MY TRIP TO THE ASHRAE WINTER CONFERENCE IN LAS VEGAS  

I’m just now getting back from the Indoor Air Quality Association’s annual conference, one of my favorite events each year. I’m not sure how I got sucked into being a planning committee member for the event six years ago, but I’m glad it happened. Since then, the process has become more and more refined every year with more people wanting to speak, and my role has evolved from being the person who finds speakers, to being one of the people who picks them.

The conference is a welcome opportunity for us IAQ professionals to get together and learn what the most experienced people in the market have been working on over the past year. I get to listen to presentations from people who are much smarter than me, as they talk about what’s going on in the industry. It’s definitely an event I get excited about every year, and this year’s conference was more thrilling than ever.

What’s so exciting about an indoor air quality conference?

Sometimes it’s hearing about a piece of equipment that does the same task we’ve been doing for years, just in less time or for less money. Other times, it’s the unveiling of someone’s work in the lab, where they’ve developed a new way of analyzing samples. Their discovery may allow us to identify some of those things we’ve always thought were out there in the air, but haven’t been able to identify in the past.

At these conferences, there’s also the opportunity to learn about topics that used to be fringe issues, but that are now coming into the mainstream. For instance, at past conferences, I’ve learned about the different issues my peers in Colorado, Arizona, and California have been facing, developing specialized air conditioning systems for recreational and medicinal marijuana farms, which are now called “grow-op” facilities. One such process involves injecting carbon dioxide into the air, which encourages the marijuana plants to grow bigger and better. The downside to doing that, however, involves the negative impact carbon dioxide can have on the electrical and metal components used in grow-op facilities.

Of course, in Texas, we don’t have legal marijuana operations, but even though I don’t deal with grow-op systems, I’m always anxious to see what kinds of issues people are working on in other areas. My colleagues in Los Angeles have to deal with much more air pollution than the ones working out of Hawaii, for example. There’s also been a pretty big market lately for large-scale commercial air filtration systems to be used in China, where the particle counts in the air are so bad they put a burden on your ability to breathe. Over there, a building’s air filter systems are often being considered as a determining factor for someone deciding on their next employer.

Working in the indoor air quality business, I only get to compare notes with my peers every so often. It’s always fun to get a chance to connect with people who have similar goals and challenges. This year’s conference was even better than the last, and I’m already looking forward to the next one!

This year’s conference was in Las Vegas, and it was also a great opportunity to get away and have some fun. Only my closest friends know that I worked as a part-time casino dealer for a small party company in Houston. Sure, we only used “play money,” but we dealt all of the games using true Vegas rules. The insight I gained as a dealer ensures that I always win at the casinos! (Boy, don’t I wish that were true!)