Frank Sinatra called it "my kind of town." Rudyard Kipling said it was a "real" city. It's home to deep-dish pizza, world-class shopping, dining and Oprah Winfrey. Chicago. The city is the site of the Heating, Airconditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International's Oct. 16-19 convention. This is the group's second annual meeting, after merging the former Northamercian Heating, Refrigeration and Airconditioning Wholesalers Association with the Airconditioning & Refrigeration Wholesalers International in January 2003. Organizers are expecting this year's convention, at the Hyatt Regency, to attract 1,400 members - 15 percent more than the attendance at last year's San Francisco meeting. As with the former ARWI and NHRAW meetings, convention and committee sessions will focus on business issues of interest to wholesalers. An Oct. 19 trade show is also planned. Here is an overview of the convention's events.

Committee meetings
At 8 a.m. Oct. 17, the following committee meetings are scheduled: