ARBS 2024: Highlights from the industry’s biggest expo

After three days, more than 9,000 visitors and over 340 exhibitors, ARBS 2024 – hailed the biggest ARBS ever – has drawn to a close.

“ARBS 2024 has truly raised the bar for our industry,” says ARBS CEO Amanda Searle. “The overwhelming engagement and enthusiasm from exhibitors and attendees have been exceptional. Our new initiatives underscore our unwavering commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse industry. We are excited to build on this incredible momentum as we plan for the future.”

ARBS Chair Professor Tony Arnel says ARBS 2024 has shown the potential and innovation within the Australian HVAC&R industry.

“The breadth of knowledge shared in our seminars and the diversity of perspectives presented have been truly inspiring,” Arnel says. “We are committed to continuing this trajectory of growth and inclusivity, ensuring that ARBS remains a platform for industry advancement.”

The HVAC&R News team was in Sydney for the exhibition. We’ve compiled some of our highlights of the industry’s biggest event.

Women of AIRAH Breakfast

It was an early start on Wednesday, April 29, but for the sellout crowd who ventured to ICC Sydney at 7.30am for the annual Women of AIRAH Breakfast, there were no regrets. The food was exquisite and the company just as good, but it was ASHRAE president Ginger Scoggins whose presentation stole the show.

In her confronting but inspiring presentation, Scoggins, who has nearly 40 years of experience in the US HVAC&R industry, talked about the barriers to entry for women. She highlighted the discrepancy between female engineering graduates and those who go on to work in HVAC&R, and discussed why the gap is so significant. She also shared her personal experiences of discrimination in the workplace, talking about how she pushed through these setbacks and went on to thrive in the industry.

After the presentation, newly announced AIRAH president Mikaila Ganado, M.AIRAH, joined Scoggins on stage for a 45-minute Q&A session with the audience. As the questions flowed, the session evolved into a discussion, with participants across the room sharing their thoughts and reflections. If it weren’t for the time restraints, the breakfast conversation could have easily flowed into lunch.

ARBS Awards gala

It simply wouldn’t be ARBS without the eponymous awards gala, which this year took place in the ICC ballroom.

As soon as host Rob Carlton, known for his portrayal of Kerry Packer in Paper Giants, bounced onto the stage, you could tell it would be a fun and upbeat evening. Carlton weaved philosophy and humour into the evening, giving those in the HVAC&R industry a sense of the importance of their work in people’s everyday lives.

The six award winners for the evening were:

• Young Achiever Award: Travis Schick, NRG Services
• Project Excellence Award: Allianz Stadium – Mechanical and HVAC Services
• Software/Digital Excellence Award: Exergenics – Cloud-Based Chiller Plant Optimisation Software
• Outstanding Industry/Training Award: Beijer Ref Academy CO2 Safety & Systems Training
• Product Excellence (Refrigeration) Award: P Series Refrigerator, Hussmann Oceania.
• Product Excellence (HVAC) Award: Thermal XR, Graphene Manufacturing Group

This year, ARBS inducted five industry legends into its hall of fame, which now contains 33 members. The new inductees are:

• Carl Balke, Affil.AIRAH
• Gemma Collins
• Andrew O’Connor
• Klaas Visser, M.AIRAH (in memoriam)
• Bob Woodhouse, Affil.AIRAH

Seminars galore

While the trade show carried on downstairs, industry leaders gathered upstairs for some captivating discussions about the state of Australian HVAC&R. Over the three days, we attended several valuable seminars:  

• The release of Cold Hard Facts 4, the most comprehensive report into Australia’s refrigerant market and its progress (or lack thereof) towards natural and low-GWP refrigerants. Graeme Dewerson from Expert Group authored the report, which found that Australia is lagging significantly behind its Kigali Amendment targets.
• AIRAH’s Electrification Special Technical Group (STG), which covered topics such as the performance of heat pumps in cold climates, safety considerations for low-GWP refrigerants, and constraints around power supply in building retrofit projects.
• Cultivating success: Addressing VET sector training amidst rapidly changing technology. This panel included outgoing AIRAH president Paul Jackson, F.AIRAH, and AIRAH CEO Sami Zheng, Affil.AIRAH, who discussed the skills shortage in HVAC&R and what can be done to attract and retain talent within the industry.
• AIRAH’s Commercial Kitchen Exhaust STG, which provided an overview of its best practice guide for commercial kitchen exhaust management. The session covered topics such as system design and components, maintenance requirements, and access to and into kitchen exhaust systems. The STG members encouraged questions and feedback from the audience, pointing out that the guide is still a work in progress and can be updated.