Exchange26 has wrapped, and our team is still thinking about the conversations we had at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. To everyone who stopped by the booth, joined us for a session, or simply said hello: thank you. Weeks like this one are a reminder that the work you do is, at its core, about people. The best part of New Orleans was not the exhibit hall. It was the time we spent with the leaders who keep facilities running.
A session built around behavior change
One highlight for us was joining the education session "Short, Sweet, Teach and Repeat 2.0." Building on the original Skills Fair, the session provided a set of gamified, hands-on stations: cart setup, invisible contaminant detection, wiping and mopping precision, and instructions-for-use (IFU) compliance. Each station turned a familiar competency into something a team member could see, practice, and get feedback on in real time.
The premise resonated with the room. Competency training is often treated as a box to check once a year. This approach treats it as a skill to build and reinforce. By making the invisible visible and adding a layer of friendly competition, the session set out to turn mandatory training into a high-energy experience that drives lasting behavior change on the floor, where it matters most. Our thanks to Aaron Jett and the team for the opportunity to take part, and to play a role in delivering quality hands-on education.
One theme kept surfacing
Beyond the session, we were glad to do more than staff a booth. We hosted a cocktail reception that gave industry leaders a chance to step away and connect. Some of the most useful moments of any conference happen in these in-between spaces, where leaders compare notes on what is actually working in their facilities.
Again and again, the conversation turned to the same thing: leaders looking for new ways to help their teams do more with the time and staff they have. The pressures are familiar to anyone in this field. Turnover is high, onboarding is constant, and the standard for a clean, safe environment does not move. Facility leaders are being asked to protect that standard while the resources around them stay flat.
That is the challenge we think about every day. We build tools designed to give facility teams time back, as an adjunct to the routine cleaning and disinfection their programs are built on, not a replacement for it. The leaders we met were not looking for technology for its own sake. They were looking for practical ways to support the people already doing the work.
Let's keep the conversation going
If we talked in New Orleans about what your facility needs next, the conversation does not have to end there. Reach out any time by filling out our contact form!
Until next time, thank you again to everyone who made the week what it was.
