With more than 1,900 exhibiting companies already reserving 374,000-plus sq.ft. of booth space at the International Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), the show is poised to be the largest Western-based one yet when it runs Jan. 31 – Feb. 2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

These numbers include 100 first-time exhibitors and nearly 400 international companies from 31 different countries.

The show, produced and managed by the International Exposition Company and sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Engineers and the Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute- also is tracking well in attendance, according to show management.

Visitor registration is running ahead of last year’s AHR Expo in Orlando that attracted 45,000 registered HVACR professionals, 28,582 of which were registered visitors. The Orlando attendance set a new record for Southeast HVACR events.

"Based on these early indicators, we expect a very strong event in Las Vegas," says Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Company.

"We believe the improving economy and the fact that it is being held in the West for the first time in seven years are the main reasons for this enthusiastic response," Stevens says

New solar and green technologies will be presented at the show, along with all other HVACR industry segments.

Go Online to Plan Show Time
A robust interactive program designed to help AHR Expo attendees maximize their time on and off the show floor is now available on the AHR Expo website at www.ahrexpo.com.

Called 'Virtual Show', the online program allows AHR Expo visitors to conveniently:

• Search for specific products, product categories and/or exhibitors they wish to see
• Virtually 'walk' the exhibit halls and scroll over a booth to get more information
• Automatically request a meeting with the companies they are interested in seeing
• Plan events and meetings and automatically update them in Outlook Calendar
• Automatically add booths to their planner based on pre-selected criteria
• Map the best course through the exhibit halls based on products/criteria selected
• Enhance existing relationships and create new ones.

Exhibitors can also use 'Virtual Show' to request meetings with attendees, plan their schedules, and search other exhibitors they wish to visit.

"With nearly 1,900 exhibitors, more than 100 educational sessions, and a variety of special events taking place at the Show, we believe 'Virtual Show' will be very valuable in helping both attendees and exhibitors plan their time more efficiently," says Stevens.

Attendees can find the new 'Virtual Show' feature by going to the 'Visitors' tab at the top of the AHR Expo website and scrolling down to the 'Virtual Show'.

The following products are just a sampling of HVACR products on display during the AHR Expo 2011. They're compiled from news received by ContractingBusiness.com editors.

Intermatic—Booth N4938
The new DTAV40 Mechanical and the DTAV40E Electronic Auto-Voltage Defrost Timers automatically detect the appropriate supply voltage between 120 and 240VAC, replacing many voltage specific competitive clocks. The Auto-Voltage feature reduces potential wiring errors and installation time. Both defrost timers are time initiated and temperature, pressure or time terminated. LED lights indicate defrost or refrigeration cycles.
intermatic.com
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ICM Controls—Booth N3032
ICM Controls will highlight its new replacement heating controls at the 2011 AHR Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center. In addition to its latest replacement furnace boards and ignition controls, ICM Controls will also feature its new fan coil thermostats.
icmcontrols.com
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Fulton—Booth C1951
Fulton Companies announces that new products, including a signature boiler honoring the company's founder, will be unveiled at the AHR Expo in January.

The Tribute model (ICT) boiler features Fulton's reliable pressure vessel design and high efficiencies, but with the capability to operate at sub 9 ppm NOx with an advanced boiler control system. The Tribute model utilizes a fiber mesh burner, variable-speed fan and integrated gas train, and provides low emissions combustion with only 4-in. incoming gas pressure.
fulton.com
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EnergyGuard USA—Booth N3266
EnergyGuard USA introduces its new and improved environmentally friendly coating, EGuard DCC Green. By adding a new curing agent to the original EnergyGuard corrosion protection coating, EnergyGuard now provides owners with a longer-lasting, more economical and lower VOCs coating for HVAC/R equipment. EGuard DCC Green is a polyurethane aluminum impregnated coating specifically developed for all types of heat exchanger.
energyguardusa.com
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