Award-Winning VR Training: How FacilityApps Is Changing Onboarding in the Cleaning Industry 

Few exhibitors left Interclean Amsterdam 2026 with as much momentum as FacilityApps.

Their VR training solution that engages users through accessible, gamified learning received both the Amsterdam Innovation Award in the Smart Technologies & Digitalisation category and the Cleaner's Choice Award, voted for by cleaning professionals themselves.

For the team behind the technology, the combination of both awards carried special significance.

"It landed harder than we expected," they reflect. "We build VR training for the people who usually stay invisible, the cleaners themselves, so to get two awards for exactly that work, on the biggest stage our industry has, struck a chord."

While the Innovation Award recognised the strength of the immersive tool, the Cleaner's Choice Award validated something equally important.

"The Amsterdam Innovation Award told us the technology holds up. The Cleaner's Choice Award told us it matters to the people it's actually built for."

For the developers behind the solution, that recognition made years of work feel worthwhile.

Four days of conversations that turned into opportunities

The impact of the awards was visible throughout the show. FacilityApps reported a busy stand across all four days, with visitors keen to understand how immersive training could address workforce challenges.

Many of those conversations have already progressed into demonstrations, pilot projects and discussions with distributors interested in introducing the technology to new markets.

"The award gives people a reason to trust it before they've even put the headset on," the team explains. "For a young product, that's a big shortcut."

Recognition also created visibility beyond the stand itself, helping spark conversations and encouraging visitors to experience the technology first-hand.

Unexpected audiences, unexpected connections

Some of the most valuable opportunities came from visitors the team had not anticipated meeting.

"We expected cleaning companies; we didn't expect training institutes and a hospital group thinking about onboarding to walk up to us."

The response showed that workforce development challenges extend well beyond traditional cleaning environments.

The Interclean AI Tournament provided another unexpected source of inspiration. Students approached industry challenges with fresh perspectives and, as the team notes, "some of their thinking found its way back into ours."

As part of the wider FacilityApps ecosystem, conversations also expanded beyond training alone. Visitors began connecting VR learning with planning, quality management and operational performance, creating a broader discussion about workforce development.

An encouraging message from the people doing the work

Presented by former finalists of Cleaner of the Year, the Cleaner's Choice Award is particularly meaningful to FacilityApps as a recognition that comes directly from the people the VR system is designed for.

"So, when they say, 'this is right', there's no better jury."

Among the feedback received, what stood out was hearing from cleaners who said they wished they had access to the training on their own first day.

That simple observation captures exactly what the technology set out to achieve.

What the awards say about the industry

The conversations at Interclean reinforced a challenge facing organisations across the sector.

Cleaning teams continue to face labour shortages, high turnover and increasing pressure on frontline staff. New starters are often expected to learn quickly while working in demanding environments.

That challenge isn’t only about staffing, though. Interest in VR training is already strong, and for FacilityApps, getting people to try it hasn’t been the hard part. Adoption is what stalls, and not for lack of ambition on the customer’s side. Cleaning, as a profession, has never had a universal standard, so training quality has always come down to whoever happened to be available to teach it.

Immersive tools change that equation. A cleaner in Amsterdam, Lagos or Melbourne can now go through the same training, in their own language, at their own pace, and adapted to the cleaning systems used in their own country or region, without the outcome depending on who’s running the session. Training quality stops being about who’s in the room and becomes something standardised and repeatable instead, which is what makes professionalising the trade finally possible at scale.

"What we hear is a need for training that respects their time, works in their own language, is very easy and fun to do and lets them practice safely before they're on a live site."

Beneath those practical needs sits something more fundamental.

"The people doing the work want to be taken seriously."

According to the team, technology earns its place when it helps make cleaning professionals more visible, confident and prepared rather than attempting to replace them.

Raising the bar for what comes next

The awards may recognise what FacilityApps has achieved so far, but internally they are viewed as motivation rather than a finishing line.

"It raised the bar more than it settled anything."

The next step is expanding access to VR training through additional languages, more scenarios and easier deployment. The team is also working to integrate training more deeply into the wider platform so that learning becomes part of everyday operations rather than a standalone activity.

The ambition remains straightforward: "make someone's first day on the job less daunting, and the work itself more visible."

At Interclean Amsterdam 2026, that vision resonated with judges, cleaning professionals and visitors alike. Winning both the Smart Technologies & Digitalisation Award and the Cleaner's Choice Award demonstrated that innovation can make the biggest impact when it puts people first.

And judging by the conversations at the show, we are only just getting started with the future of clean.