HARDI 2022 Annual Conference Ignite Boasts Record-breaking Attendance

Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International concluded its Annual Conference Dec. 6 in Houston, Texas, with record-breaking attendance.

HARDI welcomed more than 1,840 attendees to Houston, including 536 wholesaler attendees from 187 companies and a sold-out booth program featuring 250 vendors. This was the highest number of attendees in the history of the conference and a testament to the appetite the HVACR industry has for networking and educational content regarding trends, tools and practices that impact growth.

The event featured six keynote speakers whose presentations aligned with the conference’s four main themes: Business Growth, External Impacts, Organizational Development and Personal Advancement. HARDI welcomed Billy Beane, executive vice president of baseball operations of the Oakland A’s, whose engaging and informative presentation Moneyball: Lessons for Life & Business from Baseball’s Best General Manager was highly attended and praised. Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group returned to the HARDI mainstage with a witty analysis of major factors shaping economic outcomes.

The conference featured 26 breakout sessions, many of which showcased insights and benchmarking data made possible by HARDI’s market intelligence team. Four regional forecast sessions examined how economic and regulatory factors will impact specific regions of the country in the coming months. The Voice of Supplier, Voice of Contractor and State of the Channel sessions gave attendees a look at the association’s yearlong research initiatives.

HARDI used the event as a platform to make important announcements regarding changes to its Board of Directors. In 2019, HARDI adopted a new governance model designed to take the growing association to yet another level of sophistication and scale. One of those changes included instating two-year chair terms. It was announced that Rhonda Wight, Refrigeration Sales Corp, will become the first HARDI chair to serve a second year.

Finally, HARDI recognized 20 graduates from its Emerging Leaders program.

This year’s annual conference will be held Dec. 2-5 in Phoenix, Arizona at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge.