ORLANDO, Fla.—Orlando is again proving to be a strong location for AHR Expo.

Preregistered attendance totaled 23,909, 12% more than the preregistered attendance of the 2005 Show here. This doesn’t include 14,829 people registered as exhibitors, and the 5,000-plus attendees expected to register onsite.

In terms of exhibit space, the Show is the eighth largest with 354,454 square feet (8.14 acres) of net exhibit space.  There are 1,826 exhibitors on the floor, including 370 international exhibitors and 209 who are exhibiting for the first time.

Thousands were waiting when the Show opened Monday morning at 9:59 a.m., including first-time attendee Richard O’Rourke, who works for Mechanical Services in Orlando.

“The size of the Show is really impressive,” he said. He deals with commercial and industrial buildings and said that “my customers are demanding energy savings.” He’s here to look for technologies that will help him keep up with customer demands.

Another first-time attendee is Moises Fernandez, technical coordinator for Fertec NV in Aruba. He is not only interested in the new technologies but is also hoping he can attend some of the many educational sessions here. “I want to make contacts with new providers and see the new advances in equipment.”

“Here at the Show, I can show my students in person what they see in class on paper,” said Michel Bernier, Member ASHRAE, professor at Ecole Polytechnic de Montreal.

Marty Gilliam, service manager at Thermaserve, a mechanical contracting firm, said his customers want lower light bills. It’s his second time at the show, and he’s here to see automated controls to help his customers meet their goals.

ASHRAE student members Ramon Bello and Christopher Perraud are in their last year at City College of New York. They are majoring in mechanical engineering. They see their time at the show as a learning experience.
“We want to see what we can change,” said Bello. “I’m here to learn so that I can illuminate owners about new technologies.”

Duane Stevens of Stevens Mechanical in Jackson, Miss., has been coming to the Expo for 20 years. “I’m interested in what’s new in variable refrigerant flow and heat recovery technologies.” He said customers are demanding new solutions. “We’re seeing a lot of that with LEED and the new ASHRAE standard.”

“I am expecting a very, very big event,” said first-time attendee Khawaja Uddin, head of the planning department at GECO Mechanical and Electrical in Dubai, UAE.  “Energy efficiency is very important in Dubai.”

Ezra Miller, owner, Vanguard Mechanical, Sarasota, Fla., said he learned about AHR Expo from a neighbor in early January and registered immediately.
“I’m basically here to see new heating and cooling equipment,” he said. “I’m a small businessman, basically part-time. I have to keep up as much as I can.”

Jeff Leonard of JTL Services, Fayetteville, N.C., said he is looking for duct cleaning products. “I’m sure there will be a lot of stuff like that here. If the opportunity comes, I’ll buy something on the spot.”

John McCutchan, president, McCutchan’s Heating, Morgantown, W.V., said he’s here looking for new things. “I’m from West Virginia; we don’t see a lot of new stuff.  Sometimes it’s 3-4 years after [introduction of product] that we get the latest in HVAC [products].”

Bitra Rao, manager of Blue Star Ltd., Mumbai, India, said he is “looking for any new products that can help India….  Making things more efficient is very important in my country.”