HVAC Comfortech 2009: What Topics Would You Like To See?

[the editor]

Greetings gang --

We are in process developing the program for Comfortech 2009 and are interested in your input. We generally put together in excess of 18 seminars and I thought I'd give the membership of HVAC-Talk a chance to help steer the program. Traditionally, Comfortech is broken down into 5 tracks: Business Management, Sales and Marketing, Service Management, Technical, and Presidential.

I'm interested in topics that you'd be willing to travel to Nashville to see: Some examples could include:

Business Management:
Budgeting Like A Pro
Hiring the RIGHT People
Careers in HVACR
Using Email to Grow Profits
Cash Flow Analysis
Strategic Plannning
How to Buy InsuranceSales/Marketing
Commissioning Salespeople
Selling Over the Internet
Sales Manager Best Practices
Talk Radio Marketing
Flat Rate Vs. TM: Whichh Brings More Profit?
YOU Are the Brand
Do Consumers Buy Green?
Database Marketing for ContractorsService Management
20 Traits of a First Class Service Manager
Managing Truck Inventory
How GPS Can Savy You Fuel
Dispatching in the 21st Century
Next Generation Service Managment Software: Is it for You?Technical
Is Solar Technology Viable in the HVAC Business?
Air Balancing 101
R-22 Refrigerant Recycling Revisted
Alternative Refrigerants: What You Need to Know
Ventilation System Inspections: The key To Providing Comfort
10 Tips On Better DiagnosticsThese are just some sample topics. So no is your chance. What four or five issues press your hot buttons? What topics would really interest you?

Post away and thanks for your input.

[crackertech]

Mabey something to do with supermarket refrigeration?

[the editor]

Mabey something to do with supermarket refrigeration?

Anything in particular? Something in the technical arena? WHat are you dying to know?

[jrbenny]

I like that Service Management path!

Don't change a thing.

[crackertech]

Anything in particular? Something in the technical arena? WHat are you dying to know?

What's new and exciting in the supermarket arena?Ie glycol systems,SMS
{super heat management system's}

[Gunslinger]

How about something on servicing Building Automation Systems?

[teddy bear]

Any guts for the most understood problem of adequate fresh air ventilation and humidity control in green grass climates? Regards TB

[the editor]

Any guts for the most understood problem of adequate fresh air ventilation and humidity control in green grass climates? Regards TB



TB -- Want to explain this one a bit more? And is there someone you believe is super knowledgeable on the topic is a rock-the-house speaker?

[the editor]

How about something on servicing Building Automation Systems?


Since Comfortech is a Light Commercial/Residential event, is there any particular service issue on BAS that wouldmake sense for our venue and be of great interest to a bunch of people?

[the editor]

I like that Service Management path!

Don't change a thing.


Thanks, Benny. Any topics in Service Management that are of high interest? What's the hottest issue facing service managers today? This question is open to everyone.

[the editor]

What's new and exciting in the supermarket arena?Ie glycol systems,SMS
{super heat management system's}

Thanks, Cracker. Let's see what I can come up with.

[teddy bear]

TB -- Want to explain this one a bit more? And is there someone you believe is super knowledgeable on the topic is a rock-the-house speaker?
We are headed for a real conflict regarding ASHRAEs recommendation of adeaquate fresh air when a home is occupied. Not sure who is the ultimate speaker. Joe L'stribuck is one. The next level of knowledge is the distribution of the fresh air to occupied areas of the home. CO2 monitoring is documenting the ability to pruge isolated pockets of stale air in homes. Personally, I underestimated the difficulty of good distribution of fresh air throughout a home when occupied. Let me investigate this for a better recommendation. Regards TB

[HeyBob]

I would really like an intense crash course seminar on employee relations, how to recognize the good or bad apples, how to deal with the bad apples, can you fix a bad apple, if not, how fast can/should you deal with it. How to reward the good guys without over rewarding them.

As contractors, guys like me who are really not managers, but furnace guys with a business, managing employees is a tall challenge at times, even for a level headed genuis like myself.

Does that make any sense? I didn't think so.

[HeyBob]

I would also like to see something that is driven towards direct mail marketing.

A seminar on how to continue to grow and promote your "Brand" once you have it established. Something that teaches us how to think outside the box a little more. How to evolve, to take it to the next step.

I know that there are more guys like myself there that do not have the deep resources that larger outfits do to promote their "Brand", something where we don't have to spend 40K, make sense?

[HeyBob]

Oh yea, and here is my biggie. This is serious stuff to me. Guys like me that have acheived a rather good level of success, where we have taken it as far as we can go, guys like me that have hit a veritable wall, we need to be taught how to "systemize" our business, make it more like a franchise if you will, where we have a support system that can help us, w/o becoming an AT500/One Hour Air typical contractor, something more like an AireServ but without the royalties on each customer.

We need to find a way to break through that veritable wall we have hit.

[HeyBob]

Oh yea, Trucks of the future, have the guys from FoMoCo bring a Full Size European Transit, I want to see what the future of service trucks holds for us..............if they are all still in business in September.

[the editor]

We are headed for a real conflict regarding ASHRAEs recommendation of adeaquate fresh air when a home is occupied. Not sure who is the ultimate speaker. Joe L'stribuck is one. The next level of knowledge is the distribution of the fresh air to occupied areas of the home. CO2 monitoring is documenting the ability to pruge isolated pockets of stale air in homes. Personally, I underestimated the difficulty of good distribution of fresh air throughout a home when occupied. Let me investigate this for a better recommendation. Regards TB

Thanks, TB. Appreciate the effort here.

[the editor]

Oh yea, Trucks of the future, have the guys from FoMoCo bring a Full Size European Transit, I want to see what the future of service trucks holds for us..............if they are all still in business in September.


This is a great idea. Let me see whatt I can do. Thanks.

[HeyBob]

This is a great idea. Let me see whatt I can do. Thanks.
Cool, because the rumours I am hearing is that we are going to be getting that vehicle in 2010 or 2011.
http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/transit/tv_series/tv_series_transit/-/-/-/-

[jpb2]

Geothermal and how to push the envelope with the current rebates. Also how not to beat up your Distributor :)

[the editor]

Thanks for the input fellas. Anyone else have thoughts on this? I'm open to suggestions big time.

[jpb2]

Thanx Mike Guess general smart business practices is on the Table

[sarge]

How about a seminar title of "Energy Tax Credits - How Homeowners Can Qaulify (and assoicated legal documentaion)"

[jpb2]

Thats kinda where I was going too Tim

[zachhvac]

Residential Absorption units , heat pumps in particular.

[COMMERCIALnick]

Thanks for the input fellas. Anyone else have thoughts on this? I'm open to suggestions big time.


Will you guys provide any sort of manuscripts or minutes from this seminar? Maybe a DVD recording of the seminar for purchase? I'd love to attend but, Nashville is too far for me with my school schedule. :( I'd love to read up on ALL of these topics though. Everything you have planned sounds awesome, especially the Service Management area (particularly GPS and the 'Service Trucks of Tomorrow').

Thanks!


Nick