education and events

International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo

Dive In & Deck Out!

The International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo™, co-located with Deck Expo (PSP/Deck Expo) is where all segments of the industry (pool, spa, patio, decking, and outdoor living) gather to stay well-informed of the trends, market directions, and technology. The event offers industry professionals a large selection of educational sessions, an expo hall, and various networking opportunities.

The 2023 event is from November 10-15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

PSP/Deck Expo is the only comprehensive, far-reaching, and industry-connected event.

Dive In to the experience, and Deck Out with the best networking, education, and technology to propel your business forward. PSP/Deck Expo is dedicated to the success of your business. Interact with industry leaders, ask questions to top manufacturers, and learn about how to thrive in today's pool, spa, and outdoor living industry.

Hotel Accommodations

PSP/Deck Expo 2023 will be held in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

We know Formula 1 will be racing into town after our event, but by booking through onPeak, the only official hotel vendor for PSP/Deck Expo, you will be able to make reservations in our block, all while receiving the best possible rates and access to exclusive discounts and perks.

BOOK YOUR ROOM

Education

PHTA and GENESIS® will be offering the following education sessions in 2023.

Pre-Conference Sessions:

Fri/Sat/Sun, November 10-12
8am - 5pm
24 Hours, 2.4 IACET CEUs, 24 PHTA CEUs

This comprehensive concrete construction school is the only program that satisfies the education requirement to sit for the Certified Builder Professional (CBP) exam. Attendees spend three days with a team of expert faculty, learning all of the necessary disciplines for building a structurally sound water vessel. Topics covered include site analysis, introductory fluid engineering, geotechnical and structural engineering that includes a review of difficult sites, shotcrete, waterproofing, tile, interior finishes, coping, and concrete decking. The course concludes with an interactive walkthrough of a complex project from start to finish.

This program is designed to move each student through all phases of concrete pool construction in great detail, unlike anything else offered in the industry. Attendees have the opportunity to learn from top experts in their field, ask questions, and begin a relationship with the faculty that doesn't end when the class is over. GENESIS® courses deliver the highest quality education in the industry and are the only approved courses to satisfy the requirements for the Certified Pool Builder and Design Professional Pathway.

This is a required course to become a Certified Builder Professional.

Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss Basic Pool Plumbing, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Electrical Engineering
  • Define Layout, Forming and Excavation, Infrastructure Coordination, Shotcrete, Waterproofing
  • List Basic Tile and Coping, Concrete Decking, Pre-Plaster Preparation, Cementitious Pool Finishes
  • Discuss Startup, Punch List and Project Closeout, Project Profile

Course Includes:

  • C201 – Concrete Pools Manual
  • NPC Technical Manual
  • Pool Surface Problems and Solutions Book
  • PSP/Deck Expo Conference Super Pass
  • Lunches for the duration of the course

Please note: If you would like to take the Certified Builder Professional (CBP) Exam upon completion of this course, please submit the application at least two weeks prior to arriving in Las Vegas.

Fri/Sat, November 10-11
8am - 5pm
16 Hours, 1.6 IACET CEUs, 16 PHTA CEUs

PREMIERING AT PSP/DECK EXPO! Taking on a remodeling project can be a rewarding undertaking. But turning the outdated into outstanding can also be frustrating and confining as you build on an existing project. In this newly developed course, you will learn how to navigate real-life remodeling obstacles from the construction, engineering, and design points of view. You'll learn how to troubleshoot existing problems, how to bond new materials to old, how to blend new trends to existing fixtures, and how to transform a space and give it that WOW factor that is your style.

Learners will also gain insight on serving as a consultant to their remodel customers. You'll learn how to: assess the current pool, set expectations while incorporating your client's vision, prioritize project needs vs. wants, and how to expand your business with transformational makeovers that you're proud of.

So, before you grab your sledgehammer, join us and learn how to breathe new life into the obsolete.

Learning Objectives:

  • Navigate what can and cannot be salvaged, and how to turn them into wins for your customers
  • Troubleshoot existing failures with fixes that will last
  • Learn how you can add to an existing project properly, so that it doesn't fail
  • Discuss how you can take the project from "just an upgrade" to an expansion of your client's dreams (and your bottom line)
  • Explore how to strengthen your reputation as a remodeler and expand your business

Course Includes:

  • C281 – Remodeling Manual
  • PSP/Deck Expo Conference Super Pass
  • Lunches for the duration of the course

Sat/Sun, November 11-12
8am - 5pm
16 Hours, 1.6 IACET CEUs, 16 PHTA CEUs

In our business, drawing is a tool that you must have in order to effectively communicate with your clients. In this course, we'll teach you fundamental sketching, drawing, and drafting skills, along with how to read and layout plans. No previous drawing experience needed.

This is a required course to become a Certified Expert Pool Builder and Design Professional.

Learning Objectives:

  • Learn the basic types of drawings: elevation, section, and plan
  • Demonstrate how to draw, not for beauty, but as a communication tool
  • Examine the common terms, symbols, and methods used by professional designers and architects

Course Includes:

  • Art supplies
  • PSP/Deck Expo Conference Super Pass
  • Lunches for the duration of the course

Sat/Sun, November 11-12
8am - 5pm
16 Hours, 1.6 IACET CEUs, 16 PHTA CEUs

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of good design and will teach you how to lay out the different improvements in your projects (e.g., pool, spa, patio, etc.). We will break the fundamentals down into two categories: the Elements of Design and the Principles of Design. Once you have a good grasp of the fundamentals, you will learn how to apply them. We will start with short practice exercises and build up to a final project: creating a master plan that includes a pool and spa.

This is a required course to become a Certified Expert Pool Builder and Design Professional.

Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss fundamental Elements (e.g., line, color, and form) and Principles (e.g., unity, balance, and scale) of design
  • Define perceptual skills and a better understanding of spatial organization and spatial relationships
  • Use these concepts to design beautiful spaces that connect with the surrounding environment
  • Use your communication skills to accurately portray your design intent to the client

Course Includes:

  • PSP/Deck Expo Conference Super Pass
  • Lunches for the duration of the course

Sat/Sun, November 11-12
8am - 5pm
16 Hours, 1.6 IACET CEUs, 16 PHTA CEUs

Looking through a magazine of pools, it is easy to find well-conceived plans that failed to unify the design with proper material and color selections. Color is one of our basic means of communication and it influences our emotions, so it must be understood and controlled. This program introduces the basic dynamics of color; its principles, fundamentals, and psychology; and how to apply the science to project design.

This is a required course to become a Certified Expert Pool Builder and Design Professional.

Learning Objectives:

  • List light, vision, and color physics, color theory, primary colors, mixing, blends, color wheel
  • Discuss color psychology, how color affects the viewer, influences of color and texture on purchasing decisions
  • Understand the makeup of a color DNA and the ability to reproduce and match colors
  • Understand the meaning of the color illusion and work through case studies analyzing how color can make or break the design concept

Course Includes:

  • Art supplies
  • PSP/Deck Expo Conference Super Pass
  • Lunches for the duration of the course

Sun, November 12
8am - 5pm
8 Hours, 0.8 IACET CEUs, 8 PHTA CEUs

PREMIERING AT PSP/DECK EXPO! This course is created with the end in mind... Making the sale!

We will explore how understanding good design, speaking the right language, and getting inside the mind of your client will significantly increase your percentage of conversions from leads to sales. We will look at how to qualify clients, understand their level of experience with pools and landscaping, and what their expectations are right up front. We will dive into the initial phone call, the site visit, quick methods for sketching ideas on site, and preparing for the sale. Using different scenarios and different budgets, we will explore design buzzwords and phrases that will not only help electrify your designs but make sure you make more sales!

Learning Objectives:

  • Honing new skills to better understand your customers, both discovering your clients' dreams and exploring key memories that will help them feel more attached to their personalized design
  • Buzzwords to plant into your design to engage with their emotions and captivate your clients’ hearts and minds
  • Quickly earn your clients' trust with on-site sketching to scale
  • Complete a plan that is guaranteed to impress and make the sale

Course Includes:

  • PSP/Deck Expo Conference Super Pass
  • Lunch for the day of the course

Fri/Sat, November 10-11
8am - 5pm
16 Hours, 1.6 IACET CEUs, 16 PHTA CEUs

The Pool and Spa Operator® (CPO®) Certification is the world's leading verifiable pool and spa training credential for aquatic facility maintenance personnel, health officials, retailers, property owners, and other professionals. CPO® certification provides individuals with the basic knowledge, techniques, and skills of pool and spa operations. This training has helped protect millions of swimmers by reducing hazards at aquatic facilities. Upon course completion and successfully passing the exam, students will become Certified Pool & Spa Operators® (CPO®).

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify code requirements
  • Understand inspection, operation, and maintenance procedures
  • Recognize components of a circulation system
  • Understand the purpose of the VGB Act
  • Identify spa regulations
  • Understand recreational water illness treatment and prevention
  • Identify the cause and treatment of water problems
  • Recognize the unique qualities and care of aquatic play features

Course Includes:

  • CPO Instruction
  • CPO Workbook, Handouts, and Worksheets
  • CPO Exam
  • PSP/Deck Expo Conference Super Pass
  • Lunches for the duration of the course

Fri/Sat/Sun, November 10-12
8am - 5pm Fri/Sat, 8am - 12pm Sun
20 Hours, 2.0 IACET CEUs, 20 PHTA CEUs

This course takes you through the PHTA Service Tech Manual and gives you what you need to know to conform to industry standards. Whether you are starting out in the pool industry, have a new business, or want to ensure all your employees are recognized as the top of their craft, this course is the perfect opportunity! When you earn the CMS certification, you also earn a name for yourself in the pool industry as a maintenance person in the know.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand safety, pool circulation and filtration, pool maintenance, and water quality
  • Learn about other important topics such as electrical systems, pool structures and finishes, heaters and controls, and customer service

Course Includes:

  • CMS Instruction
  • PHTA Service Tech Manual
  • CMS Workbook
  • PSP/Deck Expo Conference Super Pass
  • Lunches for the duration of the course

Please note: If you would like to take the Certified Pool & Spa Maintenance Specialist (CMS) Exam upon completion of this course, please submit the application at least two weeks prior to arriving in Las Vegas.

Sat/Sun, November 11-12
8am - 5pm
16 Hours, 1.6 IACET CEUs, 16 PHTA CEUs

The Hot Tub Technician course provides students a range of practical knowledge on servicing and troubleshooting factory-built hot tubs, regardless of brands. Industry experts will provide hands-on experience regarding hot tub chemistry, examine electrical systems, circulation, and filtration while learning tips and tricks for basic repairs to interior surfaces. The course fee includes the CHTT exam that will be proctored during the event. Upon successful completion of the course and CHTT certification exam, students will have earned the certification title of CHTT.

Learning Objectives:

  • Review basic safety considerations for tools used on the job
  • Explain the concept of volts, amps, ohms, and conductors
  • Describe circulation system components and hot tub plumbing configurations
  • Identify key factors in potential pump motor replacement
  • Identify major functions of components of the control unit

Course Includes:

  • CHTT Instruction
  • PHTA Certified Hot Tub Technician Manual
  • CHTT Workbook
  • PSP/Deck Expo Conference Super Pass
  • Lunches for the duration of the course

Please note: If you would like to take the Certified Hot Tub Technician (CHTT) Exam upon completion of this course, please submit the application at least two weeks prior to arriving in Las Vegas.

Fri/Sat/Sun, November 10-12
8am - 5pm
24 Hours, 2.4 IACET CEUs, 24 PHTA CEUs

The Service Technician Course (CST) provides 24 hours of education for service technicians looking to elevate their knowledge. The course reviews common problems regarding pool finishes and examines potential solutions. Students will explore circulation, filtration, hydraulics, and electricity, culminating in a well-rounded understanding of potential problems and solutions. The exam fee is included in registration and will be proctored on-site. Upon successful completion of the course and CST certification exam, students will have earned the certification title of CST.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify pool finish problems and solutions
  • Review best circulation practices
  • Examine filtration, hydraulics, and electrical functions

Course Includes:

  • CST Instruction
  • PHTA Service Technician Manual
  • CST Workbook
  • PSP/Deck Expo Conference Super Pass
  • Lunches for the duration of the course

Please note: If you would like to take the Certified Pool & Spa Service Technician (CST) Exam upon completion of this course, please submit the application at least two weeks prior to arriving in Las Vegas.

Sun, November 12
1pm - 5pm
4 Hours, 0.4 IACET CEUs, 4 PHTA CEUs

The Certified Pool & Spa Inspector (CPI) course creates a foundation for health officials and pool operators to conduct pool and spa inspections to support the assurance of a sanitary, healthy, and safe environment for staff and patrons of public swimming pools and spas.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the basis for code requirements and why a violation is a public health hazard
  • Perform an inspection of the pool and spa area
  • Evaluate swimming pool operation and maintenance
  • Assess the circulation system and its components
  • Evaluate a facility for VGB Act compliance
  • Recognize the elements of spa inspections
  • Understand recreational water illnesses
  • Maintain supervision and operator records
  • Recognize the elements of aquatic play features
  • Understand swimming pool design standards and their impact on public health

Course Includes:

  • CPI Instruction

Please note: If you would like to take the Certified Pool & Spa Inspector (CPI) Exam upon completion of this course, please submit the application at least two weeks prior to arriving in Las Vegas.

Sun, November 12
8am - 12pm
4 Hours, 0.4 IACET CEUs, 4 PHTA CEUs

This session will review the significant changes from the 2021 to the 2024 International Swimming Pool & Spa Code (ISPSC). This new session is designed to help builders and inspectors learn and review significant changes made to the 2024 ISPSC recently released. The course is a must-attend for all industry-related professionals such as builders, architects, engineers, building inspectors, building officials, contractors, plans examiner, plumbing inspectors, and pool and spa installers.

Learning Objectives:

  • Review the changes/updates made from the 2021 ISPSC to the 2023 ISPSC
  • Examine updated and/or new sections added to the 2024 ISPSC

Course Includes:

  • ISPSC Instruction
  • ISPSC 2021 Code Book

Sponsorship Opportunities

Interested in sponsoring PHTA events at PSP/Deck Expo? We have sponsorship opportunities for the Awards of Excellence Reception.

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE RECEPTION SPONSORSHIP

 

Pool & Hot Tub Alliance Strategic Partners:

  • Fluidra
  • Hayward
  • Lou
  • Lyon Financial
  • MCC
  • Pentair
  • Raypak
  • WatkinsWellness

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