A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in an incredible industry event: The Fourth Annual HVACR Training Symposium, hosted by HVAC School in Orlando, Florida.
What made this event so impactful for me was to see so much of the training focused on concepts that NCI and others have been driving for decades. It was awesome to see both old-timers and a new generation of HVAC and building industry professionals carrying the torch forward.
The conference, referred to as the Woodstock of our industry, took place under tents in the parking lot of Kalos Services, with some sessions in their warehouse. Bryan Orr, cofounder, and president of Kalos Services, is the creator and host of this very cool meeting of the minds.
Like NCI’s High-Performance Summit, Symposium is a very down-to-earth meeting.
Like NCI’s High-Performance Summit, Symposium is a very down-to-earth meeting. There were no rah-rah sessions from the main stage or promises of untold wealth and success -- just good solid information being shared to help participants succeed and perform high-quality work.
There were many other positive aspects of the conference. It featured great instructors with top-notch content who freely donated their time and resources to share their knowledge. This is pretty rare in our industry. Attendees included technicians and contractors ranging from novices to experienced professionals who regularly test HVACR systems, homes, and commercial buildings.
A True Spirit of Sharing
The meeting was also embraced by many product and tool and instrument manufacturers and vendors who showed their wares and supported the conference financially. Many of them also sent their best and brightest to share their knowledge and experience with participants.
I witnessed first-hand how serious and thirsty for knowledge the participants were, and how they shared their own experiences freely with everyone they talked to. This spirit of sharing was perhaps what struck me the most about this self-described HVACR Nerdfest.
Participants Serious, Thirsty for HVAC Knowledge
What seemed to matter most was the pursuit of truth and information that would make everyone better at what they do in their everyday work. Another great trait of the conference is there was no hint of posturing or negative conversations. For example, there was no talk of pitting HVAC versus home performance. It truly was a fusing of the two industries with a single goal: To improve safety, health, comfort, and energy efficiency in homes and buildings everywhere.
Two Sides of the same Coin
As I took in the Symposium experience, I had another important revelation. This conference and NCI’s High-Performance Summit are really two sides of the same coin.
Symposium is more focused on the nitty-gritty technical aspects of performance, many of which are covered in great depth in NCI’s regular training curriculum.
Summit, on the other hand, focuses more on the implementation aspects of testing and fixing HVAC systems -- and educating home and building owners about what they should be getting.
At Summit we connect the technical knowledge to monetizing your work. This is to make sure you can recover your training and tools investment, while taking good care of your employees and making the profits you deserve. But make no mistake, Summit also focuses on the technical aspects of delivering high performance.
For example, this year’s “Low-Performance Town” consists of hands-on training stations aimed at diagnosing typical HVAC system issues. Other sessions also provide technical insights on advanced airside and combustion diagnostics as well.
If you see yourself as a true HVAC professional, consider making both conferences a regular must-attend combination every winter and spring. Summit is coming soon. I know Bryan and his team are already working on Symposium 2024. As I get to know Bryan more, it is great to see that we share the same goal of raising the bar for our industry and ultimately for our end customers. It’s heartwarming to work with people with so much integrity and caring for our industry.
We hope you will join us in Branson, Missouri this April. There is still time to take advantage of special early-bird rates. For all the details point your browser to GoToSummit.com. See you there!
