LAS VEGAS - Nearly 55,000 people with sore feet and weary eyes ambled through the Las Vegas Convention Center during three days of non-stop activity at the industry’s largest trade show. The Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) and the Winter Meeting of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) was held in Las Vegas for the first time ever, Jan. 31 through Feb. 2.

Even on the last day of the show, like zombies looking for a meal at a buffet, attendees were drawn to the 1,800-plus exhibitors’ booths displaying the finest in HVACR sustenance.

A typical Wednesday of the three-day expo is usually considered a light day for foot traffic. But, this year, almost no one was complaining. The first two days of the show boasted packed aisles in both the Central and North halls of the convention center.

Christian Sorensen, regional sales manager of Carlyle Compressor Division of Carrier Corp., said, “Even Wednesday was good for us. It gives us time to talk with a lot of the OEM companies who tend to walk the show floor on that day.”

For some people it may have been their first trip to Vegas, but for many industry veterans it probably won’t be their last if early indications are correct.

The attendance results were very encouraging for show management. The smiles on their faces Wednesday afternoon told the story - the AHR Expo will in all likelihood return to the bejeweled city in southern Nevada.

Perhaps even more notable was the mood of the attendees and of the exhibitors. The last two years in the HVACR industry have been tough for many, to say the least. However, most of the comments heard on the show floor were upbeat and full of great expectations for 2011.

Dick Foster, president of ZoneFirst, a manufacturer of residential and commercial zoning system products, said, “This is one of the busiest opening days I’ve seen in a long time. I have not heard anyone mention the recession. We were triple our normal number of leads for the typical show, on the first day!”

“I was impressed with the overall jovial atmosphere. There appeared to be a large number of residential folks there, which has to be a good sign for the economy. And the manufacturers I spoke with seemed to be just as pumped about 2011 as I am,” said Greg Crumpton, president of AirTight, a contracting firm in Charlotte, N.C., and regular show attendee.

“I try to attend the show to stay current on new equipment, ideas, and technologies. As an independent contractor, we are intrigued by what we can learn to make us a better, more prepared organization.”

This post-show issue of The NEWS is one of the most widely circulated issues of the year, for obvious reasons: pages and pages of new products that were displayed at the AHR Expo. Many convention attendees suggested that this year’s display of new products was one of the best - certainly more new items than had been displayed at the 2010 Expo.

For complete post-show coverage, see the feature article “New Products Showcased at the 2011 AHR Expo” in this issue. And for more information about this year’s event and to see even more new products, visit achrnews.com/AHR_Expo.

Publication date: 02/21/2011