The Natural Refrigeration

Over 2,000 attendees participated in the International Institute of All-Natural Refrigeration’s Natural Refrigeration Conference & Heavy Equipment Expo in San Antonio, Texas. The event focused on networking, equipment exhibition, and a technical education track that featured industry trends and practical discussion of operational processes and details.

“Overall, the conference was better attended than ever before in years past, said Yesenia Rector, IIAR’s Vice President – Education, Outreach and Events. “This was the first time we’ve broken the 2,000-attendee mark, so it’s a big goal met for IIAR.” Rector added that the San Antonio conference also saw the highest-ever exhibitor participation. “We broke records in a lot of key areas,” she said.

At a time when so many external forces are influencing the industrial refrigeration industry, the IIAR conference serves as a common point of reference for members to gain a broad understanding of the policy, regulatory, and economic forces shaping their daily operations.

“There are quite a few areas where people who work in our industry want to know what’s happening that will impact their operations,” said Rector. “This is the perfect venue for finding out what’s happening in your industry and your business.” This year’s meeting featured thirty-one sessions comprising six educational tracks and expanded exhibit hall hours.

Eric Smith, IIAR’s vice president and technical director, said while each IIAR conference is unique, this year’s conference had a wide range of practical information on offer, from code discussions to overlooked operational details that may warrant closer attention.

“We want end users to gain practical information when they come to our conference, and this year was a great example of how detailed and valuable that information can get,” said Smith. “Facility operations are just as significant a concern as the higher-level trends that shape our industry.”

“There is a large subset of our membership that comes to our conference for practical knowledge. Code is one of those areas, and in particular, regulatory compliance is another of those areas where practical knowledge can really make a difference.”

Smith said several subjects discussed at the recent conference helped members navigate specific issues. “One of the most practical tech papers this year focused on forklift protection,” said Smith. “Marty Timm delivered a good analysis of forklift safety issues.” The paper, Forklift Safety in Refrigerated Facilities will be available online later this year.

Other sessions, like the regulatory update and a panel focused on IIAR’s current research projects, were good examples of this year’s actionable information, said Smith.

“While we cannot know the end results of current regulatory maneuvers, understanding what might be coming and what the implications are definitely helps our industry prepare for the changes that might be coming,” he said. The same holds true for the research IIAR is currently doing, said Smith. “What IIAR and NRF research is accomplishing doesn’t have an immediate effect on our members, but it could in the long run.”

Smith cited two research projects discussed at the recent conference. “One will help us determine if it’s okay to discharge a relief valve into the header for CO2 relief systems, and the second project will determine when or whether relief valves discharging back into the system need to be replaced.”

“These are all projects that are getting answers to real problems, and that means they could lead to real changes that affect how we operate.”

Another session, practical for end users, outlined the benefits of developing emergency action plans that facilities can put in place to address minor releases.

“There has been a long-term assumption that an emergency action for minor releases doesn’t necessarily warrant proactive focus because facilities need not respond in any way except reporting the release and initiating evacuation,” said Smith.

“But in order to be able to do any of that, facilities need to have good plans in place, even for minor releases. The panel session discussed a newly revised guideline that will help facilities prepare to legally and responsibly react [to minor releases].”

Dayna Martinez, IIAR Education Programs Manager, agreed with Smith that practical advice on implementing many of the processes industry decision-makers deal with every day made up this year’s most popular sessions.

Among the highest-ranked in IIAR’s follow up survey were a workshop focused on PSM: PSM Scorecards – The Real Score; and a Spanish language tech paper focused on emergency prevention for ammonia systems: Prevención de emergencias en sistemas de refrigeración con amoníaco: la clave está en la normativa.

Rector emphasized that IIAR members should claim their continuing (PDH) credits online if they haven’t already and reminded members that all education sessions are available online for those who attended the conference.

While many education sessions focused on practical information, several also served as opportunities for IIAR members to learn about association initiatives like partnerships with other industry groups.

“One session this year highlighted our work with Eurammon,” said Rector. “We’re gearing up for several events we’ve planned through that partnership, starting with a networking event in June in Germany where we’ll be giving the keynote speech.”

Overall, IIAR’s 2026 conference saw more engagement than ever in the education programming, social events and all-around positive energy that has developed into a hallmark of the event, said Mike Chapman, IIAR’s Vice President of Operations, adding that one addition to this year’s program, the addition of a “white paper” track to the educational program seemed popular.

“Between the white papers, the tech papers and the workshops, our goal was to maintain balanced content but also address the different information needs of all our different types of members, and I think we were able to meet that goal,” said Chapman.

“The biggest thing that stood out to me is that it seemed like everyone was on top of their game – from staff working so well together, to committees, to the efforts of our members who delivered presentations – it all went very smoothly this year.”