ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has announced that it is preparing for the largest conference in the association's history, its 2004 ACCA Conference & Indoor Air Expo, which will be held February 25-28, 2004 at the New Orleans Marriott.

According to ACCA, contractor registrations are currently more than 10 percent higher than last year's conference, which had record-breaking attendance. In addition, sponsorships for the conference have reached an all-time high, as the association has added a fifth "Platinum Elite" sponsor for the event. Platinum Elite sponsors make a major investment in the conference, helping to keep costs down for the contractors attending.

The Platinum Elite sponsorship level was introduced last year, and the inaugural sponsors - Carrier, Rheem Manufacturing, Trane, and York International - are back for the 2004 conference. This year, they are being joined at the Platinum level by One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating, a franchise opportunity for contractors offered by VenVest Inc.

"As we get ready to head down to the Big Easy, we're obviously excited because all the indicators point to one heck of a show," said Paul T. Stalknecht, president and CEO of ACCA, "and we have been working for more than a year now with our contractor members in order to deliver an experience that will pay huge dividends for all our attendees."

Other sponsors for the event to date include: Nordyne; Energy Star; Copeland; Lennox; NATE; Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration News; Equiguard; Bristol Compressors; Wrightsoft; Elite Software; USIS; and NOVA Information Systems.

For more information or to register, visit www.acca.org or call 703-824-8856.

Publication date: 02/09/2004