Designing for Engineers: AIIR's AHR Expo Booth
The challenge
AHR Expo is the largest HVAC trade show in the world. In February 2026, more than 50,000 industry professionals moved through the Las Vegas Convention Center. AIIR Products needed something different from the standard trade show presence of branded banners, spec sheets, and a table. Their buyers are technical: MEP engineers who specify building systems, architects who want to see real integration, developers focused on total cost of ownership.
The goal: 300+ qualified leads from those exact buyer categories and 5+ on-site pilot project conversations. In a 10'×20' corner booth. Every square foot had to make a specific argument that a technical buyer would find credible.
The approach
Goodthings divided the booth into five distinct zones, each engineered to answer a different objection or prove a different claim. Nothing was decorative. Every element had a job.
Zone 1 (Architectural Integration): A full flush-mounted demo wall showing two real units, one flush to exterior, one flush to interior, both sides visible simultaneously. Zone 2 (Engineering Transparency): A plexiglass-covered "exploded" unit showing the full component system. Zone 3 (Technology & Live Data): Touchscreen kiosks with live data streaming from AIIR's actual Tennessee deployment, plus Verdant VX4 thermostat integration and a custom interactive kiosk app. Zone 4 (Acoustic Experience): A side-by-side decibel comparison with a competitor PTAC unit in a controlled sound chamber with a live decibel meter. Zone 5 (Conversation Zone): Modular furniture with acoustic panels, lead capture stations integrated with HubSpot and Netsuite via QR code.
The booth was designed as a Kit of Parts: modular components that could be redeployed at different scales for the HQ showroom, regional sales demo kits, and future roadshow events.
The outcome
The booth functioned like a product demo, a sales tool, and a showroom. Qualified buyers stopped. Conversations happened. Pilot projects were discussed. And the assets built for AHR Expo are already working in other contexts: redeployed at AIIR's Carrollton, Texas HQ showroom, with regional sales demo kits and future HotelSpaces events pulling from the same system.
Post-show, Goodthings produced a testimonial video with Kristi Matthews for AIIR's product page and LinkedIn. The engagement continues with an active retainer and the HotelPoint event on the horizon.
