Despite the turbulent economy, the 2009 AHR EXPO, held at Chicago’s McCormick Place Jan. 26-28, drew more than 54,000 registered HVAC/R professionals (including 34,973 attendees and 19,095 exhibitor personnel). The show featured 1,911 exhibiting companies, the second highest ever. Plus, the 2009 event ranks as the fourth largest AHR EXPO of all-time in terms of square footage (396,048 net square feet). Other impressive figures included 5,383 international attendees and 383 companies exhibiting from outside the U.S.

“Even though the economy is struggling, the crowd that came out for the 2009 Show exceeded our expectations,” said Clay Stevens, president of International Exposition Co., which produces and manages the AHR EXPO. “The aisles were crowded and exhibitors in general were very pleased with the turnout at their booths.”

Other show highlights included an extensive education seminar program and presentation of AHR EXPO Innovation Awards [winners and honorable mentions] for categories such as building automation, green building, and software.