Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 11 February 2018: The exchange of global best practices and new energy-efficiency strategies brought HVAC&R professionals to Chicago in late January for the 2018 ASHRAE Winter Conference and AHR Expo, ASHRAE said through a Press communiqué.

The Winter Conference took place from January 20 to 24 at the Palmer House Hilton, while the ASHRAE co-sponsored AHR Expo, took place from January 22 to 24 at McCormick Place, ASHRAE said. According to ASHRAE, this year’s Winter Conference was one of the largest in its history, with more than 3,200 registrants. The AHR Expo attracted more than 70,000 visitors and included more than 2,100 vendors, ASHRAE further said. “The Winter Conference and AHR Expo are prime opportunities for attendees to stay on top of the latest information and technology needed to work toward a more sustainable world,” Bjarne W. Olesen, ASHRAE President, said.

During the conference, ASHRAE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Associazione Italiana Condizionamento dell’Aria Riscaldamento Refrigerazione (AiCARR), ASHRAE said. The agreement formalises the two organisations’ long-standing commitment toward the promotion of common cooling and heating related endeavours, ASHRAE further said.

According to the communiqué, as part of ASHRAE’s global outreach initiative, the Associate Society Alliance meeting brought together members and representatives from 60 HVAC associations from around the world.

More than a 1,000 people attended the plenary session of the Winter Conference, providing a forum for the presentation of awards to experienced and emerging leaders in the industry. Keynote speaker, Debbie Sterling, Founder and CEO of GoldieBlox, closed the session with an empowering presentation on closing the gender gap in STEM fields, the communiqué further elaborated.

The 2018 ASHRAE Annual Conference will take place from June 23 to 27 in Houston, Texas, USA, with the 2019 Winter Conference from January 12 to 16, and the AHR Expo, from January 14 to 16, in Atlanta.