New technical program tracks, more than 200 Professional Development Hour opportunities and the world’s largest HVAC&R marketplace are just a few highlights of the ASHRAE 2016 Winter Conference and AHR Expo taking place in Orlando, Fla.

The two events are expected to draw thousands of industry professionals from around the world. The ASHRAE Conference takes place Jan. 23-27, Orlando Hilton, while the ASHRAE co-sponsored AHR Expo takes place Jan. 25-27, next door at the Orange County Convention Center. The venues are located next to each other for easy access.

To register for the ASHRAE Conference, which includes free access to the Expo, visit www.ashrae.org/orlando. Information about the Expo can be found at www.ahrexpo.com.

“As an ASHRAE member for more than 40 years, I look forward to all aspects of the Winter Conference – sharing ideas with attendees, visiting the Expo to see the latest solutions to engineering challenges and attending the sessions and courses,” ASHRAE President David Underwood said. “There is no better place than the ASHRAE Conference and AHR Expo to make the connections to ensure a sustainable future, both for you and for our industry.”

In keeping with ASHRAE’s goal of continuing education, some 200 Professional Development Hours recognized by most U.S. states, AIA LUs and LEED AP credits are available through ASHRAE Learning Institute courses and Technical Program sessions. The Conference and ASHRAE Learning Institute Professional Development Hours are accepted by the state of Florida for maintaining professional engineering registrations.

The Technical Program is expected to feature more than 100 sessions and 300 speakers over eight tracks, which address current trends and technologies in the industry; focus on core tracks, design-build practices and residential systems; and emphasize energy efficiency and sustainability, including current international engineering and construction practices. Tracks are Systems and Equipment, Fundamentals and Applications, Design Build (new), International Design, Standards, Guidelines and Codes, Cutting-Edge Technologies (new), The Great Debate (new) and Modern Residential Systems (new). The full Program will be announced in late September.

Twenty Professional Development Seminars and Short Courses are being offered by the ASHRAE Learning Institute. New courses include Variable Refrigerant Flow System Design & Application, and Evaluation and Control of Legionella in Building Water Systems.

Additionally, ASHRAE offers an onsite administration of all six certifications on Jan. 27: Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP), Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP), Commissioning Process Management Professional (CPMP), High-Performance Building Design Professional (HBDP), Healthcare Facility Design Professional (HFDP) and Operations & Performance Management Professional (OPMP).

Another Conference highlight is the Technical Tours, which include SeaWorld Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, Harvest Power’s Energy Garden, the University of Central Florida Power Plant and the Florida Solar Energy Center.

The keynote speaker at the opening Plenary Session is Laura Schwartz, the White House Director of Events for the Clinton Administration. In her address, Schwartz discusses how volunteerism can make a difference in your world and in your organization. As Schwartz explains, “volunteer associations and service organizations are instrumental in society because they can often do things more effectively than our government.”