ASHRAE Journal - April 2023 - 7

INDUSTRY NEWS
that had the ability to provide the high-level, strategic
perspective needed by the Summit. This list included senior
leaders from manufacturing, consulting engineering,
architecture and contracting as well as policy makers.
Invitation letters were sent out. A complete listing
of the 72 delegates who attended the Summit is available
in Appendix A (of the full report) and demonstrates the
large number of CEOs, presidents, Secretary Generals
and other leaders from countries all over the world.
In addition to limiting the number of delegates " at the
table " to discuss the critical issues of the day, it was hoped
that interested attendees would also attend the Summit,
listen to the discussions by the six teams in breakout sessions
and participate in the general assembly. Therefore,
the venue for the Summit was also an important consideration.
ASHRAE's Region-at-Large graciously volunteered
to sponsor the Summit at their Chapter Regional
Conference, held October 12, 13 and 14, 2022, in Istanbul,
Turkey. The total attendance of the delegates and interested
attendees at the Summit was 140, which considerably
exceeded the attendance targets.
To provide a consensus-based outcome, the Summit
format called for six prominent, globally recognized
keynote speakers to address the entire assembly.
After all the keynote addresses were given, there were
two breakout sessions per topic. The discussions in the
breakout sessions were each led by a carefully selected
and trained moderator.
The first breakout session called for the delegates to
reach a consensus on defining the issues and their likely
causes. The second breakout session called for the delegates
to reach a consensus on an action plan we can take
as an industry to address the critical issues of each topic.
After the second breakout session, each topic team again
reported to the assembly as a whole to forge a consensus
of the assembly on that action plan. The ASHRAE Global
HVAC&R Summit was predicated on the idea that an assembly
of world leaders, representing every aspect of the
HVAC&R industry, could strategically plot a course that
allows our industry to take a leadership role in addressing
the critical issues of the day. It follows then that the
overarching goal of the Summit was to leave Istanbul with
clear and compelling action plans that allow everyone to
contribute to the noble goal of " Securing Our Future. "
During the course of the Summit, several common
threads became clear. First, the urgency of the situation
became clear, regardless of the topic. In many respects,
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our planet is facing a historical turning point in which
our industry can, and must, play a leadership role. The
second common thread running through the Summit
was the interconnectedness of each of the topics. Sometimes
the overlay between topics was readily apparent,
as was the case between Decarbonization and Climate
Crisis Mitigation. At other times, the overlap was more
subtle. As one attendee noted, if we don't solve the
workforce development problem, all the other problems
won't be solved either.
The last thread that ran through the Summit was one
of optimism. We can do something about the critical
issues of the day. We have done this before, as evidenced
by our success in mitigating the damage done to the
ozone layer by our use of highly reactive refrigerants.
Our strategy then is the same strategy we are employing
today. We come together, debate and discuss the issues,
reach a consensus and then develop an action plan. It is
our hope that this Summit fuels the commitment to action
within each person, company and organization.
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ASHRAE Journal - April 2023

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