The 2019 AHR Expo returned to Atlanta for the first time since 2001 and by all accounts the Show delivered. This year the Show floor exhibited 1,824 companies from across the entire industry, including 497 international exhibitors, bringing together the best in technology and product advancement. Throughout the three-day Show there was palpable energy felt for the future of HVACR among attendees and exhibitors alike.
“The HVACR industry is in a very exciting position at the moment and that energy was evident on the Show floor this year,” said Mark Stevens, show manager of AHR Expo. “Attendees came from all over the globe and from every corner of the industry to make this Show a success. We’ve received great feedback on the quality of networking from both attendees and exhibitors and look forward to seeing many of these connections come to life in the products and technologies on the Show floor in Orlando next year.”
Read overview about Innovation at AHR Expo 2019. Look pictures from AHR Expo 2019
2019 AHR Expo by the Numbers
This year the AHR Expo used radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to verify attendance, which allows for the scanning in of each person without stalling the crowd and creating long wait times. This means that the Show was able to generate a true capture of every attendee that walked through the door, spent time on the exhibitor floor as well as in education sessions. In previous years the Show relied on pre-registration and on-site registration to quantify attendance. The 2019 numbers are strong, with a total verified attendance of 45,078.
“The planning of the Show has always been focused on creating the best experience for our exhibitors and attendees. We recognized the benefit of verifying attendees long before the technology allowed us to do it in a way that didn’t interrupt the experience we wanted to create for those who travel to be here,” said Stevens. “We want our attendees and exhibitors networking, capturing leads, learning, interacting and focused on their day rather than waiting at the gate to be scanned in. The new verified technology allows us to do just that.”
Education Program Highlights
The 2019 AHR Expo Education Program covered a broad range of topics in depth, providing insights for all AHR stakeholders into market trends, tips to building a business, energy savings, as well as industry best practices.
Green cooling: Policy impact on natural refrigerants
The policy impact on driving markets to replace high global warming potential (GWP) HFCs is essential for change cannot be overstated. In the EU, for example, a 1,000% increase in prices for high GWP HFCs is prompting a move to natural refrigerants in supermarkets. As a result, of the 20,000 supermarkets and c-stores worldwide that use natural refrigerants, 16,000 are in Europe and 3,500 in Japan. Only 370 are installed in the U.S. Policy leaders in this area are the state of California, the EU and Japan. China is also getting on board and beginning to push natural refrigerants. (Presenter: shecco America)
2019 Innovation Awards Product of the Year
The AHR Expo awarded its esteemed Product of the Year award for 2019 to enVerid Systems. enVerid was also recognized as the winner of the 2019 Innovations Awards Green Building category for its HVAC Load Reduction® (HLR) Module 1000E-M. Each year, winners are selected in a total of 10 industry categories. A ceremony hosted during the AHR Expo recognizes all winners from these categories and an overall Product of the Year winner is chosen.
“Being named Product of the Year is an enormous honor and extremely gratifying to our entire team,” said Dr. Udi Meirav, founder and president of enVerid Systems. “But even more importantly, it is a recognition of the transformative potential of HLR technology for the entire industry. We hope this will further encourage the industry to accelerate the adoption of HLR-based designs of HVAC systems and bring its phenomenal benefits to buildings all over the world.”
The next AHR Expo will be held February 3-5, 2020 in Orlando, Florida.