Penton’s Comfortech Grew Attendance 21 Percent in St. Louis
October 11, 2015
Penton’s Comfortech, a contractor-focused conference and exposition, brought together 1,700 mechanical and electrical contracting professionals and nearly 150 exhibiting companies.
The show also grew its attendance by 21 percent, when it was held Sept. 15-17 2015 in St. Louis, MO.
Comfortech was collocated with association events including Service Roundtable/Service Nation Alliance, Quality Service Contractors, National Comfort Institute, and Women in HVACR and mechanical contractors.
“Comfortech covered the vital issues and challenges mechanical and electrical contracting professionals face each and every day,” said Florence Torres, show director, Comfortech.
She added, “We received positive feedback from attendees as well as exhibitors around the caliber of the event. Not only was our attendance higher than previous years, but exhibitor resign was also three times higher than last year. We look forward to working with the industry to bring an even more robust event next year.”
Tony Gunderson, Hurlburt Heating and Plumbing in Durand, Wis., said, “This was our first time attending Comfortech. We have attended many events like this in the past. However, this was by far the best event. The speakers and the breakout sessions were second to none and the vendors were a perfect match to attendees. I cannot believe that anyone left the event without at least one piece of valuable information to better their business.”
Education sessions included Jim "The Rookie" Morris and Kelly McDonald, a marketing and consumer trends expert from McDonald Marketing, both keynoted the event.
In addition, Brigham Dickinson of Power Selling Pros taught a three-part workshop that focused on increasing sales and gaining new customers.
Bob Mader, content director, Comfortech, said, “The event covered recruiting and customer acquisition and also showcased new industry trends such as variable refrigerant flow equipment, mergers and acquisition and landmines being laid by the Department of Labor and OSHA. We look forward to examine these topics as well as many others at next year’s conference.”
In addition, the Comfortech exhibit hall featured leading companies such as Honeywell Generators, Mitsubishi Electric US and Owens Corning, which also saw a 67 percent increase in attendance, compared with the previous year.
Comfortech also introduced a mobile app that highlighted the key activities of the event. Mobile downloads increased by 68 percent, compared with last year’s event.
The mobile app offered an activity stream, a schedule, a list of exhibitors, a map of the event, a list of all the speakers and a Twitter feed.
This year’s event added the C3: Comfortech Contractor Competition in partnership with the National Comfort Institute, Inc. (NCI) and Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (PHCC).
Contractors showcased their HVAC and Hydronic skill assessment and Plumbing acumen. Participants were judged on accuracy, skill and timing in the fast-paced competitions
Partner Voices
Overview:
The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality.
In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.
“We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.”
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OCCC Events:
This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.
The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:
AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023
200,000 Attendees
$257 Million in Economic Impact
MEGACON 2023
160,000 Attendees
$205 Million in Economic Impact
Open Championship Series 2023
69,500 Attendees
$89 Million in Economic Impact
Sunshine Classic 2023
42,000 Attendees
$54 Million in Economic Impact
Premiere Orlando 2023
42,000 Attendees
$108 Million in Economic Impact
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