Photo courtesy Kaleidoscope Photography

The Canadian Pool & Spa Conference & Expo welcomed 400 individual builder/retailer/service companies and boasted a 25 per cent increase in attendance over last year.

The 2008 Canadian Pool & Spa Conference & Expo was a resounding success, according to exhibitors and attendees.

The event, which took place December 9-11 at the Toronto Congress Centre, welcomed 400 individual builder/retailer/service companies and boasted a 25 per cent increase in attendance over last year.

The conference portion of the show saw a 50 per cent increase in pre-registration and featured a variety of technical, marketing and business management seminars, while the Public Pool Symposium focused on keeping the swimming pool environment as safe as possible.

Of special interest to attendees during the symposium was a seminar on the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, which is now in force in the United States. The act makes certain safety devices, such as redesigned main drain covers, mandatory for public pools and spas in order to prevent suction entrapment.

Another highlight was the annual Design & Construction Awards ceremony. Held during the evening of the first day of the show, the event saw 113 awards presented out of 255 entries. Photographs of the gold award winning designs, along with a complete review and pictorial of the show, can be found in the January 2009 issue of Pool & Spa Marketing magazine.