HVACR Week is to the HVAC industry what the Indianapolis 500 is to auto racing: an anticipated industry event that always lives up to its reputation for excellence.

This year, at the birthplace of auto racing, the HVACR industry's premier showcase for residential and commercial contracting put the pedal to the metal and roared into action at the Indiana Convention Center.

'Winner's Circle' Quality Events
HVACR Week — produced by Penton Media, Inc., and the staffs of Contracting Business.com and HPAC Engineering magazines — had high attendance, as contractors from around the U.S. told us they weren’t waiting for the economy to improve; they're doing all they can to be successful. As Steve Miles, president, Jerry Kelly Company, St. Louis, MO always says: "Recession? What recession?"

Contractors had no trouble "starting their engines." Many early arrivals from among the thousands in attendance streamed into the Indiana Convention Center, and made their way to two dozen sessions covering a wide variety of crowd-pleasing residential and commercial HVAC topics.

Social Media Buzz
Social media was prominent in many exhibits on the show floor. Emerson Climate Technologies had a contest for anyone who snapped a photo while inside their booth and posted or tweeted it during the show. They also conducted a live tweet, mentioning topics and updates during a very well-attended technical seminar starring Karl Zellmer, vice president of air conditioning sales at Emerson Climate Technologies. Emerson also conducted a "Tweetup," which according to company sources, was attended by some heavy hitters in the HVACR industry.

Chris Mays, commercial market manager, air conditioning division of Emerson, said the social media build up began weeks before HVACR Week started. "During the build-up to the HVACR Week event, our Copeland Scroll Facebook page saw post views go up 30%, and post feedback was up 27%. We also saw a significant increase in Twitter followers for @Copeland_Scroll and @Copeland_Chris during the month of September," Mays said. Other booths displayed Quick Response (QR) codes for attendees to scan with their smart phones for a chance to win prizes.

Some exhibitors also made attendees feel right at home amid the hustle and bustle of the exhibits. The Service Roundtable, for example, served up beer at the day's end, and tasty cappuccino. Service Roundtable CEO Matt Michel reported that new member enrollments in the Service Roundtable were 50% higher that they’d been at past events. Always a valued HVACR Week supporter, Service Roundtable also pre-registered the most members of any group for this year's show.

'GeoDay' Brings Geothermal to Life
An added bonus to this year’s HVACR Week was "GeoDay," sponsored by ClimateMaster. More than 150 contractors attended a day-long introduction to geothermal technology. John Bailey, senior vice president of sales and marketing for ClimateMaster, said contractors were interested in learning about the size of the geothermal market.

"Once they saw the growth rate of geothermal, they understood there was a market waiting to be served," Bailey said. GeoDay consisted of an indoor seminar session, followed by a visit to an off-site demonstration of the overall simplicity of geothermal installations.

"I believe many dealers thought that geothermal was more complex than it really is," Bailey said. "Once they looked at the process, and realized there are a large number of willing and qualified partners available for turn-key ground loops, they were quickly put at ease."

Inspirational Keynoters
Two keynote speakers graced the main stage at 2011 HVACR Week. Trane presented former U.S. Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady, whose F-16 was shot down while enforcing a no-fly zone over Bosnia in 1995. O'Grady survived for six days alone behind enemy lines, avoiding Serbian patrols day and night, before he was rescued by U.S. Marines.

O'Grady inspired the crowd with his story of survival and the power of positive thinking. He had more than a few attendees verging on tears as he told how his faith in God, his family, and the United States left him never feeling alone despite the odds against his rescue or survival.

Larry Janesky, president of Dr. Energy Saver, offered a look at how operating a business presents contractors with a great opportunity to make the world a better place — for their families, customers, and employees.

"Success is more than doing things right, it's doing the right things," Janesky said. "Ultimately the only thing you can control is yourself. You can't control the economy, or your competition, or even your employees. Do the right things and let the rest take care of itself."

2011 HVACR Week was produced with the support of: Carrier, Emerson Climate Technologies, ClimateMaster, Dr. Energy Saver, Hill Phoenix, Rheem, Ruud, Trane, Service Roundtable, Nordyne, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, and Jackson Systems.