By Eileen McMorrow — January 15, 2024 — At the world’s largest HVACR event, with over 1,600 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees annually, the AHR Expo offers education sessions that are a key draw for facility and building managers,
engineers and architects. Education is offered in multiple formats including sessions, free industry seminars, New Product Theaters with 146 product presentations, the AHR Panel Series, For-Credit Sessions, and Podcast Pavilions.
The AHR Expo, the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition, is the annual trade show that brings together HVACR professionals, manufacturers and industry leaders to showcase the latest trends and advancements in the industry. It will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, February 10-12, 2025.
The AHR Panel Series begins on Monday, February 10, and offers these seven options that FMLink and The McMorrow Reports editors recommend:
- AI and Plumbing: How Smart Applications Can Lead to Smooth Waters Ahead
- Cybersecurity in HVACR: Considerations for Prevention, Insurance, Safety and Training
- Everything You Need to Know About the Refrigerant Transition and A2Ls
- 2025 State of the Industry: Today’s Market, Challenges, Opportunities & What’s Ahead
- Navigating the Workforce Rollover: How to Recruit, Train and Build a Strong HVACR Team Today
- The Wide World of HVACR: New Motivations, EPA Regulations and Mapping the Path Forward
- Understanding Business Opportunities Based on Your Region
On the expo floor. Source: AHR Expo
Facility manager attendees might also consider some of the longer sessions to learn how to operate their buildings using automation, new technologies, AI, carbon-reduction measures and standards that improve air quality and thermal comfort.
- Pre-show, Saturday, Feb. 8, 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Building Energy Modeling Fundamentals and Applications.Speakers: Dr. Drury B. Crawley, Ph.D., AIA, Fellow ASHRAE, BEMP is a Bentley Fellow and Director of Building Performance Research with Bentley Systems Inc., and Sam Mason, P.E., Member ASHRAE, BEMP, LEED® AP BD+C, is the principal at Encompass Energy LLC.
- Pre-show, Sunday, Feb. 9, 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. Guideline 36: Best of Class HVAC Control Sequences. Speaker: Hwakong Cheng, P.E., Member ASHRAE is a Principal at Taylor Engineers, where he has been responsible for HVAC design, commissioning, and energy analysis for over 18 years. sz
- Monday, Feb. 10, 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Air-to-Air Energy Recovery Applications: Best Practices. Speaker: Paul Pieper, Eng., Member ASHRAE, National Director of Business Development at The Master Group.
- Monday, Feb. 10, 8:30 a.m -9:30 a.m. Enabling AI for Buildings and Data Centers.
Speaker: Rich Blomseth, Board Member for LonMark International at Enocean. - Monday, Feb. 10, 10:30 a.m. -11:30 a.m. The Digital Revolution in HVAC: AI, Automation, and the Future of Customer Service. Speakers: Josh Crouch, Founder Relentless Digital; Co-Founder, Small Business Automations; and Co-Host Service Business Mastery at Service Business Mastery Podcast /Relentless Digital; and Tersh Blissett, CEO, Service Emperor; Co-Founder, Small Business Automations; and Co-Host Service Business Mastery at Service Business Mastery.
- Monday, Feb. 10, 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. A New Era of Open, Interoperable Buildings. Speaker: Tracy Markie, Chairman of the Board at LonMark International.
- Tuesday, Feb.11, 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Healthcare Facilities: Best Practice for HVAC Design and Operation & Maintenance of High-Performance Buildings. Based on the ASHRAE book HVAC Design Manual for Hospitals and Clinics, this course introduces many unique and up-to-date healthcare design considerations and applications. The course covers Chapters 1-4, 6-11, and 13-16. Common medical terminology is introduced, and terminology differences between the medical and engineering fields are examined.
- Tuesday, Feb.11, 10:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. Reducing Airborne Pathogens and Improving Indoor-Air Quality with Air Curtains. Speaker: Naga Thiyagarajan, Director of Engineering at Mars Air Systems.
- Tuesday, Feb.11, 11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Thermal Batteries: Low-Cost, Scalable Grid Storage to Achieve Sustainability Goals. Speakers: Al Takle, Business Unit Leader at Steffes; James Marker, Director, Business Development at Ice Energy; and Laura Marshall, Applications Lead at Baltimore Aircoil Company.
The education program runs Mon. Feb 10, Tues. Feb. 11 and Wed. Feb. 12. The editors will preview additional sessions in upcoming coverage. The AHR Expo was first held in 1930 in Philadelphia as a heating and ventilation show. It’s produced by International Exposition Company (IEC), one of the world’s oldest trade show management companies. ASHRAE and AHRI are co-sponsors of the show.
