ISH North America 2003 Show Wrap-Up

Oct. 1, 2003
Las Vegas, NV: The second edition of ISH North America took place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the new Mandalay Bay Convention Center, October 1 - 3, 2003. Showcasing industry leading products and services in Kitchen & Bath, Plumbing, PVF, Heating and Air Conditioning, 540 exhibiting companies spanned over 340,000 square feet of exhibit space. Exhibitors came from 17 countries confirming the show's international

Las Vegas, NV: The second edition of ISH North America took place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the new Mandalay Bay Convention Center, October 1 - 3, 2003. Showcasing industry leading products and services in Kitchen & Bath, Plumbing, PVF, Heating and Air Conditioning, 540 exhibiting companies spanned over 340,000 square feet of exhibit space. Exhibitors came from 17 countries confirming the show's international reach, incuding a Chinese Pavilion offering buyers access to this significant global niche. New companies and industry veterans alike displayed their latest products and services to an eager audience. Strong attendance proved the importance of ISH North America to the Kitchen & Bath, Plumbing, PVF, Heating and Air Conditioning industries. Over 11,800 attendees attended the 3-day event. Registered attendees came from 32 U.S. states and 9 Canadian provinces as well as 45 international destinations. The strongest foreign buyer delegations came from Australia, Italy and Mexico. Exhibitors reported brisk business with both domestic and foreign accounts.

"Traffic was of much higher quality at ISH North America than at some of the other, larger shows in which we exhibit Over 90% of our booth traffic was either a customer or a potential customer, as compared to 50% at other exhibitions" said Don Gibson, Plant Manager for Alberta Custom Tee, Ltd.

Numerous on-site events captivated attendees including the New Product Showcase displaying 98 new products from various exhibiting companies. Awards were given in 8 categories: Kitchen & Bath, Plumbing & Piping, Heating & Ventilation, Software & Electronic Equipment, Industrial Products, Tools & Equipment, Air Conditioning/Refrigeration and Hydronic Heating. In addition, an award was presented for best overall product. Winners of the New Product Showcase awards were as follows:

• Kitchen & Bath: Aquanotion -"Two Flush"

• Plumbing & Piping: Elkay - Swirlflo Water Cooler

• Heating& Ventilation, Uponor Wirsbo - 'Wirsbo ProPANEL Series"

• Software & Electronic Equipment: Accubid Systems - "Pocket Change Order"

• Industrial Products: O'Brien Manufacturing -'IntelA-Count / OBJ-2430 E'

• Tools & Equipment: Bennette Design Group - "Plumbers Pad"

• Air Conditioning/Refigeration: EZ Trap - "Model 150 'Ultratrap' Waterless Trap"

• Hydronic Heating: Patterson Kelly -"PK MACH Series Boiler"

• Best Overall Product: Climastar -"Electric Portable Heater"

In addition, PHCC hosted its International Apprenticeship Contest. For the second year running the contest drew record-breaking participation. Plumbing apprentices from all over the world gathered to assemble a basic three piece bathroom including a toilet, a sink with a faucet and a shower pan with a faucet. The installation included the water, drain waste and vent lines. Scholarships were given to the top three participants:

• First Place: Sergio lbarra, California

• Second Place: Manuel Oroz, Nevada

• Third Place: Robert Ciesla, New Jersey

Other popular on-site events included the SmartHouse and Design Plus exhibits. SmartHouse offered a glimpse into the technology of today combined with the comforts of home to present the house of the future. Design Plus displayed products that took top honors for form and function at the ISH show in Frankfurt earlier this year.

ISH North America, presented a comprehensive seminar program, ISH Academy, based on the successful model of Frankfurt's program of the same name. Arranged into six industry specific tracks: Kitchen & Bath, Plumbing, HVAC, Hydronics, Business Management & Marketing and Environmental Systems, this informabve seminar program showcased the most prominent speakers in the corresponding industries and drew crowds eager to learn about the issues, solutions, trends and regulations surrounding their industry. Over 1,000 people took part in the six-track seminar program encompassing 54 sessions. The most popular sessions were:

• Easy Money: How to Stop Doing the Things that Keep You from Being Successful - Ellen Rohr

• Major Code Revisions on Drainage and Venting - Julius Ballanco

• European Heating Technologies: Utilizing Euro Design and Products in North America - Paul Pollets

Seminar participant, Lori Palmer of Win Bath & Kitchen said "[The New American Master Suite presented by Ellen Cheever was] very useful information for planning our new showroom!”

Industry support has been critical to the growth and success of ISH North Amedca. The show is produced in partnership with Messe Frankfurt, Inc. the America Supply Association (ASA), the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), the Plumbing-Heating- Cooling Contractors - National Association (PHCC) and the Radiant Panel Association (RPA). In addition, event endorsers and sponsors number over 20 associations and publications attesting to the strength of this consolidated event.

Looking ahead to the third edition, ISH North America returns to the newly constructed Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on October 14-16, 2004. Messe Frankfurt GmbH also hosts other global ISH related events such as:

• ISH China in Beijing, September 14-17, 2004

• Construct Light & Building in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, January 19-22, 2005

• ISH in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, March 15-19, 2005

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