CHICAGO - The 2006 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), scheduled for Jan. 23-25 in Chicago, will be the largest show ever in terms of net exhibit space and number of exhibitors.

Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Co., which manages the show, said that 406,385 square feet of exhibit space has been sold, surpassing the 2003 Chicago show's record of 400,416 square feet. In addition, 1,919 companies have registered to exhibit. This surpasses the record of 1,871 that was set at the 2005 Expo in Orlando.

"We still have a month to go for sales," said Stevens. "It's looking like we're going to have a sellout." The AHR Expo, now in its 76th year, is sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI).