1987, Milpitas, California. A hotel ballroom. Thirty-three exhibitors and less than 500 in attendance. That was the first Pool Industry Expo. Several members of the Santa Clara Chapter of the Independent Pool and Spa Service Association, after visiting several Western Pool and Spa Shows, felt that there should be some opportunity for northern Californian pool techs to be exposed to the educational benefits provided by a trade show.

It took a group of around 20 people to lay the groundwork and put the show into place. That first show was already too large for a hotel setting. The next job was to find a larger location for PIE '88. San Jose Convention Center was the choice.

The show continued to grow in 1988 and in 1999, but the San Jose Convention Center had just been remodeled and enlarged and was looking to bring in larger shows. As they waited to confirm or not confirm possible shows much larger than Pool Industry Expo, PIE was put on hold and they were not able to set a date for the 1990 show.

By this time the "Group of 20" had diminished to a committee of 5, Doug Tanner, Don Koss, David Doran and Laura Howard. They decided that a new location had to be found. They couldn't wait for San Jose to make up their mind and either book the show at the last minute or, possibly, not at all. Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento and Santa Clara were all possibilities but all had drawbacks. One other possibility was Monterey.

Monterey would have to be the last choice. Not the biggest venue and not the easiest place to get to. Over the years people have asked what prompted the decision to choose Monterey. All agree, great decision. Brilliant idea. It was simple. Koss and Tanner decided that whether the show was succesful or not, they would still be able to spend the week in Monterey. You can't beat that. And they could pick another location for the next year.

Monterey turned out to be a huge success. Exhibitors loved it and attendance grew beyond anybody's expectations. The show traveled three times, twice to Phoenix and once to San Antonio but never achieved the success seen in Monterey.

Now under the direction of Koss and Bill Hoy, the show has expanded from basically a "Service Tech's" show to a show for anyone involved in any aspect of the swimming pool and spa industry, repair, building, retail, whatever.

This year's show, September 28, 29, and 30, will be PIE XX, the 20th year of bringing manufacturers, distributors, and some of the finest educational seminars to, not only northern Californians, but pool industry people from all over the country. There have been attendees from many foreign countries, Russia, France, Hungary, China, Mexico, to name a few.

There will be a full range of classes ranging from builder related problems to business practices. From equipment repair to pool and spa chemistry. From advertising and promoting to licensing and contracting.

And there is the entertainment, a barbecue and entertainment, a golf tournament and awards dinner and the daily prizes, cash and for one lucky showgoer, a trip to Hawaii.

Does Pool Industry Expo draw people away from other shows around the country? They don't think so. "We feel that we have made people aware of the benefits of a trade show. Northern Californians who had never been to a show not only attend PIE, they will travel to Long Beach to the Western Show and travel back east to the Aqua Show and the International Pool and Spa Exposition."

And with the reputation PIE has earned over the past 19 years, with more than 130 exhibitors per show and attendance ranging as high as 6 to 7 thousand, many of the attendees and exhibitors from those shows have been showing up in Monterey for their "Education Vacation".