Despite Economy, Expo Succeeds

ORLANDO, Fla. - More than 1,800 companies exhibited at the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), including more than 200 new exhibitors and 374 international companies. More than 45,000 HVACR professionals participated in the 62nd AHR Expo in Orlando, Jan. 25-27, at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC).

Coinciding with the world’s largest HVACR-exclusive event, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) also held its Winter Meeting at the OCCC.

According to show management, (just prior to the event) the number of exhibitors was on par with the last AHR Expo in Orlando (2005) and only slightly off from other recent AHR Expos. However, a press release from the show organizer, immediately following the event, said that signs of a recovering economy turned out to be a key observation from many attendees who were interviewed as to the main reason for a record-breaking number of attendees at the 2010 AHR Expo.

According to management, “Nearly 45,000 attendees and exhibitors filled the aisles during the three-day AHR Expo. The record-breaking attendance figures brought a tremendous crowd of contractors, engineers and other industry professionals to the show to see the newest and most innovative HVACR products.”

Lou Laroche, national sales manager for Airtech, said, “It started off with a bang and stayed steady all show long. We’re as happy as can be with the traffic we saw. We introduced a new product and received more leads than we did all of last year - and last year was a good show.”

In the age of everything being green, shades of emerald were abundant at the expo. Among the dozens of green educational sessions being offered during the show, The International Energy Agency sponsored, for the first time, a workshop on Solar Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration. Fifty-four companies displayed solar products and several hundred exhibited energy-efficient and IAQ improvement products.

In all, more than 100 educational sessions and workshops were presented at the AHR Expo and its endorsing associations. In addition, ASHRAE presented 19 short courses.

Some of the topics covered included: Energy Efficiency, Indoor Air Quality, Energy Saving and Reclaiming, Building Control and Automation, Building Integration, Green Building Initiatives/Sustainability, Information Technology and Business Management, Mold and Moisture, and Alternative Energy Sources.

The 2010 AHR Expo was endorsed by 31 leading HVACR industry associations and was co-sponsored by ASHRAE and the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). The Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) is an honorary sponsor.

For complete coverage of new products from the AHR Expo, see the feature article “AHR Expo Post-Show Coverage” in this issue.

Publication date: 02/15/2010