IIAR 2020 Face-to-Face Annual Conference Cancelled

Click here for information on the 2020 IIAR Online Conference & Virtual Expo

IIAR 2020 Conference Update

A Letter from the IIAR Executive Committee

April 16, 2020

2020 IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference & Heavy Equipment Expo Conference Fee Update

IIAR is pleased to announce updated refund options related to changing the 2020 IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference & Heavy Equipment Expo to an online format. Our staff has been working diligently with presenters, exhibitors, sponsors and members to create an online program that will deliver technical education and marketing opportunities at a significantly reduced cost compared to our regular conference fees.

Paid registrants - Will be provided a choice:

• Apply 100% of your paid 2020 registration fee to a 2021 conference registration at the member or non-member rate, based on your 2021 membership status.
• Be refunded 65% of your registration fee. Refunds will be processed within the next three months, allowing enough time to precisely and manually process refunds.
• Express your support of IIAR by generously accepting a lesser exhibit space adjustment refund and contributing the difference to the Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation (NRF) to fund scholarships and research programs that benefit our industry. These contributions to NRF will be processed as tax-deductible donations.

Unpaid registrants – persons formally registered but who paid no fee to IIAR (i.e., honorary members, special guests of IIAR, or complimentary registrations from a booth purchase), will not receive a refund or credit towards registration for the 2021 IIAR conference. However, unpaid registrants will receive the benefits being offered to all registrants for the 2020 IIAR online conference described below.

All registrants for the 2020 IIAR conference, whether paid or unpaid, will receive the following:

• Full access to the May-June 2020 Online Educational and Exhibitor/Sponsor Promotional Conference, including online educational events and information, exhibitor/sponsor product and service information and contacts.
• An option to purchase any IIAR Academy of Natural Refrigerants (ANR)) online educational course at 50% off the regular price until February 28, 2021.
• An option to purchase any IIAR standard, guideline, handbook, or bulletin at 20% off the regular price until February 28, 2021.

NOTE: A majority of our publications have been updated in the past 3 years. If you own previous editions, this is an excellent opportunity to purchase updates at a discounted price.

Request Registration Refund Here

Exhibitor Registrants for the 2020 IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference & Heavy Equipment Expo:

Our May-June 2020 Online Educational and Exhibitor/Sponsor Promotional Conference exhibit hall will provide all exhibitors with promotional and contact opportunities to anyone who clicks on a virtual exhibit booth. Virtual exhibit booths will be promoted throughout the year beyond conference registrants and members, offering exhibitors greater exposure than would have been possible at the face-to-face 2020 IIAR Conference.

Since all exhibitors will be provided the same visibility and promotional benefits, IIAR is asking that all exhibitors contribute a standard amount of $1,850, which will help IIAR to offset some of our cancellation fees. IIAR will refund all booth costs paid by exhibitors less any credit cards fees, and less $1,850. This amount is based on 50% of the price of the smallest and least desirable 2020 Expo booth location at the Rosen Shingle Creek Convention Center, which was $3,700.

Options for receiving the refundable amount (adjustment), as described above, are as follows:

• Apply 100% of your exhibit space adjustment refund to your 2021 conference exhibit space.
• Receive your exhibit space adjustment refund within the next three months, allowing enough time to precisely and manually process refunds.
• Express your support of IIAR by generously accepting a lesser exhibit space adjustment refund and contributing the difference to the Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation (NRF) to fund scholarships and research programs that benefit our industry. These contributions to NRF will be processed as tax-deductible donations.

Request Exhibitor Refund Here 

Sponsors for the 2020 IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference & Heavy Equipment Expo

IIAR’s May-June 2020 Online Educational and Exhibitor/Sponsor Promotional Conference will provide a vast array of educational content, including online presentations of all technical sessions, workshops, the “Sunday Educational Event” and panels that were scheduled for the Orlando Conference.

Over the estimated three-week online conference period, registrants will be able to attend, from their home or place of work, ALL conference presentations. Unlike our face-to-face conferences that sometimes require choosing between competing programs, no online sessions will be held simultaneously. Plus, most technical sessions will be presented online twice, with an opportunity for live Q&A.

For added flexibility, most sessions will be recorded and saved so that any conference registrant will have an opportunity to view sessions after the online conference concludes. This will provide added value to our sponsors, who will continue to be recognized and credited for their contributions until our 2021 conference.

Since all sponsors will receive the same level of visibility and promotional benefits, sponsors are being asked to contribute a standard amount of $3,000, which will help IIAR to offset some of our cancellation fees. IIAR will refund all sponsorship costs paid by sponsors less any credit card fees, and less $3,000.

This sponsor fee will provide recognition and credit that will be visible to all conference registrants in all sessions until February 28, 2021. We sincerely hope that our sponsors will view $3,000 as a fair price and good value, displaying your commitment to IIAR for all Online Conference participants to see.

Options for receiving the refundable amount (adjustment), as described above, are as follows:

• Apply 100% of your sponsorship adjustment refund to your 2021 conference sponsorship.
• Receive your sponsorship adjustment refund within the next three months, allowing enough time to precisely and manually process refunds.
• Express your support of IIAR by generously accepting a lesser sponsorship adjustment refund and contributing the difference to the Ammonia Refrigeration Foundation (NRF) to fund scholarships and research programs that benefit our industry. These contributions to NRF will be processed as tax-deductible donations.

Request Sponsorship Refund Here

Technomercial Purchases

Over the approximately 3-week duration of IIAR’s May-June 2020 Online Educational and Exhibitor/Sponsor Promotional Conference, IIAR has scheduled time for vendors to conduct online Technomercial presentations. Unlike our in-person conferences that sometimes require choosing between competing programs, no online sessions will be held simultaneously. So, all registrants will be able to attend your Technomercial without the worry of missing another program. Advance notice will be provided to all registrants of the time and day of Technomercial presentations. Because we expect more registrants to attend online Technomercials than would have attended live presentations in Orlando, the value received by our Technomercial sponsors will not be diminished by doing the presentations online. Thereby, Technomercial purchases are not being refunded.

Technomercial presentations will be pre-recorded, then presented in a semi-live format during the conference. Technomercial presenters will be have the choice of pre-recording presentations using: a) The presenter’s own computer video camera and microphone, or b) Our online vendor’s recording services and software. In either case, we will be offering our online vendor’s support and best practice guidance for making video presentations. In addition, presenters will be offered an advance “test time” to be sure they are equipped to create their recorded session and upload it to our online vendor’s Web site prior to “semi-live” Conference session. At the scheduled presentation time, the recorded session will be live streamed to all online attendees, and the speaker(s) will then conduct a live Q&A session with all online attendees once the recorded presentation has finished.

IIAR 2020 Conference Update

To: IIAR 2020 Natural Refrigeration Conference & Heavy Equipment EXPO

• Registrants
• Secondary Coolant Systems Program Participants
• Technomercial Companies
• Sponsors & Exhibitors

Dear Conference Attendees and Supporting Companies:

The Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent cancellation of your IIAR’s annual conference has impacted all of us in multiple ways and has created the need to come up with a new and different way to deliver as much value as possible to conference attendees and exhibitors. To that end the IIAR Executive Committee and Staff have been working hard on putting together the first-of-its-kind IIAR Virtual Conference.

The good news is that most of the technical and commercial content that would have been presented at the Orlando conference can be made available to you in digital format and live through webcasting and other virtual means. Using today’s technologies will allow us to offer the content and provide the education and PDH credits that many conference attendees need to justify their participation in the event. The Virtual Conference can offer significant benefits to those companies that use the annual conference as a platform to market their products and services. It will also be designed to offer benefits that could not be provided in the conference and will continue throughout the year.

The Virtual Conference will reside on the IIAR Website and include a number of new features and benefits for the Orlando Conference participants. Its services will include the application of the IIAR Learning Management System, The Academy of Natural Refrigerants certificate program and a new interactive IIAR Online Mall platform offering marketing services to the entire IIAR membership.

Virtual Conference Benefits - Conference Registrants

Those individuals with paid registration to the Orlando conference will receive the following benefits:

1. Access to the live ONLINE presentation of all technical papers and workshops. Those participants attending the live presentations will receive PDH continuing education credits following the ASTM E2659 Standard Practices for Certificate Programs and accredited by (RCEP) Registered Continuing Education Programs for engineers.
2. Technical Papers and Workshop presentations will reside on the IIAR Virtual Conference landing page for follow-up review. (Note: Webpage review of presentations will not be subject to PDH credits.)
3. Technical Papers and Workshop presentations will provide Spanish interpretation.

Further Discounts:

1. Paid Registrants for the Orlando Conference will be offered the opportunity to register for Academy of Natural Refrigerants courses at 50% of the published rate. (ANR Discounts effective July 1 through March 26, 2021)
2. IIAR publications such as Standards, Safety Guidelines and Handbooks offered at a 20% discount.

Note: Discounts only apply to paid registrants for the 2020 Orlando Conference. Spouse/Guest Registrations will receive a full refund. No additional conference refunds will apply.

Virtual Conference Benefits – Secondary Coolant Systems Registrants

Those individuals with paid registration for the Secondary Coolant Systems class that had been scheduled for March 15, 2020 will receive the following services:

1. Access to the live ONLINE presentation of the Secondary Coolant Systems class. The four sections of the class will be scheduled in sequence but at different times to allow participants to schedule their attendance. The class schedule will be published in advance. Those participants attending the live presentations will receive PDH continuing education credits following the ASTM E2659 Standard Practices for Certificate Programs and accredited by (RCEP) Registered Continuing Education Programs for engineers.
2. Conference registrants who did not register for the class will have an opportunity to pay and register prior to the live ONLINE presentations to take advantage of this education program.
3. The Secondary Coolant Systems presentations will reside on the IIAR Virtual Conference landing page for follow-up review. (Note: Webpage review of presentations will not be subject to PDH credits and will only be accessible to paid registrants for the class.)
4. The Secondary Coolant Systems presentations will provide Spanish interpretation.
5. Registrants will have access to SRL presenter slides.

Note: No additional class registration refunds will apply.

Virtual Conference Benefits – Technomercial Companies

Companies that purchased Technomercial Programs for the Orlando Conference will be given the opportunity to present their marketing material on a live ONLINE platform. The platform will include question/answer opportunities. Other benefits will include:

1. Technomercials will be accessible to all IIAR members and non-members.
2. Presentations will be recorded and remain on the IIAR Virtual Conference landing page.
3. The Technomercial schedule will be published in advance to allow members adequate time to schedule their attendance.
4. The presentation schedule will be published in a special bi-monthly Virtual Conference Newsletter and the May issue of the IIAR Condenser.

Note: No additional Technomercial refunds will apply.

Virtual Conference Benefits – Exhibitors & Sponsors

The 2020 Orlando Conference Exhibitors and Sponsors will receive a number of marketing and sales opportunities though the Virtual Conference and other new platforms including the following:

1. Sponsors may select a technical paper or workshop presentation from the published list and be recognized for their conference support. This will include introduction to the presentation, a brief product or service focus presentation and an automated email following each presentation to attendees.
2. Each company may present product information and videos on a new ONLINE Mall platform.
3. Sponsors and Exhibitors may select ad space in the new Virtual Conference bi-weekly email and link their advertisement back to the Virtual ONLINE Mall.
4. Employees of the Sponsors and Exhibitors may register for any Academy of Natural Refrigerants certificate course at 50% of the published price. (ANR discounts effective July 1 through March 26, 2021)
5. IIAR publications such as Standards, Safety Guidelines and Handbooks offered at a 20% discount.
6. The complimentary registrations that are provided with the Exhibitor space will be provided with access to all conference registration benefits outlined in this letter.

In addition to the Virtual Conference Benefits provided, 25% of the 2020 Orlando Conference Exhibitor and Sponsor fees will be refunded to each company and 25% will be credited to the IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference & EXPO scheduled in Palm Springs, CA March 28 to 31, 2021.

Note: Discounts only apply to paid and/or exhibitor complimentary registrants for the 2020 Orlando Conference and are in effect until March 26, 2021.

The Virtual Conference program is being developed to offer comprehensive benefits to the planned participants in the 2020 Orlando Conference. The program will address the conference technical program education opportunities including PDH continuing education credits. The ONLINE platform format and published schedule will allow attendees, for the first time ever, to schedule their personal time and attend the entire list of technical presentations. In addition, each presentation will be recorded and available on the Virtual Conference platform for future review.

The opportunity for Technomercial Companies, Exhibitors and Sponsors has been expanded to include, not only conference registrants, but the entire IIAR membership roster. It will also allow companies to present their product and services information throughout the year through the new ONLINE Mall platform and receive additional sponsorship and ad recognition. This benefit will become increasingly significant given the impact of the Coronavirus and the limited opportunities to travel and meet with your customers.

The Virtual Conference is currently in development and IIAR Staff has already begun scheduling the program presentations and outsourcing the necessary support to provide a quality program. The initial schedule for technical paper, workshop and Technomercial presentations is planned to be published in April. The Virtual Conference live ONLINE presentations are scheduled to begin in May along with the first bi-weekly Virtual Conference Newsletter.

The IIAR Staff and Executive Committee have been working very hard since the cancellation of the conference last week to both address member questions and develop this program for the benefit of the attendees. The goal for all of us has been to provide the conference registrants, exhibitors, sponsors and other participants with fair value for their investment in the conference. And, to ensure your IIAR organization maintains financial stability in order to serve our industry and membership in the future.

We appreciate your patience and support while we address the difficult challenges incurred with the conference cancellation. We will be reaching out to many members and conference presenters over the next few days and more details concerning the Virtual Conference program will follow in the coming weeks.

Regards,

David L. Rule, President, IIAR

Bruce Nelson, 2019-2020 IIAR Chairman

IIAR 2020 Orlando Conference Cancellation