ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has announced the opening of registration for the 2010 ACCA Annual Conference and Indoor Air Expo, dubbed “The Big Picture.” The 42nd annual event will be held in Tampa, Fla., from March 7-9, 2010.

For 2010, the ACCA Conference will feature more than 30 75-minute Learning Labs, developed and presented by leading contractors and business experts. The Learning Labs will cover a wide variety of topics - business management and marketing, general HVACR contracting, residential HVACR, and commercial HVACR - all selected based on surveys and feedback from contractors nationwide.

Full registrants who sign up by Dec. 1, 2009 will receive a DVD containing recordings of all of the Learning Labs, for free. People who register after Dec. 1 will have the option of purchasing the Learning Lab DVD on-site at the conference for $295.

“Given the economic challenges, this year more than ever before, we want to make sure that the powerful ideas and best practices that participants pick up at the ACCA conference and expo are not lost on the plane ride home,” said Paul Stalknecht, ACCA president and CEO.

The conference program also features economist Lowell Catlett, who will examine the current economic downturn and how he sees the next decade progressing, and noted photographer Dewitt Jones, who will challenge conference participants to “raise the bar” in their lives and their businesses.

A special pre-conference open-floor consulting session will feature two marketing experts addressing questions on the fly from participants. The session will examine Yellow Pages marketing, as well as highlight a Website-gone-wrong from an actual unnamed HVAC contractor. After the two presentations, the experts, Adams Hudson and Brian Kraff, will open the floor to attendees, fielding questions about their biggest marketing headaches.

Other special events include the CEO/Contractor Forum, a session where the CEOs of some of the world’s leading HVACR manufacturers address questions from contractors and engage in conversation about challenges and opportunities facing the industry.

Held in conjunction with the ACCA Conference, the 2010 Indoor Air Expo is again co-presented by ACCA and the Indoor Air Quality Association. At the Indoor Air Expo, HVACR and IAQ suppliers will present to contractors the latest in product improvements and technological advances.

Full program and registration information is available at www.accaconference.com.

Publication date: 10/12/2009