Radiant House will help educate contractors on the ways of radiant; New Product Demonstration Area puts exhibitors' products in action; ISH Academy Seminars' keynote address to be delivered by Dan Holohan

The Radiant Panel Association will set up its Radiant House, a popular exhibit at past RPA REX shows, at this year's ISH North America, Oct. 14-16, at the new Boston Convention Center.

“The radiant heating industry continues to grow at a vigorous pace,” said Lawrence Drake, RPA's executive director. “One of the biggest challenges the industry faces is having enough contractors to do the work.”

The Radiant House exhibit is just one way this year's ISH North America will help educate contractors on the ways of radiant. In addition, the show features other educational opportunities specifically designed for Wet Heads, including an I=B=R Hydronic Heating School, specially scheduled prior to ISH North America at the same convention site.

The RPA's 16-ft. by 16-ft. Radiant House is a simulated building structure, constructed on the show floor, in which various radiant heating products are installed during the event. Radiant manufacturers will demonstrate actual installation techniques and provide anyone interested with hands-on advice installing staple-up and staple-down tubing systems, prefabricated radiant floor panels, electric systems, gypsum floor pours and more.

The handiwork will be left in place throughout the show to provide examples of the variety of radiant systems and equipment available.

The association also will hold its RPA Annual Conference, Oct. 13, which features six seminars, the System Showcase competition and member meeting. In addition, the association will hold its Radiant Basics class, Oct. 14; a radiant installers certification exam, Oct. 15; and its Radiant Precision class, Oct. 16.

RPA Conference registrants may also attend the ISH North America trade show floor and seminars. For more information on the conference, visit www.RPAconference.com or call 800/660-7187.

Finally, the RPA booth at ISH North America will include a gallery of radiant history and art.

I=B=R School: This year's ISH North America also will feature an “attached” educational opportunity for heating contractors - an I=B=R Hydronic Heating School, Oct. 12-13, at the Boston Convention Center. As an added bonus, I=B=R School attendees will receive free admittance to ISH North America's trade show floor.

The I=B=R Schools have been offered in 15 cities during the last nine months with excellent participation. The course content is provided by the Hydronic Institute Division of the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association and managed by BNP Media, publishers of Plumbing & Mechanical. The in-depth courses teach how to design and install hydronic heating systems with baseboard and radiators, plus heat loss calculations, pipe sizing, control and boiler sizing, and more.

Attendees receive the “I=B=R Guide to Residential Hydronic Heating Design/Installation Handbook,” “H22 Heat Loss Calculation” book, breakfast, lunch and snacks, and a certificate of course completion. Cost for the school is $395. To register, visit the Web site www.bnpmedia.com/conferences or call Keri Wrobel at 888/530-6714.

Other show highlights, include the following:

• Product Demonstration Area: New for 2004, ISH North America will allow exhibitors the opportunity to showcase their products in action at a Product Demonstration Area, set up directly on the exhibit hall floor. It will allow trade buyers and attendees to see the latest innovations and most popular products in detail.

  “It's one thing to see an item on display on the show floor - it's quite another to see that product in action,” said Roland Bleinroth, president of show organizer and partner, Messe Frankfurt Inc. A steady stream of activity is expected for the area, and is expected to help exhibitors draw more traffic to their booths.

• David Kohler Speech: The future of the industry will be addressed by David Kohler, president of Kohler Co.'s Kitchen and Bath Group, during a special luncheon event, Oct. 14 at 12 noon. Kohler will share his vision of the industry's bold future and how it applies to companies eager to meet the exciting challenges ahead.

At press time, Messe Frankfurt Inc. reported that 400 companies had reserved space for the trade show, with the final tally expected to be more than 500. Also, registration is now available for the ISH Academy Seminars, more than 50 seminars and 30 speakers covering eight separate tracks: kitchen & bath, plumbing/ PVF, hydronics, radiant heating, HVAC, environmental systems, and business management and marketing (I and II).

The seminars begin with a keynote address by PM columnist and hydronics expert Dan Holohan, Oct. 14, and run through Saturday, Oct. 16. To review the seminar tracks, visit www.ish-na.com and click on “seminars.”

For more details about all the events at this year's show, be sure to look through the 16-page ISH North America brochure included in the June issue of PM.