AHR Expo 2010 Recap

I stayed to the end of the show this year just so that I wouldn't feel that I had missed some aspect of the expo.  The result, nothing new.  If you have ever been to any trade shows or participated in them, then you know the feeling of wanting to get out of there and back to your families. With the expo ending at 4pm, by 3pm exhibitors were starting to pack up and the traffic was very light.  Overall it was still a good day to ask questions as there was less competition for exhibitors.  Most of them also used the time to talk and network with each other.  So hear are my lessons learned from the expo:

Big Surprises

1. No Carrier, Trane, York, Titus, Price, Cook, Greenheck at the show.  One thought was that the investment to "show big" at the expo was not worth the outlay of cash.  Can't say that I blame them and in the end, it wasn't a detractor.

2. A lot of OEM's, by that I mean that a good portion of the exhibitors sold pieces parts for larger HVAC equipment.

3. Quit a bit of exhibitors were the target of contractors.  Showcasing tools, plasma cutters, spiral duct machines, and estimating software just to name a few things.

Must do's if you attend the conference

1. Comfortable shoes! Need I say more?

2. Pick up an AHR Expo Book listing all the exhibitors and includes a map.

3. Get there for Day One and the opening of the show, I liken it to the running of the bulls, with hoards of people flooding down the isles.

4. Get your questions answered.  Here's your chance to meet with the people who know the most about a product all in one place.  In fact, the expo gives you a unique opportunity to ask 3 different exhibitors with the same products and get a consensus answer, just like a second and third opinions.

5. Go through the AHR Expo to get your rooms not only will you get a discounted expo rate but you will also get free transportation to and from the event saving cash on parking.

6. Most importantly have fun, ask questions, start conversations with vendors like, "What makes your product the best?" or "Explain what that is and why would I use it?" or even "How much of you own booth candy have you eaten?".

Special thanks to Tim Ward and his team for helping, and hosting me, at my first AHR Expo.