AHR2021 – First moved, then cancelled – and the ASHRAE Meeting will also be online
AHR2021 has officially been cancelled. Originally, the major U.S. exhibition dedicated to the HVACR industry was supposed to be held between January 25-27, 2021. Postponed until March in hopes that the Covid-19 emergency would come under control, it has finally seen its own cancellation.
ASHRAE, one of the two major sponsors of the event (along with AHRI), announced the cancellation. The company has spent the last months trying to organize the prestigious fair in full compliance with the health restrictions imposed, but, due to the continuous increase of infections and the tightening of these measures, it was forced to give up.
Canceling AHR2021 was a tough decision
For the U.S. HVACR industry, AHR Expo 2021 was supposed to be the springboard from which to jumpstart a concrete economic revival. In fact, the pandemic brought many companies to their knees, and they were looking forward to this important exhibition, which has always been a meeting point for representatives of this business.
The decision to postpone the event was taken a few months ago, after intense consultation with all those involved. In the end, 80% of exhibitors, visitors and professionals agreed to postpone the expo to March. The presenter of AHR2021 had even described himself as “cautiously optimistic” about the possible realization of the expo.
The event was to be hosted at Chicago’s McCormick Place, and the show’s organizers had been working hard to ensure that the various meetings could be held in complete safety.
However, the increase in sanitary measures, starting with the limitations on gatherings imposed by the state of Illinois (which prohibits mass meetings with more than 50 people), forced ASHRAE to change course.
The sponsor pointed out that all scenarios and possible solutions have been evaluated, but the unpredictability of the virus and the tightening of sanitary regulations have meant that the quality standards to which clients have always been accustomed have been compromised.
For this reason, the decision was made to permanently cancel AHR2021, so as to focus everything on 2022. The company’s board of directors, however, was keen to point out that meetings will be held in a digital format, so as not to leave the U.S. HVACR industry without benchmarks for too long.
ASHRAE Winter Meeting 2021
During AHR Expo 2021, in-person discussion boards, conferences and various presentations of the latest industry news were to be held. However, the cancellation of the event did not deter ASHRAE, which announced its Winter Meeting 2021.
In fact, the digital approach opens the door to virtual business meetings, replacing (at least in part) what would have occurred at the original show. It won’t just be about online interaction; there will also be pre-recorded, on-demand live sessions.
The virtual conference is set for February 9-11, 2021. However, detailed information on the topics to be discussed and how to participate in the event is not yet available. ASHRAE assures that they will be made public on its website as soon as they are properly outlined.
Until then, the U.S. HVACR industry will have to be patient, but most of those involved have expressed confidence in a concrete recovery as soon as Covid-19 loosens its grip. All that remains, then, is to hope that this will happen as soon as possible.
