Exhibitors at last week’s ACR Show at the NEC in Birmingham reported multiple leads and orders and there was a notable increase in the quality of visitors.

The ACR Show is the UK’s only dedicated event for the refrigeration, air conditioning, ventilation, heating and heat pump sectors.

The decision to include h&v companies was a hit with visitors. Almost 30% expressed an interest in ventilation equipment and over a quarter in heating. Heat pumps accounted for half the visitor number. The demand for air conditioning and refrigeration equipment was as strong as ever: 70% of visitors highlighted air conditioning equipment as an area of product interest. Overall, 55% were interested in refrigeration equipment; 41% in refrigerants and 25% in refrigerated display equipment. In addition, they had money to spend, with nearly 40% of visitors having a budget of £200,000 or more.

Commenting at the end of a successful first day, Gree sales director Tim Mitchell said: “Today has certainly been productive for us; it appears that decision makers are at the show and are specifically seeking us out.”

Fujitsu sales and marketing director, Ian Carroll, said:  “We were very pleased with how The ACR Show went.  This year, we welcomed a record number of visitors to the Fujitsu stand.  Our new product ranges were well received and the show presented a good opportunity for customers to meet the team.”

Managing director of Stanley Handling, Graham Sharp, said: “The ACR Show has opened up so many doors for us; we didn’t have a single time waster. It’s just a shame the event is only every two years. We’ll definitely be back.”

In addition to the 100+ companies exhibiting at the show, visitors enjoyed an extensive seminar programme. Leading experts shared knowledge and advice in three seminar theatres: the Air Conditioning & Heat Pump Theatre sponsored by GREE; the Refrigeration & Cooling Theatre, sponsored by Opteon Refrigerants from Chemours and the Training & Careers Theatre, sponsored by Toshiba Carrier.

The ACR Show also hosted the national SkillFRIDGE competition for the first time. The competition provides a potential launch pad for apprentices in the sector to compete internationally at vocational skills competition, WorldSkills. 

The winner was Ashley Wilson, an RAC level 3 student at South Eastern Regional College (SERC) Northern Ireland and an apprentice for A1 refrigeration Ltd. Ashley won over tough competition from Chris Hoy (South Eastern Regional College NI), Kaine Finlay (Eastleigh College), Scott Thomson (Glasgow Kelvin College), Adam Hussain (College North West London) and James Hughes (The Manchester College).

The ACR Show was backed by all of the leading trade associations, including the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR), which also held its annual conference at the show; the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA); Refcom; the Building and Engineering Services Association (BESA), British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), Association of European Component Manufacturers (ASERCOM) and the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA).

For more information visit www.acrshow.com