AREE 2010

Plenty of energy and HVAC industry decision makers made their way to Atlantic City on April 27-29 for the Atlantic Region Energy Expo 2010. AREE is the premier energy marketing convention and trade show in the Northeast and this year did not disappoint.

Roughly 4,300 people attended the show, the crowd being a healthy mix of oil heat marketers, HVAC contractors, propane retailers, service technicians and more. Marjorie Feinman with the Fuel Merchants Association of New Jersey said there were 260 booths and 24 trucks at the show, providing plenty of products, both new and tried and true, to see.

With 20 business sessions to visit, AREE 2010 made it easy to catch up and stay on top of current industry trends. Many of the programs focused on the possible future of oil heat products, such as Bioheat and ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD), and others brought to light some best business practices, like AVATAS’ Tracy Richmond explanation and demystification of credit card processing.

An update from the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) was moved to Wednesday afternoon. After a bit of a delayed start, NORA’s president, John Huber, described the activities that have happened over the last year and some of the planning for 2010 and beyond.

The industry update from the executive vice president of the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI), Bob Renkes, on Thursday morning was truly illuminating as he discussed the latest about industry regulations. Most interesting was his discussion of PEI’s recent survey about ULSD corrosion reports. Fuel Oil News has been monitoring the developments and had reported on PEI’s efforts back in the March article entitled ‘Corrosion Reports in ULSD Equipment.”    

During the trade show hours, a number of presentations were held in the ‘Sales Pit.” The feature was new at AREE this year, allocating 22 spots for 20 minute product introductions. Located at the center of the trade show floor, exhibitors showed off their goods, among them were Civacon’s talk on air operated product manifolds, Liquid Controls Corp.’s information on the latest mobile electronics and ADD Systems’ display of software solutions.

Honeywell made use of their ‘Sales Pit” time slot by unveiling their new universal digital oil primary. This was one of the many new products to make a splash at the show, drawing a lot of interested attendees to the Honeywell booth. According to the R7284U product sheet, the new controls benefits both service managers and technicians since it doesn’t require an additional tool purchase and has improved diagnostics for faster and more precise troubleshooting.

Dennis K. Burke also had a big show since they are getting ready to celebrate their 50 years of reliable service for the industry. ‘With a little hard work, we’ve been blessed with opportunities,” said Chairman Ed Burke. ‘Over the years, we’ve worked with some wonderful folks and thankfully, business is good.” ****(Insert Burke Photo w/ the Caption: At AREE, Anthony Aversano of Allied Tank (center), unveils the newest truck in the Burke fleet to Ed Burke (left) and Ted Burke (right). The fleet’s latest delivery truck features the company’s new ’50 Years” graphics.)

After floor hours, the show provided a number of networking and social opportunities, such as the always popular ‘Hospitality Night,” this year held at Harrah’s Resort on Tuesday night, and the Convention Reception held at Tun Tavern on Wednesday.  

A lot to see and a lot to learn were readily afoot at AREE 2010. Already plans for the future convention are underway for next year, which will be held on May 3-5, 2011.