ISH NA & RPA Convention

Unknown

I'm all confirmed. Staying at the Westin on Michigan Ave (RPA Hotel).

Look forward to seieng what you have to show :-)

wheels

Unknown

Staying and Registering with Who

Hey All,

You will not be surprised when I say I am confused with all the diffused information I have gathered.

With all the "ISH NA" hotels ($$$ - $) and the one RPA hotel($$$ and 7 blocks from the closest ISH hotel), ISH NA hotels offering shuttle busses to McCormick Place, RPA convention having seminars at the other end of town, conflicting times of ISH seminars, both going on at once and yet together........

What has anyone decided to do/stay and why?

I think that this week will be crunch week to make my decision on IF I go and Where to stay.

If I go, are we having a WALL meeting night?

wheels

DanHolohan

I'm going

to stay home.

Paul Rohrs_4

Steve...

Isn't it interesting we can calculate heat loads and design state-of-the-art hydronic systems, but navigating RPA & ISH/NA schedules and seminars, etc is as convoluted as it gets.

Are you leaning one way or the other about going and where to stay? I'm considering a Thursday-Friday trip and packing in as much as I can.

Edit: My preference would be to hit the trade show and attend as many seminars in the nearest vicinity to the show.

Regards,

PR

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Unknown

stay and play

PR,

If I am reading correctly if you pay and stay with RPA (2nd most expensive hotel on the list) you get all theRPA seminars, ISH admittance and unlimited ISH seminars AND shuttle buses. You are however up the other end of The Mile.

Not sure what the attraction to be at the RPA hotel is.

Not sure if I want to go to the system showcase dinner.

I'm still studying, but I have to get back and make some money.

wheels

Unknown

Looks like everyone....

else is staying home too.

Geeze. Maybe I'll save some money and stay home too.

Is this that bad of a show these days?

singh

I decided to

go. I'm going with the family two days earlier. Figured I make it a mini vacation, even though I'd rather go to Bahamas .
Will hit the museums and lakefront.
Then I'll do a day at RPA and another at ISH.

I was disappointed with the Hotel accomodations. I tried to reserve a room thru (ISH or RPA block rate) months ago, but the were booked. However plenty of rooms are available in the same Hotel at the regular rate.

As always , tough desicision on what seminars to go to, all the interesting ones seem to overlap.

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DanHolohan

I spoke at the first one

and the last one. I don't think they handle the seminars very well. When I spoke in Toronto there were actually people sitting behind me, and right next to the screen. They couldn't see a thing other than the rest of the crowd and my back. The speaker in the next room didn't show up so they took all of those people and loaded them into my room. Management by panic, and it was pretty uncomfortable for all of us. My next sesion in Toronto was held in a closet. Well, not quite a closet, but pretty close. I was using an overhead projector and had to have it so close to the screen that the image was only about two-feet square. People were actually climbing into the room.

In Boston, my one session was better as far as the room goes. I also did the keynote that year. They asked me to speak about what it would take to make ISH-NA the show in North America. I put together a bunch of ideas, such as not having the show in Boston during the first week of the heating season (duh), and I also suggested that they pick a city (like Chicago) and stick with it, much as ISH-Frankfurt does. I think my exact words were that they stop moving it around North America like some plumbing & heating Winnebago. There were a few other suggestions, but the sponsors didn't seem to want to hear them and as a result, I wasn't invited to Chicago. Which is okay since they pay their speakers next to nothing and require a ton of paperwork in the process. No sour grapes, though. They have some good speakers, and I've had my turn twice.

Of course, if you're going to RPA or one of the other gatherings, then this would be part of the trip, but I'm going to stay home.

I also think ASHRAE is a far better show and I'd rather spend the bucks on that.

Unknown

burnt out

Since being in manufacturing and doing soooo many shows, I am/was so burnt out on shows.

Chicago holds a few things I love. I spet a few years at my home office there.

The there is always the RPA draw :-)

Unknown

what happened to Holohans Rules

12ft ceilings
No Beams
everyone can see the screen
wireless mike
etc
etc :-)

I still love your rules on rooms to speak in.

DanHolohan

I know.

They know best. ;-)

Here's what I said at the keynote that put me on the outs:

First, don’t have it in October. There’s a day in the fall when the thermostats click on. As soon as that happens, everyone in the heating industry goes a bit crazy for a few weeks. That week usually comes around the middle of October, the exact time that ISH-NA takes place. It’s a shame, too, because the show loses that big crowd of potential show-goers (the technicians) who would love to be there, but have to be in the basements instead. This is especially true around Boston, the site of this year’s show.

And I know that we can come up with at least 365 reasons why no tradeshow should take place on any day of the year. It’s either too hot or too cold. Or it’s too close to the holidays, or too soon after the holidays. Or too many people are on vacation. Or no one’s thinking about heating at this time of the year, or cooling at that time of the year.

Let’s face it, no time is perfect, but the best time for ISH-NA, if it’s to be bigger than ISH Frankfurt is early-April. Why? Because early-April is far enough away from October, the time when the thermostats first click. Things have normalized. The weather is getting better, and it’s a time of year when contractors are looking for a break. Also, it’s not yet A/C season, and it is the time of year that consistently works for ISH Frankfurt in the odd years (that show is always in mid- or late-March). So why argue with success?

ISH-NA should be in the even years, opposite ISH Frankfurt, and it should be in early-April.

Next, settle on one location and keep it there. Be consistent with this big show. Stop moving it around North America. Let it stand like an every-other-year monument, just as ISH Frankfurt does. Let it rise up like a city itself every other year, and keep the same floor plan so that repeat visitors will know where to go. That’s the beauty of ISH Frankfurt. I know exactly where everyone is going to be. It saves me time, and I appreciate that.
Pick a cosmopolitan business city, one where there’s easy access to transportation. Make it easy for people to get from their hotels to the show, just like they do in Frankfurt.

Pick a city where there are plenty of great restaurants and pubs and things to do at night, but stay away from places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City where there are too many distractions. Build ISH-NA around a city that people will want to get to know, a city that people will want to come back to. I’ve gotten to know Frankfurt over the years. I know the good places to eat and drink and it’s always like coming home when I get there.

In other words, for this biggest of all shows, think Disney World rather than a traveling carnival.

Use the show to cross-pollinate the industry. Most shows are identified with one particular audience – engineers, contractors, wholesalers. ISH-NA is well on its way to being the show that brings all these groups together. There’s something for everyone here, and when these groups start to talk to each other, the exchange of knowledge is a wonderful thing to see. ISH Frankfurt does this so well every other year, and they open the show to the general public on the last day, which is always a Saturday. That’s the most heavily attended day of the show, and homeowners get to see what’s new and wonderful in the world of PHC.

What an opportunity this could present for us in North America.

Combine ISH-NA with a virtual trade show. Ever been to a virtual tradeshow? They’re relatively new and they happen on the Internet. Some are more elaborate than others, but the best ones look almost like video games. You enter through a registration room where you get your badge. You can then use this badge to request literature or more information from the many manufacturers who have virtual booths at the show. If you want to just browse, then browse. Each virtual booth contains the key information about the manufacturer, and there are also links to the manufacturer’s website, or short videos about the products they have to offer. As I said, some or more elaborate than others, and you can get a good sense of virtual tradeshows by searching those words on Google.com.

ISH-NA is every other year, but by giving the manufacturers who take live booths at the show virtual booths for the rest of the time, the show will continue, and millions of people will be able to visit at their convenience.

And to make it even better, consider having bulletin boards where visitors could post questions or comments and get answers from the folks in the booths.

We have no place in North America that rivals Messe Frankfurt in terms of size, but a virtual show can give life to ISH-NA every day, and when it rises like a city every other year, it will be a place where old friends (thanks to the bulletin boards) go to meet.

And think of how easy it will be to sell booths at ISH-NA when manufacturers know they’ll be getting the benefit of a virtual tradeshow show in the bargain. ISH-NA – the show that never closes.

Build a community, not just a tradeshow. When we set out to build the HeatingHelp.com website, we didn’t think of it as a website, but as a community. We assembled a lot of free information and that attracted a lot of people. We gave the people a way to talk to each other, and before long they began to help one another with technical challenges. And as they grew to know each other (even though most have never met in person), they began to care for each other, and so much so that if a member of the community had a spouse or child who became ill, the rest of the community would get together to raise money for that person. We’ve done this dozens of times over the years, and it has made us so much stronger. When people step away from their day-to-day problems and consider others, they become less selfish and are more willing to share. We didn’t build a website; we built a community.

Last year, I rode a train to Boston with Judy Garber, the Executive Director of the National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers. Along the way, we came up with the concept of Oil Heat Cares, an offshoot of the association. Oil Heat Cares would raise money to buy equipment so that NAOSHM chapter members (competitors all, working together as volunteers) could install heating equipment in the homes of people in their communities who had fallen on hard times.

We also made it fun because the NAOHSM chapters compete for the Oil Heat Cares Cup, which is like the NHL’s Stanley Cup. The chapter that does the most good in a given year gets to have their name engraved on the cup.

Oil Heat Cares launched at last spring’s NAOHSM convention and we raised $8000 in two days just by passing the hat at the education meetings, and running 50/50 raffles during the social times. It captured the imagination of the show’s attendees and that’s why it was an instant success. And the publicity that’s coming out of Oil Heat Cares is priceless.

All of this happened because we looked at NAOHSM as a community.

ISH-NA could do this on an even grander scale. The money raised could go to Habitat for Humanity, or some other fine cause. Or it could go into scholarships for both trade schools and engineering schools (an earlier idea that became a NAOHSM project now awards six, $2,000 trade school scholarships each year).

Put the associations that make up ISH-NA in competition with each other. Who can raise the most money during the two years between shows by running 50/50 raffles at their meetings? Who will win the ISH-NA trophy?

Imagine a Silent Auction Hall at the entrance to ISH-NA. Here we have a room where attendees can place bids on equipment donated by the manufacturers participating in the show. What a fine way to highlight products while helping others. It will also keep people at the show longer, especially on that last day.

Do something like this, build a community instead of a tradeshow. Combine and cross-pollinate associations and their members, and show it all proudly to the general public. Raise money toward a common goal, and watch what happens as people start to think outside of themselves. They’re suddenly willing to share more knowledge, and when that happens, anything is possible.

Do this and ISH-NA will shine like a champ. It will become the model of what an industry tradeshow can, and should, be in the 21st Century.

Unknown

as always

i couldn't agree more.

The problem is the shows are run for one purpose, to make the company that runs the show money. See, we all think that it is for the manufactures.... HAHAHAHA.

The companies that run the shows don't understand that it takes PEOPLE to attend and PEOPLE to get involved. The create a venue that makes the MANS feel obligated to attend and pay for booth space to show thier wares.

In days of old, like it is still at ISH EU, deals for goods were cut during the show. Here, most of the time, you can't even get a price sheet when you are at the show.

It's the same thing, here's my business card, have a nice day.

wheels

rb_6

I’ll be staying home as well.

No regrets either because we’re launching our brand spankin’ new seminar on Exergy, Anergy and Energy. It's based on recent publications from the International Energy Agency, Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems and ASHRAE’s newest technical committee, TG1.Exergy Analysis for Sustainable Buildings.

By the way the industries highest honor, the one celebrating education, mentoring and raising funds for industry charities - the one named after the legendary Gil Carlson and Dan Holohan, industry kinsman - was to be awarded at ISH North America - the privilege of holding the award ceremony went to NAOSHM this year.

DanHolohan

Tell us

about the new seminar. Where and when?

DanHolohan

It's that

Vision thing. Seems to be missing.

Ted_9

Wow, I wanted to go, but this sounds horrible.

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Paul Pollets

ain't it the truth!!

seems like a familiar story.

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hr

I've had a grreat time at ALL the shows mentioned

If you don't find something new and interesting, make some new, or meet some old friends, you are asleep at the wheel.

I've yet to leave one of these shows without a bunch of new product ideas, some great local dining, and catching up with old friends.

I showed a least a dozen pics of new and interesting products from the Boston show at this site. I know for
a fact it turned into sales for those manufactures.

Plenty to do in Chicago should the show bore you (doubtful)

It all in the eye of the beholder I'm a one man show, not a wealthy sales rep from PA, and I find the time and money to make the trip, Wheels

hot rod

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DanHolohan

Lot of shows

and plenty of choice, HR. You're right about that, and I appreciate your enthusiasm. I just don't care for the way these folks handle things.

Christian Egli_2

Familiar enough to try the famed Hessian gruene Sosse?

Goethe's favorite meal in Frankfurt, served over boiled potatoes and with necessarily spiked cider. Hands down, trade shows in Germany (over all other places in Europe) are the best, and Frankfurt has been hosting some pretty big ones for hundreds if not a thousand years now.

Chicago has green beer on St Patrick's. And Chicago is my next best pick for fairs. It's where the ASHRAE is at its biggest (it seems to me) and perhaps where the ISH will be its best. If they implement just half the good ideas of our host, it should be a resounding success. They did book the show in Chicago for a start... I imagine if it is too much of a cost to pay speakers, the credit due for good ideas should go untendered.

Incidentally, a trade show that pays for speakers is pretty good - I think - it's at least much better than having to pay for the privilege. And the doughnuts are never up to it anyways.

Chicago is easy to travel to and because it lives in another time zone, I seem to go wild on the extra one hour it stretches my day by... until jet lag kicks in. Then it's time to go back home. A blitz 25 hour day.

For whomever this may interest, there is the Assembly Technology Exhibition going on in Chicago September 26-28. The combo might make it all the more worthwhile.

http://www.atexpo.com

ScottMP

Well Dan

That saves me from e-mailing you to ask why your not going.

I agree with your comments, especially the travling circus. Its should be a destination not a target. Whats strange to me is that I thought this was run by the same people who run the show in Germany. You would think they would have the right formula. To bad. A great opportunity should'nt take this long to get it right.
From what I am reading this show is spread out over the town. In Franfurt I never left the buidlings except when I left for the bus.
You know the cold beer at the booths is a big draw also

Oh Well, I'll just save my money for Frankfurt.

Scott



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Felcie

RPA host hotel

The idea of a host hotel is to keep people of the same group together as much as possible.(RPA,PHCC,etc) One thing I always liked about the big shows is seeing people I may only see once a year or less.With the ISH show everyone seems to get lost in the crowd.

I hope to see alot of you there!

Unknown

wealthy sales rep?

HR,

Your right about the sales but the wealth is owned by the former Mrs Wieland.

:-)

OK, I think I will look at the actual days of the show and plan to be there for at least two of them. Say arrive Thursday, leave Sat or Sunday.

Saving my money and going to Frankford would be fun however it's like being a kid in a candy store with no money. You see all the items they have in EU but then you find out they won;t sell them into a 120V 60HZ society!

THANKS HR!

wheels

John R. Hall

CO panel

Mark Hunt, Jim Davis, and George Kerr will join me for a CO panel discussion. If you go to the show you won't want to miss this. I'll be giving a talk on contractor business concerns, too. I'm no slouch either. See ya' there.

Dan Foley

ISH & RPA

Wheels,

I plan on being there Wed. through Saturday. I will be staying at the RPA hotel but I will also be at the PHCC hotel for several functions. I was hoping to recruit you to introduce my seminar. Your booming voice grabs attention! -DF

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DanHolohan

This show

evolved out of the old NEX, which died due to lack of interest. The folks in charge of that show thought that if they brought in the Messe Frankfurt people it would give NEX the flavor of the big European show. The trouble, as I see it, is that there are many cooks at ISH-NA, and all of them are looking at this mainly as a profit center. My opinion.

I started going to ISH-Frankfurt in 1991, and at that time I was one of just a few Americans attending. I came back and wrote about the show in the trade magazines, and I like to think that I helped raise awareness that there are other ways to do things in this world, and that applies to both products and shows. When NEX evolved into ISH-NA I had great hopes for it. When they asked me to keynote and give my thoughts on how the show might become something more than just another expensive show I was happy to do so. I posted my speech above, and Plumbing & Mechanical later published the speech.

I never heard from anyone at ISH-NA, not the day I gave the talk, or since. I heard from industry friends that those in charge were upset that I criticized some of what they were doing, and I wasn't surprised that I wasn't invited back.

As I said, it's the Vision thing. Even if they didn't agree, I would have appreciated it if they had opened a dialogue with me, and with all of you here. We gather every day, and we care about things such as this. It would have been nice if they had explored some of this with us. Or just to tell me to my face that they weren't happy with my ideas.

Even if they had invited me this year, I would have stayed home. There's no soul to this thing.

Unknown

cost of my services for you.....

FREE!

Consider it a benifit of being a speaker :-)

Business casual?

What day?

hr

ISH NA

has some new top level managment in place now. I met Karen, a new Messe person, at the RadFest on Arlington recently. Very friendly, open to suggestion. I have not met the new top guy but he sounds like he is more intune with the USA way of doing things. Seems to be a lot more associations and booths at this years Chicago event.

The one big show seems to be what the industry was wanting, takes a while to gear it towards the fickle US market I suppose regsarding times, locations, and seminar tracks, etc.

hot rod

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DanHolohan

Great!

Love to hear from her.

Dan Foley

Seminar

I would be honored to have you introduce me. My seminar is Friday Set. 29 from 3-4:30pm. Business casual is what I'm wearing. -DF

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Unknown

RPA

Dan,

I agree that they can improve and by my previous posts you can see that I also know that this is a profit center for the people who run the shows.

Chicago is the MOST expensive city to be as a manufacture with a display. The convention center is the hardest to get in and out of with a display and to set up. I also think that Chicago has the most to offer and is a MAJOR hub.

I agree about NEX and the old RPA show.

What is attracting me to this is the fact that we have an RPA meeting in a place that has other attractions and a bigger show. This is a far step from the WooWoo TeePee Lounge (In minnisota in the shadow and dust of the Mall of America being built) where the first RPA meeting was held.

Maybe eventual all these shows will become one. Instead of the hubbub of ASHREA, K&B and ISHNA maybe we can have one show. HAHAHAHAHA. Not, then the organizers of all three shows won't make $$$$$.

Of course if no one shows up they won't make money either.

I get the feeling if we, meaning the Wallies, don't show up, they won't miss us. It would have to be a MUCH larger movement to get the organizers attention.

wheels

Unknown

that reads

beers thursday night to get your list of life accomplishments.

I could do it from memory but I could leave something in you don't want :-)

Dan Foley

Thursday

Done deal - Thursday night for beer(s) it is! -DF

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Paul Rohrs_4

Steve,

It sounds as if you are going. Where are you staying.

Regards,

PR

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hr

It's not easy

finding a city that is easy to fly into, affordable, and has a space large enough to handle that size show.

With the RPA we struggle to find a location that can handle even our smaller size show and group.

Of course they get paid up front so the pressure is on to get enough folks to show up and cover the nut. It's a nerve racking task.

Judy at the RPA deserves the credit for exploring the options to put on the RPA show.

I would imagine an ISH sized show is even harder to locate and please everyone. Often those halls need to be booked a year or more in advance.

I agree with Dan that the ISH show should stay put in one city. Although early on it was to rotate between Canada and the US.

Then again if they don't hit the gate numbers, it won't survive long. I would encourage all those that wanted a BIG show to attend so it can continue.

The manufactures prefer the large show as opposed to a dozen small shows for expense reasons. Gets expensive flying staff and shipping to a dozen small speciality shows.

hot rod

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Unknown

I'm going on line

to look. I figure if I can not find a place in town I'll head outt o Forrest Park and stay at one of my old haunts. Train runs out there.... and so will my rental car :-)

I'll have to let you know next week.

rb_6

Rant on

Rant on.

A few folks have contacted me off line to hear my thoughts on shows in general.

Let’s have some cerebral fun - say at one show, there are a 100 companies each investing $50,000 to be an exhibitor. Of the combined $5,000,000 ask “where does the money go?”

Very little, if any, actually goes towards consumer education or creating a consumer demand for the exhibitors products. The lions share of the expenditure is consumed happily by businesses serving the event like the airlines, restaurants, taxis, freight companies, hotels etc. All good if you own shares in the airline, restaurant, taxi, freight and hotel businesses.

Lets just say collectively the North America hot water heating industry willingly releases hypothetically $50,000,000 towards tradeshows and conferences each year.

Got it? Fifty million U.S. bucks a year – give or take a few hundred thousands dollars. Store that info in your brain for a second.

Now a while back Dan posted the most current census data on heating systems. If you have not seen it – its posted below. Really look at the numbers – try to understand what you are seeing – look for the trends.

So knowing what you know now about the long-term trend in hot water heating sales and with having some rudimentary understanding of the yearly investment in tradeshows and conferences – if you were a financial advisor – what would you say about the return on industry investment – if you were pretending to be the advisor?

Now the difference between ISH and ASHRAE, CEX/CIPHEX and RPA et al, is the traditional organizations which I support 100% by the way, hold their own shows to help finance the development of codes, standards, guidelines, and education programs and fund research projects, which contribute to the health and wellness of humankind and promote the reduction of carbon footprints from the industries they represent(ASHRAE has funded over $50 million in research over the years). Unless I have missed something a business that organizes shows for its private shareholders benefit provides a real nice event for a class reunion but contributes very little else – forgive me if I am wrong and I’ll be happy to recant my rant if I see a great big whopping donation to the research and educational bank accounts as a result of the reunion.

I would also strongly challenge all hot water heating equipment manufacturers to look at their tradeshow/conference returns as function of market share growth because unless the census data is grossly wrong and not accounting for misc. systems like hot water tanks used for floor warming - then another $5,000, $50,000, $5,000,000 or $50,000,000 is not changing what consumers get in HVAC systems. Again, forgive me if I am off base.

I’m not saying stop investing the money…I am saying direct it to a more productive activity.

So ponder this Peter, Paul and Mary- if the industry took say 50% of its yearly investment to do what it always does to create a warm fuzzy feeling meeting the same folks every year to talk about the same stuff we’ve been talking about forever at a traditional show– the marketing professionals call it networking instead of the class reunion that it is - then took the other 50% so that it could targeted it directly towards improving consumer demands - do you have any idea what would happen?

If you read the US Census data and look at the impact consumers have when they become part of the decision making process the sales of hydronics leaps to a nominal 11%.

Think about that. 11% when Mrs. and Mr. Smith get involved.

Look again at the trends in the census data and ask how has the industry benefited from its current marketing methods?

What it would take double the current value – how much would it cost? Where would the money come from? What type of people would it take to lead the program - to make the change.

The dollars exist – it’s going to get spent one way or another – it’s in everyone’s tradeshow budget for this year and years to come.

I think an RPA like organization directed by its membership with the services of a suitable professional financial and marketing team could find an appropriate and effective way to invest twenty five million dollars per year to increase consumer demands…what do you think?

$25,000,000 per year for say five years for consumer demand marketing and education...or distribute it to the airlines, restaurants, taxis, freight companies, hotels etc for another class reunion?

Rant Off.

DanHolohan

Exactly.

The Vision thing. If it's just about getting together for beers I'll be at the front of that line any day, but I had hoped for more from this particular show. I suppose it's because I've been to ISH-Frankfurt eight times and seen what's possible.

While we're talking about vanishing research money, I urge people to go to the Library, scroll to Famous People and read the piece about John B. Pierce, and his legacy, and then go back to the Library and click on the second link to The John B. Pierce Foundation. You'll find it right next to the pdf. How did this huge amount of funding ever get away from our industry?

Unknown

13% increase

RB,

You do make me smile. Please always rant on!

The Oil Industry has decided to put up money collectively and fund NORA for research and development. Oil Heat Cares is another (as mentioned earlier).

It was once presented to a group of us like this.... the speaker walks up to the microphone and said, "What's for dinner?" Everyone in the room said "beef!" Then he said, "Got....." and we said "Milk?" He went on to explain how the beef and dairy industries promoted their own products to compete in a VERY competitive market.

Imagine if we did that, as you said, with hydronics. We could have "Warm and...." "Friendly!" We could have "Warm, not nasty" We could have "Cozy Tozeys".....

Again, never give up your ranst.... I like them too much!

skw

rb_6

Another way to look at it is the great organizations like the RPA or ASHRAE or NAOSM or HRAI or CIPH or ACCA compete for industry dollars – a competition which is funded by the manufacturing industry where businesses not directly promoting our cause win first, second and third place in the cash awards. They are a parasitic in every sense of the word.

Here’s a very macro and very general comparison of building units to radiant tube sales from 1997 to 2005.

Unless I’m missing something (it happens)….essentially the growth of the radiant industry has followed the trends in building permits, which is actually significantly better than the rest of the hydronics industry so supporting the RPA has and will be a good thing. Nevertheless, it's really hard to change this pattern when 99.99% of tradeshow/conference dollars contribute to the growth of industries other than our own.

If we want our associations to make a difference we have to find a way to put millions of tradeshow and conference dollars in their hands not the continuous division and distribution amongst more shows and more businesses which service these events. In other words, reduce the number of parasites feeding on the available financial resources.

Cozy Tozeys (grin) ...do you know the news clip from New Zealand on radiant heated jails which prompted a public outcry has brought more awareness in 90 seconds to the radiant industry than years of marketing...and it didn't cost a dime to the industry.

What could you do with $25,000,000 a year for five years?

I would start by purchasing a master licensing rights to the video clip and showing it on every RPA members website...and on "Find a Professional" sites linked through heatinghelp.com - then maybe send it along with a story lead to the New York Times or Time Magazine with a U.S. prison facility being fitted with radiant...nothing would bring more awareness to the American public then seeing criminals pampered with radiant heating...it would cost less than one tradeshow for one company....

Larry Drake_2

RPA and ISH-NA

There are some great comments in this string although, as is often the case, looking in from the outside can cause people to draw the wrong conclusions.

First of all, ISH-NA is a partnership between PHCC, ASA, CIPH, RPA, IAPMO, and Messe Frankfurt. Messe Frankfurt are the same people that put on ISH in Frankfurt so they have brought their concepts with them. Messe Frankfurt manages the ISH-NA show, but all the partners meet and decide the vision and the direction of the show.

Show revenues are dispursed amoung the partners and the associations do the same thing with the revenues as they did with their individual shows, such as support education, research and industry promotion.

The goal of the ISH-NA show is to unit industry shows and reduce the cost to both exhibitors and attendees of attending multiple shows throughout the year.

I agree with Dan H. that there is not the social element at ISH-NA that there is in Frankfurt. We don't have large exhibitors with resturants in their booths. Every booth doesn't have a bar like they do at ISH-Frankfurt. We don't have free food and drink at almost every booth where people can hang out and talk business or just shoot the breeze. But, don't blame ISH-NA for that. It simply isn't allowed by facilites in the US. Every large convention center requires all food and drink be purchsed through the convention center's vendor.

On the other hand, each association has our own events where our members can come together and socialize and share experience and knowledge. That is why it is important to include RPA's conference in your visit to ISH-NA.

I don't know why the show management didn't get back to Dan after his speech on the betterment of ISH-NA, but I can tell you that there was a lot of discussion among the partners and it wasn't necessarily negative. It was more on what was practical.

I think we all agree that Spring would be a better time for ISH-NA. Unfortunately, you also have to look at what other shows we are competing against in our industry and others. There are only a few spaces big enough to handle a show the size of ISH-NA and there are a lot of industries competing for that space. There are also a lot of events within our industry that are also competing for the time of the year. ISH-NA has to book several years out to get any space.

Dan H. had a lot of good input about making ISH-NA a success. Like many good ideas, it is not the idea, but the implementation that is difficult. What seems simple enough on the outside can be complicated by mountains of issues on the inside. Many outside of our control.

All I can say is that the ISH-NA partnership members have all made big sacrifices in revenue to join together to do something good for the industry. That is their intent and deserves the industry's support.

It's not perfect, but each time we put it on it gets better. This year is stacking up to be the biggest and the best.

Of course we are returning to a bigger and better REX in Hartford, CT in August of 2007. It will just be every other year.

As far as the RPA hotel at ISH-NA, no matter which hotel you stay at, it is a bus ride to the McCormick. Both PHCC and ASA have their conventions at their hotels, just as we do. We have planned our RPA scheduled events to have the least amount of conflict with the ISH Trade Show and seminars.

We offer a great, all inclusive price and have created a schedule that will allow the maximum exposure to ISH and RPA events with the least amount of time away from your business.

I think staying away would be a mistake. There will be a lot to see and do. You won't be bored.