldwide and is looking to add South Africa and India to its list soon.

Hearing head of marketing Bruno Ferrarese comment that everything is manufactured in Italy, "To ensure Italian quality" but that it is then transported to China for assembly, reminded me about trendwatcher Rob Creemers' talk at the Innovation Awards when he said we should not fear China but should use its strengths to our advantage. This is one company that's obviously ahead of the trend.

Looking for UK General Manager John Sobucinski on the Unger stand we met European Managing Director Carsten Best who told us that European employment law is a real bugbear when it comes to selling equipment into different countries. And I thought we were meant to be getting closer to one another!

Well that's it for our show blog this Interclean. Next week we'll produce the show Review, including all the photos that a technical hitch prevented us from using this time.

Today's Seminar

11.00 - 12.00: 'Doing business in North America'

This seminar will provide information on the North American cleaning market and how to enter this market.

ISSA with its headquarters in Chicago will explain how the market works and the membership benefits of membership that are on offer when entering the market and attending the ISSA/Interclean North American show in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 8 - 13, 2008.