The Pool & Spa Lifestyle Perth took place in February at Claremont Showgrounds. It saw record-breaking door sales with approximately 3500 adults passing through the doors.
Rebecca Smith, SPASA’s WA regional manager, said that they had great representation from every aspect of the industry. This included spa and pool.
She says, “Exhibitors were very happy with the foot traffic and received great leads, sales and interest.”
“Information Hub sessions were introduced this year and proved to be extremely popular with Expo visitors.” The sessions were well attended. Our guest speakers were extremely well received and spent a lot of time answering questions.
Daena Bougoure–Latchford, Pool & Spa brand manager, says February was a remarkable month for engagement thanks to a trio of expos in Sydney and Perth.
She says, “The Pool & Spa Lifestyle expos are more important than ever, continuing to connect with more consumers and keeping pools and spas front and center.”
“The campaign increased consumer engagement by nearly 200 percent compared to the same period in 2022. The Pool & Spa brand’s main objective is to inspire and engage consumers, turning their dreams into reality. Our industry is experiencing content-hungry consumers who are more thoughtful and make better choices. Having a single platform that connects brands to a larger audience and speaks directly to them is an enormous asset that will ensure continued growth.
WA looking good
Lynley Papineau is the managing director of Aquatic Leisure Technologies, a manufacturer of fibreglass pools. She says that there seems to be a wide range of consumer interests in different states.
“Example, you have a lot smaller blocks in Western Australia. The last two people I spoke with had a 4.5-meter pool and a 5-meter plunge pool. Many people love the wader pool for children. The bench seat is a favorite – it can be used to let the kids run around and then it can be converted into a champagne bench for the ladies. It is a great pool for all ages.
“Many people ask me where the economy is headed, in particular in WA.
Between 2015 and 2019, we came out of really difficult economic times. Our industry saw a drop of 47 percent between 2015 and 2019. We thought October 2019 would be a great summer with warm weather. But, by March 2020, we were already in the COVID pandemic. It’s been really difficult since 2015, as you all know.
“But then, who would have thought that we’d see some of our strongest sales ever? Our businesses were so small that we had to scale up to meet some of the demand.
“Now we have the ability to see the future. Already, we’ve seen sales slow down, probably due to interest rate increases, which have been impacted by uncertain global economic times.
“But Western Australia is unique in that it still has $10 billion worth infrastructure around the state, and a strong mining economy with low unemployment. Even though interest rates are rising, we believe there’s a really solid industry and stable market moving forward.
It will continue to tick along, but it had to stabilize. We needed it to calm down.
We’ve been working hard for this show for two days. I believe there are a lot more people building, a lot more people interested, many people employed, and Western Australia has the highest savings rates in the country. They have equity in their homes and some savings.
Therefore, I believe that as an industry in Western Australia we will be somewhat protected from any slowdown in the future.
Next expo
South Australia’s Pool & Spa Lifestyle Expo will take place at Wayville Pavilion, Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, on March 25-26.
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