AHR Expo show management announced that the 2012 exposition and conference has established a new all-time attendance record with nearly 40,000 registered visitors for the recently concluded event at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Together with exhibitor personnel and other attendees, more than 57,000 HVACR professionals participated in the world’s largest HVACR event from January 23rd through January 25th.
Based on preliminary registration numbers, the 2012 Show will easily surpass the previous record of 38,534 visitors established at the 2008 Show in New York City. As reported earlier, this year’s Show was also the largest AHR Expo in the illustrious 82-year history of the event at nearly 430,000 square feet, making it almost 5% bigger than the 2006 Chicago Show.
“We are delighted that we have established new all-time records for both the size of the event and the best visitor attendance,” said Clay Stevens, President of International Exposition Company, which produces and manages the AHR Expo. “We hope this is an indication that the economy is on the upswing and will continue to improve.” Stevens also attributed the new records to the many new energy-efficient technologies and products in the marketplace, as well as pent-up demand for new equipment.
There was a buzz of excitement during the entire Show as enthusiastic HVACR professionals from around the world filled the aisles looking for the latest energy-efficient products and solutions. Many exhibitors commented on the quality and quantity of attendees.
“The show has been outstanding for us this year,” said Mark Handzel, Director of Marketing for Xylem RCW. “The customers that come to this show are the people that are using our products everyday so really, this is the best show that we have.”
These sentiments were echoed by Karl Schneider, VP of Marketing for FieldAware. “This is our first AHR Expo and we are amazed at the size and diversity of the attendee base – we were overwhelmed by the response.”
A total of 1,968 exhibitors from 35 countries showcased their products and technologies, nearly tying the record of 1,989 companies that exhibited at the 2006 Chicago Show. In addition to the thousands of new products and technologies exhibited on the Show floor, more than 100 education sessions were offered by ASHRAE and many other leading industry associations.
The 2012 AHR Expo is endorsed by the leading HVACR industry associations and is co-sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). The Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) is an honorary sponsor. ASHRAE’s Winter Conference is held concurrently with the AHR Expo each year.
For more information visit the Show’s website at www.ahrexpo.com.
ABOUT AHR EXPO
As the largest and most comprehensive HVACR exposition, the AHR Expo attracts tens of thousands of attendees from all facets of the industry, including contractors, engineers, dealers, distributors, wholesalers, OEMs, architects, builders, industrial plant operators, facility owners and managers, agents and reps.
Since 1930, the AHR Expo has been the HVACR professional’s best resource for new products, new ideas and new services. It’s a hands-on, interactive event that showcases a wide spectrum of equipment, systems, and components. This unique industry forum creates a dynamic marketing environment unequaled in size and scope by any other industry event.
The AHR Expo is produced and managed by International Exposition Company, 15 Franklin Street, Westport, CT 06880; telephone: 203-221-9232; fax: 203-221-9260; e-mail: info@ahrexpo.com; website: www.ahrexpo.com.
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