The exhibition has grown by five per cent and now measures 275,000m2 compared with 261,300m2 in 2017. Exhibitors, hailing from 57 countries, will show innovations, developments and world’s firsts.  

This year ISH was opened by the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Thomas Bareiß while a number of other dignataries attended the curtain-raising event.

ISH saw a total of 198,810 trade visitors in 2017 – making it, by numbers, the world's leading trade fair for the HVAC sector. Every two years ISH covers the whole range of the HVAC sector: exhibitors launch new products, designers set trends, decision makers network with one another, and visitors are provided with a broad range of practical and theoretical knowledge.

ISH has a completely new structure in 2019, with 1,500 of 2,500 exhibitors will be located in a new hall. 

Digitalisation is a technological and context-related pace-setter at ISH. In particular the themes 'High-tech for the heating revolution', 'Indoor air quality (IAQ)', the 'Internet of things (IoT) in building automation', and 'heating with wood' are likely to be addressed.

There will also be a number of sector-related talks and lectures featuring best practices, seminars, special shows, panel discussions, competitions and tours of the fair. Visitors will have numerous opportunities to expand their knowledge, enjoy discussions with each other, make new business contacts and coordinate business.

Against this background, three overarching categories will structure the events at ISH. At Career@ISH exhibitors and visitors will find wide-ranging and various topics covering every aspect of training and further training. Skills@ISH will comprise a series of talks forums and further-training opportunities, and under the heading Selection@ISH there will be trend forums and fair tours. In all, Messe Frankfurt is developing five events on the subject of recruitment to the sector.

The ISH Technology and Energy Forum will be focusing on connected heating technology in the smart home, organised by the Federation of the German Heating Industry (BDH) and Messe Frankfurt.

The Stove Forum, which is being organised by Messe Frankfurt in collaboration with the German Tiled Stove Working Group (AdK), the Industrial Association for Home, Heating and Kitchen Technology (HKI) and the German Sanitation, Heating and Air Conditioning Association (ZVSHK), will will feature talks on the latest topics in the sector, such as energy and climate policy, on technical developments and trends.