This toolkit is intended to support local markets to host a contractor summit focused on air source heat pumps (ASHP). ASHPs are the highest efficiency heating and cooling technology on the market and can offer benefits such as reliable comfort, lower utility costs, grid resiliency, and fuel flexibility. Promoting the advancements of heat pumps in your market takes coordinated effort of many stakeholders such as contractors, manufacturers, and distributors. Following this toolkit will assist in planning a successful summit to advance heat pump technology in your local market.
Jump To: Planning | Outreach | Event Day | Post Event
Planning
Why Host an ASHP Contractor Summit?
Use this planning document to define your ‘why’ and tailor the event to meet your market’s specific needs effectively.
Hosting a summit isn’t just about providing information, it’s about creating momentum, building confidence, and fostering collaboration among all the key stakeholders. The end goal is to ensure that heat pump technology is a viable, mainstream option in your community by addressing concerns, filling knowledge gaps, and empowering contractors with the tools they need to succeed.
So, as you move forward with planning this summit, consider the following:
- What topics should be prioritized to have the biggest impact?
- Who needs to be in the room to make real change happen?
- How to ensure follow-up so this isn’t just a one-time conversation?
- Develop a Budget
Considerations for your budget include:
- Venue costs – many venues have rental fees or additional charges for A/V equipment
- Catering – for a ½ day summit, recommend including a simple breakfast of coffee and pastries plus sack lunches (additional recommendations in Appendix B)
- Marketing – any promotional materials, event signage, or advertisements
- Event materials – includes items such as name tags and printed materials
- Travel & accommodations – if applicable, costs for airfare, local transportation, or hotel stays
- Sponsorship – local manufacturers, distributors, and utilities may be willing to sponsor portions of the summit (additional recommendations in Appendix B).
- Sample sponsorship documents can be found here: Sponsorship Opportunity Document
- Choose a Date & Venue
Secure a venue early enough to allow for effective promotion, ideally 4-6 months in advance. When selecting a venue for your summit, keep these factors in mind:
Timing:
- To maximize the number of contractors able to attend, your event should be planned for during the ‘shoulder season’. This is the period between peak heating and cooling seasons, the spring and the fall, when contractors are not as busy.
- Hosting the event on a weekday is key to ensuring attendees and speakers are available. If possible, choose Tuesday-Thursday.
- Consider starting the event in the morning to allow for contractors to get back out into the field for their afternoon.
- Ensure your event date does not conflict with any major school breaks, holidays, or other industry events and conferences.
Location:
- Consider local colleges (community, technical, or otherwise), community centers, coworking spaces, and libraries.
- Ensure both the location and parking are accessible to all attendees. Also consider if parking is free or at a cost to communicate that to attendees.
- For ideal accessibility, consider a venue with adequate parking and a clear access path to the building, all activities on the ground floor, and ability to use microphones or a sound system.
Capacity:
- How many attendees can you realistically engage for your event? Ensure you have adequate space and seating for all attendees.
- A classroom-style setup works well to facilitate notetaking throughout the event.
- If offering vendor tabling opportunities (recommended), ensure there is enough space for additional tables and any show equipment manufacturers or distributors may want to bring.
A venue inquiry template can be found here: Venue Inquiry Email Template
- Create the Agenda
The event agenda is the tool to implement your ‘why’ in offering an ASHP summit. Depending on what was identified for event and topic priorities, your agenda will be molded to fit your needs.
Example Agendas & Templates
Potential Agenda Topics
- Heat pump technology mythbusting
- Sizing heat pumps
- Manual J vs. rule of thumb
- Replacing traditional heating and cooling with a high efficiency system
- Integrating efficient heating and cooling into your business
- Customer communication
- Utility bill rate analysis
- Incentives and tax credits
- Manufacturer and/or distributor panels (more details in Appendix B)
Identifying a Local Success Story
A compelling success story can make ASHP readiness feel tangible and relevant. For contractors that are new to or hesitant about ASHP technology, hearing stories from other successful contractors may help grow their interest in learning more about and offering ASHPs.
A dedicated section of the agenda to highlight a local contractor presentation is ideal. Have them share details about local installations, if incentives or rebates were used, any challenges experienced and how to overcome.
Consider these key questions to identify local stories:
- What successful ASHP installations have taken place in your area?
- Were they residential or commercial?
- Which contractors organized and installed them?
- What were the benefits from these projects?
If these installs weren’t coordinated through your office, check with your utilities. Their energy efficiency programs likely track incentive payouts and the types of installs completed. You may also ask distributors to identify contractor stories from their networks.
- Registration Set Up & Pre-Event Survey
Setting up an online registration system is key for smooth event management and effective attendance tracking. Popular platforms like Eventbrite, Cvent, and Google Forms can streamline this process.
Key information to include in registration:
- First and last name
- Email address
- Role type: contractor, manufacturer, distributor, utility, community member, etc.
- Company name
- Dietary needs
- Accessibility needs
- Pre-event survey questions
Outreach
Outreach and recruitment are the most important step in hosting a successful ASHP summit. Ensuring you have adequate time for this step is imperative, ideally outreach and recruitment occurs 2-4 months prior to your event. Use the templates below to engage with all stakeholders, create flyers, and secure vendors and speakers.
- Outreach and Recruitment Templates
- Manufacturers and Distributors
Distributors are a familiar and trusted resource for contractors, making them a valuable addition to recruitment. Share flyers and event information with local distributors and ask for them to share with their contractor networks. Ideally, distributors can include event flyers at their counters so local contractors see the information anytime they go to their distributor.
Manufacturers are key to engaging local contractor networks and providing valuable resources. Industry panels featuring area sales leads are often a highlight for attendees and offer valuable market insights. This also gives manufacturers a great opportunity to discuss their latest technology and training opportunities.
If you don’t have existing relationships with local distributors and manufacturers, consider reaching out to your local utilities who may have relationships. You can also engage with the Midwest Collaborative who can connect you with key stakeholders in the HVAC industry in your region.
- Contractor Recruitment
Driving contractor attendance requires strategic outreach and early promotion. Begin by distributing flyers well in advance through your contractor networks or any organizations and partners that frequently communicate with contractors, such as trade associations, workforce development groups, and utility programs. Engage distributors early, asking them to display flyers at their counters, include event details in their newsletters, or conduct direct outreach to their contractors. Manufacturers and utilities can also support by sharing the event with their contractor networks.
When promoting the event, it's essential to clearly communicate its value. Highlight key benefits such as free technical training, networking opportunities, and insights on incentive programs. Ensuring contractors understand the advantages of attending will significantly boost turnout.
- Other Local Stakeholders
Local utilities, community organizations, or state energy offices may also benefit from attending the summit or be able to assist with outreach and recruitment. Utilities often have contractor networks they can communicate with to spread awareness about the summit. Utility representatives can also participate in the ‘Incentives’ section of the agenda to present about local incentives and rebates available for heat pumps. If your state offers statewide rebates or incentives, the state energy office may be able to share more information about those that are relevant to contractors and their customers.
Event Day
- Before the Summit
General Event Guidance
- Preparation is key: Finalize all details well in advance of event day.
- Finalize slide deck, confirm all speakers and vendors, use the Summit Day Materials Checklist
- Clear communication matters: Send reminder emails with logistics, parking details, and any last-minute updates to attendees, vendors, and speakers.
- Ideally reminders are sent 1 week and 1 day before the event at a minimum.
- Include parking maps if available and any other ‘know before you go’ information.
- Streamline check-in: Have name tags, pens, and a registration list ready. A printed QR code can speed up walk-in registrations.
- Signage: If directional signs are needed to find meeting rooms or restrooms, ensure those are set up prior to event start.
- Preparation is key: Finalize all details well in advance of event day.
- Day of Summit
Take photos throughout the day of sponsors, speakers, attendees, and key moments. These images are important for promoting future events and recognizing the contributions of everyone involved.
Arrive Early
- Test all technology – projectors, microphones, and any other A/V equipment.
- Get the Wi-Fi password, locate bathrooms and determine emergency procedures.
- Verify that presentations are loaded and working correctly.
Vendor Tabling
- Coordinate with vendors to ensure they arrive early enough to set up their tables.
- Ensure you have enough tables set up for all of the vendors participating.
Sign-In Process
- Set up a dedicated registration area with clear instructions. Have someone available at the registration table for assistance and questions.
- Use either a physical sign-in sheet or a digital check-in method (e.g., QR codes, tablets).
Off-Site Support
- Assign someone off-site to monitor incoming calls and emails.
- This person can help troubleshoot last-minute issues, provide directions, or relay urgent messages to the on-site team without disrupting the flow of the event.
Post-Event Survey
- Pass out the post-event survey during lunch for all attendees to complete.
- Consider making this a digital survey and provide a QR code for completion.
- Day of Summit: After Summit Ends
- Thank everyone for coming and thank the speakers and sponsors.
- Pack up materials and any equipment, collect post-event surveys and final registration list.
- Let onsite staff know that the event is over.
Post Event
- Within One Week of Summit
Final Registration
- Collect final registration numbers to report out metrics of the summit.
- Please consider sharing your results and survey responses with the MW Collaborative (info@mwcollab.org).
Post-Event Resources
Prepare a follow-up email that includes all presentation slides, partner information, and links to helpful tools or resources from manufacturers and distributors.
- Since this is likely a large file, test send this prior to sharing out with the entire registration list.
- Sample Post-Event Resource Packet
Thank You Messages
- Send thank you messages to all speakers, vendors, and organizers for their participation in the summit.
- Sponsorship and Partner Thank You Email Template
- Appendix A: Templates and Resources
General Outreach Email Template
Request for Panelist Email Template
Sample Post-Event Resource Packet
Sponsorship and Partner Thank You Email Template
Sponsorship Opportunity Document
State or Utility Speaker Opportunity Email Template
Summit Day Materials Checklist
Vendor and Panelist Opportunity for Manufacturers and Distributors Email Template
- Appendix B: Additional Planning Details
Budget Additional Information
Catering considerations:
- Gather dietary information during registration to ensure you can provide accommodations for all attendees.
- Some venues require use of on-site catering, but you can have cost savings if allowed to bring in your own catering options, such as soda and water bottles.
- Sack lunches allow flexibility for contractors to grab and go if they need to get back into the field. A local sandwich place is always a great option.
- If you are a non-profit organization, be sure to inquire whether your order qualifies for a tax exemption.
Sponsorship considerations:
- For any sponsors, recognize them throughout the event by including their logos in the slide deck and on any applicable print materials.
Local Success Story Additional Information
Key details for the contractor story to include:
- Was weatherization completed along with the install?
- Was it an electric-to electric gas-to-electric upgrade?
- How was the customer’s energy bill impacted?
- Were any tax credits, incentives, or rebates used in this project?
- Do they have any customer testimonials to share about the project?
Agenda Additional Information
Manufacturer and/or Distributor panel details:
When planning an industry panel, give speakers time to consider the questions and provide thoughtful answers. At a minimum, email the questions in advance, but ideally, hold a pre-summit prep call, especially if this is a new connection. This helps establish rapport, address any questions, and reinforce their importance to the event.
Recommended panel questions:
- What are the most frequent installation challenges contractors face in your area, and how can they be addressed?
- What are the key factors driving the future of heat pump readiness in your region, and how can contractors prepare for these changes?
- How can contractors leverage emerging trends in the heat pump market to enhance their value proposition and stay competitive over the next 5-10 years?