Chillventa 2024 – a gathering of experts: innovations, dialogue, and insights into the future of the sector

Chillventa 2024 impressed the professional community across the board. 1,010 exhibitors from around 49 countries presented their latest products and services to 33,076 experts from all over the world. The extensive supporting programme, including a record-breaking more than 250 presentations at the Chillventa CONGRESS and four forums, and two top-class special presentations offering practical expertise, encouraged participants to linger, network and engage in professional discussions. This year, the focus was on topics like sustainability, the circular economy, and digitalisation. The Chillventa CONGRESS on the day before the fair attracted 300 delegates and impressed with high-calibre presentations by international speakers.

With its diverse range of topics and a programme that had been enlarged yet again, Chillventa 2024 provided a comprehensive overview of current developments in refrigeration, AC, ventilation and heat pump technology along with interesting insights into the future of the sector.

“Refrigeration technology, including the segments ventilation, AC and heat pumps, is a technology of the future. This was reflected in the many topics like energy transition, digitalisation, heat pumps and refrigerants in the context of sustainability and the circular economy that were discussed this year in the congress, at the exhibition stands, or in special presentations. Once again, Chillventa underscored its position as the No. 1 among refrigeration technology fairs not just for its coverage of industry issues but also because of the 1,010 exhibitors from 49 countries, resulting in fully booked exhibition halls. Its metrics have now stabilised at pre-pandemic levels again. But the 32.796 visitors (2022: +7,5%)  were also emphatic proof that Chillventa is the most important trade fair for the community. The mood in the halls was excellent and the atmosphere akin to that of a large family gathering. Chillventa will continue to be the key event worldwide for the refrigeration sector including the air conditioning, ventilation and heat pump segments,” says Daniela Heinkel, Director of Chillventa and the European Heat Pump Summit at NürnbergMesse.

High-calibre visitor profile

Around 57 percent of the 32.796 Chillventa visitors came from outside Germany. The exhibitors were once again impressed by the quality of the trade visitors, of whom over 80 percent were directly involved in the purchasing and procurement decisions at their companies. Nine of ten were satisfied with what was on offer, and more than 95 percent planned to take part in the next Chillventa.

“In 2024, the visitor profile at Chillventa was once again highly diverse and included manufacturers, system operators, dealers, building services designers, architects and tradespeople. This meant that all key target groups were once again united on the grounds of NürnbergMesse – at their Chillventa,” says Daniela Heinkel. Kai Halter, Chair of the Chillventa Advisory Board and Vice President Marketing and Brand Management at ebm-papst, was equally enthusiastic: “Chillventa was an outstanding event by experts for experts – and met the highest professional standards in all respects. We are already looking forward to 2026!”

Numerous exhibitors set to attend again

This consistently positive overall picture of Chillventa was also confirmed by the independently conducted exhibitor survey. Most exhibitors (by area) came from Germany, Italy, Turkey, China, Spain, Belgium, the UK, France, Poland and the USA. Around 95 percent of exhibitors rated their participation in Chillventa as a success, while around 95 percent were able to forge new business contacts and expected successful post-show business. Even before the event was over, around 94 percent of the 1,010 (2022: +20%) exhibitors confirmed that they would be exhibiting again at Chillventa 2026.

Extensive supporting programme impressed the professional community

The Chillventa supporting programme already has a long tradition and has always offered high-quality solutions to current issues. This year too, the programme was expanded yet again and offered the experts making the trip to Nuremberg specialist knowledge precisely tailored to their needs. “The supporting programme is a vital component of Chillventa and offers first-hand expertise. Over the four-day event in 2024, industry experts enjoyed more than 250 first-class presentations at the Chillventa CONGRESS and four forums that delivered precisely targeted information on the latest products, trends and technologies. Some of the key topics under discussion were refrigerants, heat pumps in industrial and commercial applications, sustainability, the F-gas regulation, PFAS, and the circular economy,” explains Dr Rainer Jakobs, technical consultant and coordinator of the supporting programme at Chillventa.

In the “PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DIGITISATION” forum, the focus was on increasing efficiency, productivity and revenue in skilled trade businesses through digitisation. Here, professionals from various businesses provided insights into their real-life processes.

On a special display area under the banner “Refrigerant loss and no leak detected. How it works!”, the German Federal College of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology conducted demonstrations on leak detection and tightness testing. The second special presentation, the “AIT Heat Pump Innovation Lounge” was devoted entirely to the topic of heat pumps. Here, experts from the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) presented their latest developments and research findings e.g. on the question of heat pumps as a substitute for gas boilers in residential buildings.

The supporting programme was rounded out by several themed guided tours and last but not least, the German Championship for Refrigeration Technicians organised by the Federation of German Refrigeration Plant Assemblers (BIV). “In 2024, the best young refrigeration technicians were once again honoured in the German Championship for Refrigeration Technicians. We are delighted that the BIV hosts the championship at Chillventa. Congratulations to all participants and the German champion,” says Daniela Heinkel.

Next stop: European Heat Pump Summit 2025

The next highlight in the trade fair calendar for heat pump professionals is the European Heat Pump Summit to be held at Exhibition Centre Nuremberg on 28 and 29 October 2025.

Save the date: Chillventa 2026

The next Chillventa will take place at Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 13 to 15 October 2026. On the day before, 12 October 2026, the Chillventa CONGRESS will launch the week of events for the international refrigeration, AC, ventilation and heat pump community.