Agenda at-a-Glance
An overview of the 3-day 2023 AHRI Leadership Forum agenda.
About the Forum
The AHRI Leadership Forum is carefully crafted to offer critical, strategic industry and association information in an interactive, dynamic setting. The sessions at this meeting will offer solutions on a variety of topics pertinent to all AHRI member companies. It will feature dynamic speakers, stronger peer engagement opportunities, and leadership presentations to help AHRI member companies advance their goals and get the most from their AHRI membership.
Sunday, November 12
Whether you are very active, somewhat active, or hardly active at all in AHRI, you likely would benefit from a primer on all that your trade association does or can do – for your company and our industry. Come grab a cocktail and learn the structure of AHRI, meet some of the key staff, and get a feel for the broad capabilities and global reach of one of the largest trade associations in the nation.
The Leadership Forum’s opening session will feature a video report of recent association activities and future plans from each of our four industry sectors and certification teams. AHRI’s legal, legislative, regulatory, and international staff also will provide updates on developments affecting our industry at the state, federal, and international levels. Please plan to join us for this informative and fun traditional Leadership Forum kickoff.
Get ready to enjoy and participate in the Miami art scene at the “Wild About Wynwood” Welcome Reception and Dinner as we kick off the Leadership Forum! Don’t miss the opportunity to watch a live art demo, have your caricature done, create your own art, enjoy cigars, and see and hear a twist to the classic violinist. The reception will be hosted at Palm Court. Dress is casual, so come prepared to have some fun! The event terrain will feature some grassy areas, so please avoid shoes with heels.
Sponsored by:
Monday, November 13
Join AHRI Chairman Kevin Wheeler for the Annual Chairman's Business Meeting Breakfast, during which he will report on the state of the association and present AHRI Industry Awards. Following the awards, Kevin will welcome keynote speaker Paul Zikopoulos, Vice President of Technology Group Skills Vitality and Enablement at IBM and future trends expert. Paul is changing the way audiences are looking at their businesses in terms of sales, obstacles, and potential for growth - and the key ingredient is data! He will offer a framework for excelling in a time of rapid change, explain why Big Data, AI and machine learning are not just tools for a competitive edge but for survival and will discuss evolving technology issues including the implications of AI as it relates to ethics, bias, and transparency.
States are beginning to focus on regulating ‘forever chemicals,” which are found in nearly all of the products and equipment produced by our member companies. Some of these chemicals have potentially suitable replacements, while many do not. Plan to attend this session for the current lay of the land, what we can expect in the coming couple of years, and ways AHRI is engaging with policy makers on the issue.
Industry sectors will meet at the Leadership Forum this year to discuss issues of common concern and to look ahead to 2024 and beyond to identify the certification, regulatory, standards, codes, and legislative issues that must be addressed. Meeting as a broad group of manufacturers of products and components from similar or related technologies will provide opportunities to discuss strategies to address the common and cross-cutting issues impacting each sector.
For maximum effectiveness, companies that participate in more than one sector should plan to have at least one staff member in attendance at each relevant sector meeting.
Join friends, colleagues, and AHRI staff at the “Let’s Flamingle!” Reception and Dinner! Play games and get ready for unique photo ops as we continue to network during the Leadership Forum! The reception will be hosted at the Palm Court. Dress is casual; please wear comfortable shoes as this reception is located in a grassy area.
Sponsored by:
Tuesday, November 14
In this session, a panel of experts will discuss the current hot topic of Environmental/Social/Governance (ESG) and its real and potential impact on the ways our member companies do business. This session will be of particular interest to our small- and medium-sized members that might not have the internal resources to devote to this issue and its potential compliance challenges.
Industry sectors will meet at Leadership Forum this year to discuss issues of common concern and to look ahead to 2024 and beyond to identify the certification, regulatory, standards, codes, and legislative issues that must be addressed. Meeting as a broad group of manufacturers of products and components from similar or related technologies will provide opportunities to discuss strategies to address the common and cross-cutting issues impacting each sector.
For maximum effectiveness, companies that participate in more than one sector should plan to have at least one staff member in attendance at each relevant sector meeting.
Join incoming chairman Gary Bedard (Lennox International) for the Incoming Chairman's Luncheon and Sports Awards, during which Gary will outline plans for his tenure as AHRI Chairman. Following his address, the winners of the Golf Tournament and Rees Scholarship 5k will be announced. After the awards, Gary will welcome keynote speaker Amy Walter, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report where she provides analysis of the issues, trends, and events that shape the political environment. Amy will level set the current political climate and look ahead to busy election season ahead.
Sponsored by:
Standards technical committees (STCs) rely heavily on member input to advance industry needs. AHRI has heard the request for increased STC meetings at the Leadership Forum and eight are planned this year. Product engineers are highly encouraged to participate in the following meetings of interest, open for all to attend:
- Hydronics Systems STC (*11:00 AM-12:00 PM)
- Unitary Large Equipment STC - Regulatory Impact
- Chillers STC
- Packaged Terminal Air-Conditioners and Heat Pumps STC - Regulatory Impact
- Refrigeration Regulatory Committee (RRC) (by Invitation Only)
- Unitary Small Equipment STC - Regulatory Impact
- Air Distribution STC
- Air to Water Heat Pump Task Force
