ATLANTA — For the first time since 2001, the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) returned to Atlanta.

“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.”

According to the numbers provided by the AHR Expo, the total verified attendance was 45,078. This included 1,824 exhibiting companies, with 497 international companies exhibiting. It was a significant decrease from the 2018 show in Chicago, which saw a total attendance of 72,000, and the 2017 show in Las Vegas, which saw 68,000 attendees. However, this was the first year that attendance was verified; previous years' numbers were based on registration only, not actual attendance.

At the Viega booth, attendees were able to get hands-on experience with the equipment the company had on display.

Attendees competed to find the answer to hilmor’s ultimate question: Who has the fastest hands in the industry? Pictured here is David Stroud, service tech at Jake’s Heating & Cooling in Little River, South Carolina.

Virtual reality glasses let Rehau booth visitors see behind the walls and under the floor to fully appreciate the design work that goes into radiant heating and cooling systems.

“The AHR Expo is a great opportunity to meet and interact with our core contractor and distribution audience in one place,” said Samantha Walker of Magic-Pak, an Allied Air Enterprises LLC brand. “It presents an opportunity in the industry to meet with a large volume over three days — our booth traffic was strong.”

The AHR Expo also donated $20,500 from its Innovation Awards program to the Atlanta Police Athletic League.

Read The NEWS’ coverage of the 2019 AHR Expo in our February 18, 2019 edition.

Publication date: 2/18/2019

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