Toronto, ON — Canada’s largest mechanical trade show has the green light to go on as scheduled this March. The Canadian Mechanical and Plumbing Exposition (CMPX) was scheduled to run in March 2020 but was cancelled due to the first COVID-19 lockdown. Two years later, the show will be making its comeback. From March 23 to 25, from 10 am to 6 pm on the 23 and 24, and from 10 am to 4 pm on the 25 at the Metro Toronto Convention, attendees can expect a full line-up of new products.
Running since 1972, CMPX has been jointly produced by the Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) and the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH). At the time of press, the Ontario government released new public health measures that would come into effect as of March 14 that would lift capacity limits in all indoor public settings—just in time for trade show season to make its triumphant return. This is subject to change at the discretion of the provincial government. “While we understand there are concerns due to the recent restrictions implemented across Ontario, please know we are working hard to ensure the show will proceed as scheduled from March 23-25, 2022,” explains the CMPX management team in a press release.
Over 500 exhibitors representing all products, innovations, applications, and information that define the mechanical and plumbing industry will attend the expo. Familiar show events, like the Learning Forum, product showcases, and skills competition will all return in 2022.
The Learning Forum will feature a lineup of free educational programs on the latest trends, applications and regulations relating to the industry. Educational topics featured during the Learning Forum include Canadian Refrigerants Landscapes and Training Plans, Air-to-Water Heat Pumps, Transitioning to Low GWP Refrigerants for Commercial Refrigeration, Canada Greener Homes Grant Initiative, Skilled Trades Ontario: What’s Next, What does Climate Change Action Resilience mean to the HVAC/R Industry?, Different Career Paths for Women in HVAC/R, Accelerating the Development of Canada’s Low-Carbon HVAC/R Workforce, and Commercial Rebates for HVAC/R and Plumbing Sectors. All education topics are subject to change, and start times for the topics will be known closer to the show.
In addition, the expo will host the new product showcase, which displays some of the latest products in the industry up close and directly on the show floor. The skills competition, where young HVAC students and apprentices can compete and show off their skills, will also be returning to the 2022 CMPX.
For anyone in town early for the show, the CIPH Gala “In Support Of Habitat For Humanity” will take place on March 22 at 6:00 pm at the InterContinental Toronto Centre. CIPH has been in a partnership with Habitat for Humanity since 1994, and in that period, members have raised more than $16 million in cash and products. This year’s Gala will feature Steve Patterson, host of CBC’s The Debaters. Individual tickets will cost $360 plus HST, and for a table of eight, tickets will cost $2,760 plus HST. The fundraising campaign has a target of $200,000, and donations have already been sent in; totalling close to 70 per cent of the total goal. Contributions can appear either as new products for new homes, cash, or inventory to help build homes.
CMPX states that its show management team, Newcom, has run three successful and safe shows in the fall of 2021 and will apply its experience and knowledge. CMPX adds that wearing a mask, proof of vaccination, and social distancing will be enforced at the show. On-site testing will be made available.