According to a recent survey of more than 1,000 heating and cooling manufacturers, 70% of the respondents said they expect the economy to be stronger in the first quarter of 2010. This bodes well for the 2010 AHR Expo in Orlando this coming January, as nearly 72% of respondents predicted their customers will start buying more products in the first quarter.

In keeping with the optimistic outlook, 69% of the AHR Expo exhibitors believe their customers have been delaying purchases of new products “and that this pent-up demand will result in more sales during the first quarter of 2010,” organizers report.  Nearly 24% of exhibitors expect sales to increase more than 10%, and nearly 30% expect sales increases of 5-10% in the first quarter of 2010. Close to 25% of respondents expect a smaller first quarter increase of between 1% and 4%, while less than 5% see a decline in sales.

“The timing of the 2010 AHR Expo should be very beneficial to the HVAC/R industry,” announced Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Co., the show organizer, “in so far as it coincides with a significant revival in the demand for equipment, systems, components and services. We are expecting thousands and thousands of industry professionals from around the world to converge on Orlando in January to find the newest and most efficient products available anywhere.” 

Stevens pointed out that the Southeast is one of fastest-growing areas of the country and a leading marketplace for the many green products and technologies that will be on display at the world’s largest exclusively HVAC/R exposition and conference.

The 2010 AHR Expo will take place Jan. 25-27, and will feature more than 1,600 exhibitors from around the world showcasing hundreds of innovative new products to more than 45,000 attendees and exhibitor personnel from nearly 100 countries. So far, Show exhibitors have reserved over 310,000 net square feet of exhibit space.