IIAR Annual Conference Heads to Long Beach

The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration 2023 annual Natural Refrigeration Conference & Expo will take place in Long Beach, California, March 12th15th with a Foundation Golf Outing on March 11th and the first ever Foundation Pickleball/Cornhole Tournament on March 12th. The event provides four days of technical knowledge, networking, and industry-sponsored events for those involved in the natural refrigeration industry.

“Our registration so far has outpaced last year’s performance where we saw almost 1,300 registrations in total, so we expect to surpass that number,” said Ben Dawes, advocacy and digital marketing manager for IIAR.

There will be numerous educational opportunities throughout the conference, and attendees can earn professional development hours. The sessions get started on Sunday with the Vessel Design, Analysis, and Inspection program, which will feature four speakers who will examine aspects of vessel design, specification, fabrication, inspection, and maintenance and repair. It is designed to give attendees a greater awareness and knowledge of the complete life cycle of pressure vessels.

“The vessels are an integral part of every refrigeration system. How you design them, how they are used, and how you install, maintain, and operate is critical,” said Eric Smith, IIAR’s vice president and technical director. “We have some of the foremost experts lined up to provide their insights on this important topic. ”

IIAR has also created several workshops, including an AIM Act workshop. Participants will be speaking on various aspects of the AIM Act, covering everything from EPA requirements, what refrigerants will be phased out to how the financial industry sees sustainability. The panel also includes a professor who will address how students see environmental work. “Then we will be opening it up for about a half hour of audience questions,” said Gary Schrift, IIAR’s president.

The workshop panel, Solving the Technician Shortage, will address the significant labor gap in the refrigeration trade. The panel will review the results of NASRC’s recent technician workforce assessment, explore key challenges, and identify strategies to

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