ISH China 2013 - Day 2 | 2013-04-09 | Plumbing and Mechanical

No shortage of sights to see at ISH China.

ISH China blog 2 slide 1 — Kohler is one of many exhibitors that brought expansive booth presentations. *Photo credit: Mike Miazga*

ISH China blog 2 slide 2 — Wilo displays some of its many pumps at the 2013 ISH & CIHE show in Beijing, China. *Photo credit: Mike Miazga*

ISH China blog 2 slide 3 — This is one of the cooler booth displays, a model of a city neighborhood detailing the use of Danfoss products. *Photo credit: Mike Miazga*

ISH China blog 2 slide4 — Viega is another manufacturer familiar to the U.S. market that is displaying at this year's ISH & CIHE show. *Photo credit: Mike Miazga*

If you came to the 2013 ISH China & CIHE show at the New China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing looking for the latest heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and sanitation products and technologies, you weren’t disappointed.

As I mentioned in my earlier blog, there’s a ton going on here—to the tune of more than 860 exhibitors in six halls. Last year’s show, the first at this current venue located near the Beijing International Airport, attracted 816 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions and covered five halls.

But this show has more going for it than just hall-to-hall booths filled with new products and technologies. There’s an impressive entertainment component to the show as well. I saw one booth hold a basketball-shooting contest that attracted a heck of an audience. The basketball hoop was simply attached to an end portion of the exhibitor booth.

Another exhibitor had a pair of game-show spinning wheels as a central focus for guests, again drawing a nice crowd. Just like in 2011 when I was here, several costumed mascots made their way around the halls. Dancers were seen at numerous booths, including one where a participant was playing a cool-looking clear-plastic violin. I also enjoyed the occasional pop music that played in one of the halls.

Education is an equally important part of the presentation at ISH China & CIHE. Called fringe programmes, these education sessions offer in-depth discussions on a number of topics related to the plumbing and HVAC industries.

The Sino European HVAC Congress presented a discussion on the concept and technologies of green and energy-saving HVAC applications. This two-day program, broken into central heating, individual heating and heat pump segments, covered topics such as the European market for heating technology and the legal frame of reference for energy saving in homes, the application of rapid condensing technology, different heat applications of a household gas boiler, heating solutions for residential application in hot-summer, cold-winter regions, the application of solar ground heating technology, the market trend of the global heat pump market and sewage heat pump application.

New to the fair this year is the Sino European Sanitation Congress, which focuses on the growth and upcoming trends in sanitation technology and design, as well as policies for China and Europe. This session was broken into industry update and design forum segments. Topics here included the development and market analysis of the European sanitation industry, water resource management policy and the development of a water-saving society, the design trend of sanitary products in Europe in the next decade and the sustainable development of sanitary design.

Other sessions from Day 1 included a seminar on the application of an integrated heat pump and solar energy system for residential heating, cooling and sanitary hot water, as well as the application of heat pump drying technology and heat recovery of fuel gas.

Show-goers not only were treated to a bonanza of well-presented manufacturer product and technology displays (I may have understated a bit in my previous blog how impressive the booth presentations were), but meaningful educational opportunities, many of which champion sustainability. It’s easy to see why ISH China & CIHE has become Asia’s most influential platform for the global HVAC and sanitation community and the top destination for China’s booming infrastructure and property-development sectors.

And a big thanks once again to fair organizer Messe Frankfurt, specifically Keena Tsui, Amadou Doumbia and Angel Ho for their outstanding hospitality here in Beijing.

Mike Miazga (former group editorial director for BNP Media’s Plumbing Group) is now the vice president of sales/membership at the American Supply Association (ASA). Supply House Times is proud to be the official publication and brand of the ASA — a relationship that spans more than a decade.

Mike’s relationship with BNP Media and the Plumbing Group continues today. He now writes a monthly ASA-focused column for Supply House Times and acts as an editorial consultant to BNP Media’s Plumbing Group.

In his 10-plus years at BNP Media, Miazga was senior editor of Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer before taking over chief editor duties at Supply House Times in 2011. In addition to his role as editorial director, Miazga continued as Supply House Times chief editor and the editor of the American Supply Association’s PVF Outlook eNewsletter. He also enjoyed three stints as PM Engineer’s chief editor, holding dual roles as Supply House Times and PM Engineer chief editor on two occasions.

Miazga started his career in newspapers at the age of 19 and has more than 25 years of newsroom, management, editorial and public/media relations experience, and is a former high-school baseball and golf head varsity coach. Mike and his family are still based out of the Chicago area (with ASA Headquarters in Itasca, Illinois). You can reach Mike at PlumbingGroup89@gmail.com.