2022 AC Live: Another Great Conference

The 2022 AC Live Conference and Expo wrapped up on October 28 and we were thrilled to see many new and returning attendees and exhibitors! Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association (TACCA) staff and board members had a great time meeting and visiting with everyone at the show. We improved a few things from 2021, tried a couple of new ideas, and according to preliminary survey results, exceeded expectations for the overall conference experience.

2022 AC Live by the Numbers

1 New pre-conference profitability workshop

2 TACCA staff members

8 approved hours for license renewal

10 great speakers

10 continuing education sessions

12 casino tables

12 conference sponsors

40 pounds of mashed potatoes and all the fixins

44 exhibiting vendor booths

92 vendor representatives

106 attendees

283+ days of planning

TACCA President Roland Arrisola and Immediate Past President Nick Watkins welcomed everyone to the conference and brought up keynote speaker Steven Foster, author of “Full-Throttle Leadership”, speaking on that leadership topic. Throughout the conference there were six breakout sessions covering topics including marketing, fresh air systems, recruitment, and planning for the upcoming industry changes. We offered three general session topics on Friday and, like last year, Texas Law and Rules was presented by William Weatherly, ACR Program Chief at Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). Following a break for visiting exhibits, speaker Ruth King walked attendees through an exercise on Pricing for Profit, and the conference wrapped up with an energetic presentation of From Entrepre-doer to Entrepreneur by Chris Crew.

The Lakeway Resort chef created a delicious, mashed potato bar and dessert offering for the Welcome Reception in the exhibit hall, where attendees and vendors had a chance to visit and grab a bite to eat before heading over to the conference social event, Casino Night. Back by popular demand, attendees and vendor representatives that joined in the social event were treated to an evening of blackjack, craps, roulette, and Texas Hold’ em, and a chance to win a number of prizes donated by exhibiting companies. There is no doubt that people were having a blast from the cheering I heard coming from a number of tables!

On Friday morning, TACCA announced the launch of an exciting online, interactive technician training program powered by Interplay Learning and conference attendees had an opportunity to demo the training program. For those who missed the demos, we will be scheduling a webinar in the next few weeks where anyone can check out the demo.

During the Friday luncheon, Shannon Noble, who has represented TACCA and the HVAC industry’s interests for 26 years, gave a quick update on the upcoming legislative session. Bills will begin to be filed following the November elections and TACCA will be monitoring for any proposed legislation that could negatively impact contractors or their business. We know that many people do not like to get involved in politics, but there are simply two options for the HVAC industry – be involved in the legislative process, or have others determine how HVAC and small businesses operate. TACCA PAC is a fund that allows us to help industry-friendly policymakers get elected to office. A big thank you to everyone who contributed at the conference. (If you would like to support TACCA PAC and help refill the coffers, online contributions can be made here.)

A final closing from Roland Arrisola summarized how imperative it is for contractors to prepare for continued challenges over the next few years. With SEER2 coming into effect on January 1 and refrigerant changes on the horizon, contractors armed with knowledge and preparing now will be positioned to overcome those hurdles quickly.

Based on very preliminary survey responses received from attendees and exhibitors so far, the conference was well-received. Every conference is an opportunity to try new things, learn from what worked and what didn’t, and make the next conference better. We are taking every comment to heart as we plan for 2023. Here are just a few of the positive comments that have been shared.

“Offered good advice on HVAC contractors dealing with homebuilders.”

“Enjoyed the entire conference. Definitely will be back next one.”

“Networking is something we love. My team was able to meet in person other industry partners and left with more resources.”

“The Casino was a lot of fun and very enjoyable.”

“I enjoyed this more than any other A/C conference I have ever attended.”

As we begin to plan the next meeting, we will continue to look for speakers and topics that are timely and relevant to help contractors in their business. If you have suggestions for topics or speakers, feel free to contact Keith.

I am again incredibly thankful for help received from friends, colleagues, the hotel, Emily Valdez-Moore, and the TACCA board in planning, preparing for, organizing, and pulling off the conference. There is an unbelievable amount of detail and logistical planning that goes into planning a conference and it was with a sigh of relief we packed and loaded up at the end of the conference with no major problems!

View the 2022 conference photo album.

Thank you for attending, and if you didn't get to this conference, we hope to see you in 2023!