HVACR distribution professionals will gather in Atlanta, Georgia, next month as they work to better navigate a rapidly evolving industry impacted by new technology, regulatory changes, and swirling political and economic winds.
The Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) 2024 annual conference is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7, through Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis hotel. Registrations are already on a pace to break last year’s attendance record, and the Marriott Marquis is fully booked, but rooms are available at two adjacent hotels.
The theme of this year’s conference, “Navigate,” signals HARDI’s intent to help member distributors get through uncertain times, said marketing director Allison Greene. Especially, she said, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic — which led to sales spikes that have now receded — and the difficulties posed by inflation and higher interest rates that have recently started to come down.
“We’re giving them the tools to help them navigate the uncertainty they’re seeing in the market,” Greene said.
The primary message, she added, is this: “Don’t rest on your laurels. Let’s make sure you have the information to be on the offense rather than the defense.”
The conference agenda features five keynote speakers plus breakout sessions in four different tracks: personal advancement, organizational development, external impacts, and business growth. Also scheduled are opportunities for socializing and networking.
With the conference coming on the heels of the 2024 presidential election, Greene said, politically oriented sessions will be among the highlights. Those include:
• A 3:45-4:45 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, a question-and-answer session with Alex Ayers, HARDI’s vice president of government affairs, and Todd Titus, director of state and public affairs. (Prior authorization to attend is required.)
“We want to give our members our most true version of what’s happening in D.C.,” Greene said. “So we try to keep it as factual as possible, but also want to give an opportunity for people to express their concerns about which way policies could be heading.”
• A breakfast-time “fireside chat” on Monday, Dec. 9, featuring political experts from the HVAC industry: Kyle Gilley, government relations team leader at Carrier Global; Chris Forth, vice president of regulatory, codes and environmental affairs in the ducted systems division at Johnson Controls; Karen Myers, vice president of government affairs at Rheem Manufacturing; Nathan Walker senior vice president of environmental business development at Daikin Comfort Technologies; and Stephen Yurek, president and CEO at the Air-conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).
Regulatory issues and ways the HVACR industry can better look after its interests will be topics at the chat, Greene said. “That’ll be a nice conversation with OEM leadership to talk really more about how we can be more proactive as an industry, rather than reactive, when it comes to regulatory concerns,” she said.
• A 10:45-11:45 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9, breakout session with Samantha Slater, AHRI’s senior vice president of government affairs, who will talk about the post-election political landscape and the major HVACR-related issues on the horizon in 2025.
Other breakout sessions will explore the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry, the transition to lower-GWP refrigerants, the state of mergers and acquisitions in HVACR, employment law, and equity and inclusivity in the workplace.
The conference will also feature HARDI’s booth program, which gives manufacturers and master wholesalers a chance to display products and meet with HARDI members, from 2-5 p.m. Monday, Dec 9. The Solutions Center, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, and 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, is a chance for service vendors and other businesses that support HVACR distributors to tell HARDI members what they can do for them.
The scheduled keynote speakers at Navigate are:
• Author Ross Bernstein, described as a “peak performance” business speaker, will speak at breakfast on Sunday, Dec. 8.
• Anirban Basu, an economic and policy consultant who teaches the history of economic thought at Goucher College, will speak at lunch on Sunday.
• Josh Linkner, an author, leadership expert, and founder of five tech companies, will speak at lunch on Monday, Dec. 9.
• Mary Kelly, an author and retired U.S. Navy intelligence and logistics officer with a Ph.D. in economics, will speak at breakfast on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
• Pamela Barnum, a former police officer and prosecutor from Canada who now teaches how to use communication skills to build trust, will speak at lunch on Tuesday.
Registrations are still being accepted for the conference; visit the conference website, www.hardiconference.com, for more information and to register.
