ISH-NA Exceeded All Expectations

• Second edition of ISH North America successful with 11,842 attendees from 47 countries and 530 exhibitors
• Unique on-site events such as the New Product Showcase, the PHCC International Apprentice-ship Contest, Smarthouse and Design Plus displays captivate the audience.
• Comprehensive six-track seminar program features some of the biggest names from across represented industries.

Las Vegas, NV: The second edition of ISH North America held at the new Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, October 1 - 3, 2003 exceeded expectations. Showcasing industry leading products and services in Kitchen & Bath, Plumbing, PVF, Heating and Air Conditioning, 530 exhibiting companies represented a total of 16 countries. Total registration for the show reached 11,842 attendees from 47 countries. The number of exhibitors and attendees as well as the degree of international representation increased compared to the previous edition of the event.

With 530 exhibitors from 16 countries a significant increase compared to the inaugural event was recorded (previous event 495 exhibitors from 15 countries). Running against the recent trends at some other shows, the total registered attendance of 11,842 from 47 countries was positively noted by many exhibitors (10,735 attendees from 42 countries last year). The strongest foreign buyer delegations came from Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Taiwan and Turkey. Exhibitors reported promising business leads 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 special on-site events captivated attendees. The “SmartHouse” presentation showcased advanced building technology from Europe. SmartHouse presented market-mature solutions for remotely monitoring and controlling building technology, including a fully functional bathroom featuring automated products and systems.

The “Design Plus” area highlighted innovations that took top honors for form and function at this year’s ISH show in Frankfurt. Increasing substantially from last year, the “New Product Showcase” displayed 98 product innovations from 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 – "Swirflo Water Cooler"
• Heating & Ventilation: Uponor Wirsbo – “Wirsbo ProPANEL Series”
• Software & Electronic Equipment: Accubid Systems – “Pocket Change Order”
• Industrial Products: O’Brien Manufacturing – “Intel-A-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 Se-ries Boiler”
• Best Overall Product: Climastar – “Electric Portable Heater”

In addition, PHCC hosted its “International Apprentice-ship Contest”. For the second year running the contest drew record-breaking participation. Plumbing apprentices 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. Scholarship awards and other prices were given to the top three participants:

• First Place: Sergio Ibarra, California
• Second Place: Manuel Oroz, Nevada
• Third Place: Robert Ciesla, New Jersey

ISH North America, presented a comprehensive seminar program, ISH Academy. Arranged into six industry specific tracks: Kitchen & Bath, Plumbing, HVAC, Hydronics, Business Management & Marketing and Environmental Systems, this informative 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

One 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!”

Broad-based Industry support has been fundamental to the growth and success of ISH North America. The show is produced in partnership between Messe Frankfurt, Inc., America Supply Association (ASA), Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors – National Association (PHCC) and Radiant Panel Association (RPA). In addition, event endorsers and sponsors number over 20 associations and publications attesting to the strength of this consolidated event. The ASA and PHCC Annual Conventions as well as the CIPH “Maple Leave Reception” were held in conjunction with ISH North America.

Looking ahead to the third edition, ISH North America will be held at the newly constructed Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on October 14 - 16, 2004. Other global ISH events include:

• ISH China in Beijing, September 14 –17, 2004
• ISH Kitchen+Bathroom Gulf, May 14 – 19, 2004, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• ISH in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, March 15 – 19, 2005