Future of HVAC conference an industry success

AIRAH’s The Future of HVAC 2014 Conference, held over the 16th and 17th of July, has been praised for breaking new ground, and bringing together some of the HVAC industry’s best minds in their respective fields.

“For the second year running, the Future of HVAC Conference was an astonishing success,” says AIRAH COO Neil Cox. “Attendees went home with new ideas, perspectives, and insights to consider. Indeed, this conference saw some of our most thought-provoking and exciting presentations yet.”

Held at Sydney’s Australian National Maritime Museum, the conference was attended by more than 120 delegates, all eager to learn what is on the horizon for the HVAC industry.

AIRAH CEO Phil Wilkinson, M.AIRAH, was also fulsome in his praise of the event.

“Providing delegates with an insight into HVAC issues, practices, technologies, regulation and design approaches now and into the future, The Future of HVAC 2014 again raised the standard for AIRAH’s conference series,” says Wilkinson.

Calling together the full range of industry stakeholders – from equipment manufacturers to engineering consultants, to contractors and facility managers – the conference discussed the opportunities and challenges facing the industry. There was a focus on new technology and research, design for a changing climate, and the future of manufacturing, which was explored through a well-received panel discussion.

Conference attendees remarked on the passion of both speakers and the audience, as well as the breadth of ideas, trends and topics that were covered.

“This conference was blessed by the fact that many speakers were at the top of their respective organisations and could talk with authority,” says AIRAH life member Clive Broadbent. “This provides evidence that they too saw great value in the conference.

“There was one aspect that impressed me more than others: that this industry can get its act together, be viable, and lead the way into a better future, and can do so without much government support,” says Broadbent. “The future is what matters, and that was the theme.”

The Future of HVAC Conference was held in concert with a research summit that brought together some of the HVAC&R industry’s sharpest minds. Held at the University of Technology, Sydney, and supported by the Institute for Sustainable Futures, the Research Summit was attended by a range of stakeholders from the HVAC&R industry. On the agenda were subjects such as collaboration with industry, research gaps, barriers, funding, and scoping for new ideas.

“The research summit really complemented the well-thought-out program for The Future of HVAC,” Wilkinson says. “Bringing together academics, consultants, manufacturers and government, the summit made considerable headway in its discussion around helping our industry establish and maintain a strong culture of research and development, as well as a focus on higher education training.”

Likewise, The Future of HVAC 2014 Conference was a crucible for innovative thinking.

And the buzz around the new ideas being presented didn’t end on the stage – during meal breaks and an evening cocktail function, delegates banded together to discuss speakers, topics and the wider industry.

“There was such a variety of people in attendance, and the ideas swirling around during the breaks were truly inspiring,” says conference chair Ania Hampton, M.AIRAH. “And on top of that, I was struck by the wealth of knowledge and passion of our members.”

With two more exciting conferences to come this year – the Acoustics Workshop in Sydney in September and the latest Preloved Buildings Conference in October in Brisbane – AIRAH is continuing a tradition of offering technical content that is up to date, relevant and delivered by the industry, for the industry.

Watch The Future of HVAC 2014 wrap-up video on AIRAH’s YouTube channel.

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