ARLINGTON, Va. — The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has officially announced the theme and dates for the association's 2004 Conference & Indoor Air Expo. ACCA's 36th conference will be held February 25-28, 2004 at the New Orleans Marriott in New Orleans. It will be held in conjunction with the Indoor Air Expo, an expanded trade show. The theme will be: "Unmask Your Potential!"

"Last year, the ACCA Conference broke attendance records as more contractors attended than have in at least a decade," said Paul T. Stalknecht, president and CEO of ACCA. "And by all accounts, the conference was a smashing success. We gave attendees a menu of educational choices that no other conference has matched before or since. We gave them an exciting gallery of major sessions featuring first-rate speakers and inspiring production. We brought contractors face-to-face with manufacturer CEOs in closed-door sessions and town hall meetings. Most importantly, we brought America's most successful contractors together, and gave them the opportunity to talk with, and learn from, each other.

"How will we top all that in 2004? We're going to do it all again — but we're going to do it even better."

Since attendees at the last conference praised the "Training Track" schedule, which offered a series of educational workshops grouped by subject, ACCA will be expanding its educational offerings. Workshops and panel discussions will be held in the following tracks: Residential Contracting; Commercial Contracting; Refrigeration; Marketing Your Business; Legal Issues; and a special series of "Best Practices" panels featuring contractors speaking from their real-world experience.

In addition, there will be a series of technical sessions focusing on innovative new products and technologies, and another on workplace diversity and technician recruitment.

Stalknecht added, "Our focus is on giving contractors real knowledge they can walk away with and put to use. It's not just about inspiration or 'feel-good' theory — but common-sense techniques that can be applied in your business tomorrow."

In addition, the association announced that the major manufacturers who served as Platinum Elite sponsors of the 2003 Conference have all pledged their support at the same significant level for the 2004 event. Carrier, Rheem Manufacturing, Trane, and York International will provide major sponsorship funding for the event.

ACCA will soon be launching a special website devoted to the conference at www.unmaskyourpotential.com, where news will be posted on an ongoing basis. Early-bird registration will open in August 2003 and will be available online or by calling 703-575-4477.

Publication date: 07/21/2003