According to show management, more than 1,600 companies have already signed up to exhibit in the 2006 Expo and 350,000 sq ft of exhibit space has been sold to date with many months remaining before the doors open at McCormick Place on January 23. Last year's February show in Orlando set the new record for number of exhibitors with 1,871 companies occupying 372,955 sq ft of space. However, Chicago is historically the site of the largest AHR Expos and still holds the record for number of attendees (59,079 including 38,224 visitors) and square footage (400,416).

"It's hard to predict at this point in time whether AHR 2006 will surpass our all-time records," said Clay Stevens, President of International Exposition Company, which manages and produces the AHR Expo. "However, we do know that our largest shows are always in Chicago and that we have some special features this year that will attract new attendees and exhibitors."

Many new enhancements and features have been added to the AHR Expo over the last few shows that have made the event even more valuable to attendees. Among these enhancements are:

• A special focus on Green Buildings featuring "green" exhibitors, conference sessions by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and a new green feature that will be announced shortly
• A variety of association-sponsored sessions, in addition to the ASHRAE conference program, short courses, and a free public session www.ashrae.org, all on such topical subjects as Building Automation/Integration, SEER 13, IAQ and many others http://www.ahrexpo.com/education/sessionschedule.php
• An expanding New Product Technology Theater where leading companies present brief previews of their latest technologies and products throughout the three-day show
• Two Special Product Sections - Building Automation & Control Showcase and Software Center.

For more information, visit www.ahrexpo.com.