First Look: 2020 HEAT Show

The Heating & Energizing America Trade Show (HEAT Show) returns to the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Monday September 21 through Wednesday September 23.

The first HEAT Show was held September 16-19, 2019. A joint event combining the NEFI Energy Expo and Southern New England Energy Conference, the 2019 HEAT Show offered a refreshing new take on NEFI’s event format as well as bold new direction for the industry itself.

Headlines were made at the Northeast Industry Summit that took place on day two, as the “Providence Resolution” committed the region’s heating oil sector to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. More than 300 fuel dealers unanimously and excitedly approved the resolution, and that same enthusiasm was apparent throughout much of the four-day event as numerous education sessions were standing-room-only and the Legends Awards Dinner was a sold out affair.

In total, more than 1,450 people attended the 2019 HEAT Show — a solid turnout for an event launch by any metric. The question now is how will the 2020 HEAT Show build on that momentum, continue last year’s successes and improve in areas where the event may have come up short. HEAT Show organizers have already begun work on all three fronts — in fact, this work began on September 19, 2019 — and show planners are excited to hit the ground running in the New Year.

Pre-reservations for 2020 HEAT Show exhibitor booths and sponsorships are available at HEATShow.com. The website also features recaps and photos from the 2019 HEAT Show, as well as hotel options for this year’s event. Readers can find more information below and by contacting NEFI Events Coordinator Jessica Levaggi at events@nefi.com or 617-804-2222.

Save the Date(s)!

The 2020 HEAT Show schedule is currently in development and will be posted to the event website in the months ahead. One obvious difference from last year is that the show has been shortened by a day. This should allow attendees to get back to their businesses sooner so that they can more immediately apply lessons learned and connections gained at the event when making final preparations for the 2020-2021 heating season.

“We began informally surveying the 2019 HEAT Show attendees during the first day of the event and sent out a questionnaire to everyone shortly after the show,” said NEFI Communications Chairman Danny Silverman, one of the event’s organizers. “An immediate takeaway was that four days is just too long of a stretch. By consolidating some of the programming and cutting a day, we plan to offer a leaner schedule that will allow everyone to make the most of their time without burning out.”

Details of the schedule are still being hammered out, but a rough outline has the event beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 21 with a series of multi-track business education sessions. “The owners and managers who attended the 2019 HEAT Show noted that the event’s education sessions were among the best our industry has to offer, combining winning strategies for success in the 21st century economy with need-to-know information on the current legislative and regulatory landscape,” said Connecticut Energy Marketers Association Vice President David Chu, another HEAT Show organizer. “The show will build on this success in 2020.” (The deadline for RFP submissions is April 30, 2020.)

The Legends Awards Dinner is tentatively scheduled for 6 to 10 p.m. on Monday, September 21. Business education sessions are tentatively scheduled to run until 5 p.m. on Monday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, September 22. The trade show portion of the event will run from 12 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23. Additionally, several new strategies are being planned to help drive traffic to the exhibitor floor, including holding a Casino Night on Tuesday (see more details under Sponsorship Opportunities) and the Industry Summit on Wednesday.

The September 16, 2019 Northeast Industry Summit was one of the most talked about aspects of the first HEAT Show. As discussed last issue, industry leaders are already strategizing on next steps for the Providence Resolution (see “After Providence,” November/December 2019). These efforts will continue throughout 2020, leading up to the next Industry Summit on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 from 12 to 3 p.m. Notably, where last year’s summit was held a full day before the trade show portion of the event, this year’s will close out the HEAT Show; thus, attendees are strongly encouraged to stay for the entire event.

“The 2019 summit has been called our industry’s most important gathering in a generation,” said NEFI President & CEO Sean Cota. “Since then, heating and renewable fuel associations, wholesalers, retailers, equipment manufacturers, and other key stakeholders have determinedly continued the critical discussion about our industry’s future. This year’s planning efforts will culminate with the development of an industry ‘roadmap’ that can be presented at the summit on Wednesday, September 23.

“This is not just about NEFI or our state association partners,” Cota continued. “We want everyone who cares about this industry to join us on the road forward, and we are excited to bring the summit back to Providence where we will provide updates on our progress to date and further discuss important next steps for our industry.”

Sponsorship Opportunities

Another way HEAT Show organizers are looking to build on last year’s success is by offering new options for the companies that support the heating fuels industry to showcase their businesses. An updated list of available sponsorship opportunities can be found at HEATShow.com/sponsorship.

Last year’s sponsors will note the addition of three Casino Night options: drink/bar sponsor, food sponsor and table sponsor. These are available as standalone purchases and also included as part of the packages for Patron, Premier and Major sponsors.   

In lieu of a traditional hospitality night, HEAT Show organizers plan to host a Casino Night on Tuesday, September 22 from 4 to 6 p.m., with gaming tables and complimentary food and drinks available near the trade show floor. Proceeds from Casino Night will be donated to nonprofits that help support the heating fuels industry (organizations to be named, shortly).

“Last year’s sponsoring exhibitors told us they loved the marketing and signage created by PriMedia and Demers, but wanted more visibility, specifically better crossover between the convention center itself and the trade show floor,” said NEFI Events Coordinator Jessica Levaggi. “Casino Night is one way we’re responding to that demand. The ‘casino floor’ will be connected to the exhibitor hall, allowing for greater brand visibility and a more seamless vendor experience. Plus, it’s all for a good cause.”

Also new for the 2020 HEAT Show: complimentary meeting space is included in the top-tier Patron and Premier sponsor packages. The Rhode Island Convention Center has several meeting rooms overlooking the trade show floor, which come equipped with private WiFi networks and conference tables. “The meeting rooms provide an ideal venue for sponsors to bring prospects ‘behind the scenes’ at the HEAT Show, where they can network out of sight and earshot from competitors,” Levaggi noted.

As of press time, five companies have already signed on as sponsors. All are listed online at HEATShow.com. More are expected to add their names in the weeks and months ahead as the current heating season winds down.

“Thanks in no small part to the 2019 HEAT Show attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors, now is truly an exciting time to be in the heating and energy business,” added Cota. “We intend for the 2020 HEAT Show to keep that momentum going strong into the next heating season.”

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