MIAMI, FL July 20, 2022 – Before the advent of air conditioning, Miami was strictly a seasonal town. Most Miami Beach hotels closed for the summer and the owners of some restaurants and other service businesses decided that since it was too hot and humid for their customers, they may as well go on vacation too.
Although Willis Carrier, who is known as the father of modern air conditioning, designed the first electrical AC system in 1902, it wasn’t until after World War II that Miami Beach’s Art Deco hotels began to install window units in any quantity.
“In the 1950s, they went to central air conditioning and that made all the difference in the world. They could now promote themselves as a summer as well as a winter destination,” said Paul George, resident historian at the HistoryMiami Museum. “South Florida really became a major place with the advent of AC,” he said. “It made it a year-around place.”
So, it’s fitting that Miami will be the location for the July 20-21 RefriAmericas conference, which will bring together some 1,000 professionals from around the Americas and the Caribbean with one thing on their minds: cool, clean air.
Experts in climatization, refrigeration and solar energy will network and discuss topics ranging from energy efficiency, current industry standards, and the implications of climate change and the rising cost of fossil fuels for the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) industry to healthy buildings and hospital ventilation and refrigeration issues in the context of COVID 19.
They’ll also explore new products and technology on display from 74 exhibitors at the Miami Airport Convention Center where the conference and exhibition will be held.
For a region like South Florida, air conditioning and industrial refrigeration has made all the difference. Miami with its massive commercial refrigeration facilities has become the flower import capital of the Americas and an important center for the import of perishable produce from around the Americas.
By the 1950s, window AC units for homes came into vogue in South Florida, said George, and in the 1960s, central air became more prevalent in residences. Developers began advertising new tract homes as “air conditioned” and the presence of AC has helped spur subsequent Florida housing booms.
Without air conditioning, George said, the Miami area would be a “much smaller place without a lot happening. It changed things dramatically, allowing this area to be a more animated, more comfortable place. It made it more attractive to more people.”
When: July 20-21; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Day 1, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Day 2.
Where: Miami Airport Convention Center, 711 NW 72nd Ave., Miami.
Registration: The exhibition is free. Conference fee is $350. All sessions are in Spanish.
To register: https://www.refriamericas.com/landing-pages/rfa-registration.php
Sponsors: Everwell Parts, Full Gauge, FB Refrigeracion. The conference is organized by Latin Press Inc.