Do You Want to Be a Better HVAC Contractor? Go to Conventions!

 

The foundation of being a professional in your field begins with gaining as much knowledge and expertise as you can. This applies to every industry, and it goes double for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) contractors.

As technology experts, your professional development depends on keeping up with the constant technology changes. It’s the best way to ensure you perform better and stay relevant. An efficient and pleasant way to do this could be by attending as many industry conferences and expositions as you can. Such events can have an extremely beneficial impact on your career.

Merely by attending, you can find out what’s on the horizon and take away proven strategies from the most experienced specialists in the industry. You can work on your networking by exchanging ideas with topic experts and sharing workplace challenges with professional peers. You can also learn hundreds of HVAC problem solutions in just one lecture, saving hours of independent product and service research.

Basically, a good conference can do wonders for your business. Here are some of the most promising HVAC conferences and expos you can attend over the next couple of months:

#1 The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA) Annual Convention

Dates: 12– 15 October 2014

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Description: The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors (SMACNA) will be holding their 71st Annual Convention this year. The event will be hosted at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country in San Antonio, TX.

The SMACNA Annual Convention planners have scheduled at least five lectures a day, tailored to deliver information to the attendees on many levels—technical, business, and even personal. For example, on the 13th of October at 7 am, there is a HVAC Contractors Forum titled “Construction Technology Forecast: Collaboration, Integration and Cloud Computing.” The presenter will be James Benham, CEO of JBKnowledge, Inc. He will discuss what the convergence of technologies can mean for your firm.

Other lectures that will be presented by industry leaders include “Beyond the Box: HVAC to Home Performance,” “NEMIC, NEMI, ICB and TABB—Labor Management, Organization and Their Training and Certification Programs,” “Valuation of the HVAC/Metal Sheet Business” and many more.

For more information on the SMACNA Annual Convention, you can send an email to SMACNAConvention@cmrus.com

#2 Emerging Technologies (ET) Summit 

Dates: 20-22 October 2014

Location: San Francisco, California

Description: The Emerging Technologies Summit is the 6th biannual summit held by thePacific Gas and Electric Company.  The event will be hosted at the Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel.

The Emerging Technologies (ET) Summit’s main goal is to provide an interactive environment for engineers and HVAC specialists who want to learn and debate on different topics, such as the advancement and adoption of emerging technologies. Some of the lecture topics will be “Nudging” customers toward energy efficient purchasing and investment decisions” and “Gamification for Utilities: Captivating Customers with Energy Information.”

The main conference discussions will be on “Changing Energy Landscape.”

Online registrations have already started. Standard conference rate tickets cost $600. Students get a 50% discount.

#3 The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) Annual Meeting

Dates: 16-18 November 2014

Location: Carlsbad, California

Description: The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) is the trade association representing manufacturers of HVACR and water heating equipment within the global industry. Every year they host six events for members of the HVACR industry, which attract hundreds of attendees. Their annual expo draws over 1400 exhibitors and over 30,000 attendees each year.

AHRI’s Annual Meeting is the premiere networking experience of the HVACR manufacturing industry. This year, it will be hosted at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa. The first event on the program is the AHRI Rees Scholarship Foundation 5K Fun Run where $20 out of your $70 participation fee will go to the Rees Scholarship Foundation.

The keynote speaker of the AHRI Annual Meeting will be Charlie Cook. He is a a renowned political analyst specializing in election forecasts and political trends.

On the 17th of November, AHRI’s Chairman Bob McDonough will announce the winner of the Chairman’s Challenge legislative visit contest, and present the AHRI Industry Awards.

The Bottom Line

As a HVAC contractor, every chance you get to network is an opportunity to improve your business. And what better place to exchange knowledge and experience than going to a HVAC convention where you can be surrounded by industry professionals? Also, being able to attend lectures given by valued industry leaders is an easy way to gain a better perspective on the business.

Do you know about any other great HVAC conventions that are coming up soon? Leave a comment and let us know!

Author Bio:

Boryana is a recent University of Westminster graduate with an MA in Broadcast Journalism. Her interest span across film, sports and Asian culture. She has vast experience in blogging on everything surety bond-related and is regular contributor on the JW Surety Bonds blog.

Photo credit: WorldSkills / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)