On 13 October 2026, ABS Laundry Business Solutions took part in the 9th Annual TRSA Marketing, Sales & Service Summit. The summit is organised by TRSA, the trade association for the linen, uniform and facility services industry, and was held at the Catamaran Resort Hotel & Spa in San Diego, California.
Kristi Sanders, Vice President of Customer Success North America at ABS Laundry Business Solutions, represented ABS at the event. Throughout the day she met with laundry professionals, exchanged ideas with industry partners and followed a programme full of relevant insights for marketing, sales and service teams.
The summit brings together marketing, sales and service professionals from the linen, uniform and facility services industry for strategic learning, networking and practical insights. This year the programme was highly interactive, with breakout sessions, roundtable discussions, hands on workshops and live demonstrations that attendees could apply directly to their own businesses.
The day opened with a keynote by Damus Smith, creator of Sales That Sticks®. He challenged attendees with a simple question: how should customers feel? Lasting customer relationships, according to Smith, are built on loyalty, performance and influence. His LPI Method, supported by the B.O.N.D., R.I.S.E. and L.E.A.D. models, encourages teams to foster belonging, accountability, resilience, inspiration, empathy and adaptability in every customer interaction.
Two topics stood out during the general sessions. The Stronger Together panel brought operators and a supplier partner to the stage to discuss how transparency, collaboration and shared accountability turn transactional relationships into trusted strategic partnerships. A second session, What AI Gets Right and Wrong About Your Laundry Business, showed how AI tools interpret company messaging, services and online content. Attendees used AI tools to review their own websites, identify content gaps and better understand the questions buyers ask before engaging with a salesperson. The message was clear: AI is a useful tool for uncovering opportunities, while human expertise remains essential for building trust.
The breakout sessions covered the value of independent operators, gamification as a way to build customer loyalty and train employees, and a practical framework for turning difficult customer conversations into productive outcomes. In the final general session, Inside the Agency Playbook, marketing experts highlighted the importance of clear and consistent messaging, proactive customer communication during periods of market disruption and Marketing Math, an approach that connects marketing efforts directly to revenue goals.
The day also featured the popular Best of the Best peer sharing competition, in which participants exchanged successful ideas and voted on the strategies with the greatest impact. A joint networking reception with attendees of the TRSA Healthcare Conference closed the programme.
For ABS, the summit offered plenty to learn. The attention for customer experience, the role of AI in how buyers find and evaluate laundries and the focus on strong partnerships gave a clear picture of the challenges and opportunities that laundries in North America are facing. The summit was also a valuable moment to discuss how ABSSolute Infinity and Meridian help laundries strengthen customer relationships and service performance.
Beyond the content, the summit was simply an enjoyable event. The open and friendly atmosphere made it easy to catch up with existing contacts, meet new people and have meaningful conversations about the future of the industry.
Laundries and textile service companies in North America are an important part of the ABS community, and events like this one are a valuable way to stay close to the market, understand local needs and strengthen relationships across the sector.
ABS looks back on an inspiring day in San Diego and looks forward to continuing the conversation with the laundry and textile services community in North America. The next opportunity to meet is The Clean Show, taking place from 15 to 18 July 2027 in Las Vegas.
More information about the summit is available on the TRSA website.
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