Another day, another trade show. Not this time! The 2019 Club Industry Show at the Hilton Ballroom in Chicago was one-of-a-kind, especially since it brought together advocates of the Swim Safety Community for dedicated talks and collaboration.
The trade show hosted Rick Kauffman, founder of the nonprofit Kels Group, and aquatic consultant Wesley King, for a special session on drowning prevention: “The Truth about Drowning Prevention—Committing to Change.” Rick and his wife Laurie have dedicated their lives to aquatic safety ever since their 3-year old daughter, Kelsey, drowned in a community pool supervised by lifeguards.
The session covered essential water safety tips specifically designed for facility directors, such as the best ways to keep your swimmers safe in the water and the available technologies to bring an extra set of eyes on the pool. For additional water safety resources, check out our review here.
WAVE also had a booth set up, and we got a chance to introduce our brand new assistant Dougie- who models the WAVE Tracker while swimming in a pool. Check out the photo of Mark and Dougie below!
For WAVE, the Club Industry show was a great opportunity to get connected to facilities in the Midwest, an area that places a big emphasis on swimming.
We had a great time showing how technology can help solve problems that facilities have been struggling with for decades. The response to our product was so great, that the WAVE Team decided to come back two weeks later. New hire Heidi and CEO Mark embarked on a Midwest road trip, covering over 2,000 miles in 5 days! Pit stop 🚗 : Heidi's hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Perhaps the best part of our Club Industry Show was the impromptu t-shirt contest we held. The challenge? Set off the WAVE Tracker by holding your head underwater in the small pool. Our winner, John, was so invigorated by the dunk challenge that he did it twice!
Want to catch us at our next trade show? We'll be at the famous Athletic Business Show on November 14th and 15th. To get an invite, contact us here!