AHR 2015 set to be another record-breaker

USA: Two weeks before opening, this year’s AHR Expo in Chicago has already surpassed last year’s event.

The 2015 AHR Expo, which opens its doors for the annual three-day run on January 26, has already established three new records for the world’s largest HVACR event.

As of the first week in January, there were more than 2,100 exhibiting companies occupying over 480,000 net ft2 of exhibit space. This makes the 2015 AHR Expo at least 10% larger than the previous largest Show and features 8% more exhibitors than last year’s record-breaking event in New York City.

Included in this record number of companies will be 380 that have never exhibited in the Show before. Another new all-time record is the number of international exhibitors showcasing their products and solutions. This year, 592 international companies from over 30 countries will be exhibiting in Chicago, representing a 16% increase over the previous record.

“Chicago is always where our largest Shows take place,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Company, which produces and manages the AHR Expo. “But we are thrilled at just how much bigger the 2015 Show will be.” Stevens added that the six largest Shows, and five of the six best attended, have all taken place in Chicago.

The organiser is now looking at these record-breaking numbers as a strong indication of a strong visitor attendance. Stevens said pre-registration is currently running ahead of the last Chicago Show in 2012 which attracted nearly 40,000 visitors. Last year’s event in New York attracted 43,000 visitors on top of 18,000 exhibitor personnel.