It may be called the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo, but there's plenty in store for onsite system designers and installers, too. In recent years, the installer population at this annual venue has seemed to grow – likely in part because there is more programming that speaks directly to their interests.

The 2013 Pumper & Cleaner Expo runs Feb. 25-28 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. While the annual NOWRA conference remains as the show devoted exclusively to design and installation matters, the Expo provides a perspective on the industry as a whole, along with ideas on how installers might diversify their businesses to include more after-the-install services. It makes good sense for professionals to attend both – if not every year, then at least once in a while.

What's on tap

The Expo is most famous for its vast exhibition hall, covering some 500,000 square feet, generally with more than 500 exhibits. It's also known for the extensive lineup of seminars on Education Day, held this year on Monday, Feb. 25 (see summary in this issue). But there's much more.

From my dozen years of observations, the best reason to attend this show is the quality of professionals you can meet. The people at the Expo are almost universally serious business owners with great advice to share. I'd venture to say the majority of installers I meet here also own pumping businesses. That means you get exposed to people who know septic systems cradle to grave.

Roundtable discussions, held on from 8 to 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, give professionals a chance to share ideas and discuss common problems. You might meet someone who can help you solve a problem that has been plaguing you for years. People feel much freer to open up in a casual setting where those around the table are not local competitors.

Just for installers

The Expo session that draws the biggest installer population is the all-day Advanced Installer Course, taught by Jim Anderson and Dave Gustafson of the University of Minnesota onsite program. If they're not the best team of instructors in the county (and they might well be), they are certainly the most entertaining.

Attendees leave with an excellent foundation of knowledge of onsite system basics, a superb set of printed materials, and knowledge that prepares them well to take the exams for the National Environmental Health Association's Certified Installer of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems national credentials. Look for the program this year on Wednesday, Feb. 27.

Then there are the general business seminars, offering advice on everything from building a strong team of employees, to marketing your services effectively, to meeting you revenue and profit goals.

If all that isn't enough, there's the NOWRA Backhoe Roe-D-Hoe national competition. Whether you just spend some time in the bleachers watching or try your hand at the controls, this event is great fun. The grand prize of $1,000 is serious money – enough to cover most or all of your Expo-related expenses. The Roe-D-Hoe runs all three days the exhibit floor is open, ending with the finals on Thursday, Feb. 28.

Worth the investment

I like to say a quality trade show is a superb investment. That's true in spades where the Pumper & Cleaner Expo is concerned. The value is not in the money you can save on equipment and supplies with show specials – although that can be meaningful.

The real value is in the friendships you make, the networks of professionals you build and – especially – what you learn. Just one great idea about technical practice, marketing, team building or financial management can repay your investment five, 10 or 20 times over – next year and every year thereafter.

Go visit www.pumpershow.com and find out everything that's on tap in Indianapolis this year. Then consider booking your trip. A little getaway, at a time when most installers' businesses are in their slow season anyway, can be the best medicine for your business that you've ever found.