From key conference insights to the experience of exchanging ideas with delegates from 18 countries, IOR Events Manager, Lisa Waters, shares her reflections on the 1st IIR International Conference on Refrigeration Adapting to Rising Temperatures, which was organised by the IOR from 10 to 13 August 2025 in Manchester.

During a roasting week in Manchester, the IOR hosted people from 18 countries at the University of Manchester, including engineers, researchers, manufacturers, and policymakers. Everyone came together to ask, and hopefully get some answers to the same question: how do we get refrigeration and cooling ready for a world where extreme heat is the new normal?

For me, hosting this event with the IIR was thrilling. I love the energy and enthusiasm that is generated at these international conferences. It’s not every day you get to bring so many brilliant minds together and watch the conversations we all need to be having unfold in real time.

The keynotes were fascinating and really brought it home that rising ambient is a real threat and is not a problem for future generations.

• Dr Tim Fox reminded us that refrigeration isn’t just handy to have, it’s absolutely critical, from food security to healthcare.
• Dr Pete Falloon made the data on climate change and the food chain feel very real.
• And Dr Ruth Wood spoke powerfully about how adapting homes and cities to heat is ultimately about protecting people, not just deploying tech.

As well as the keynote presentations, there were fifty technical presentations, workshops and training sessions, tours and a lively student networking event. I loved seeing the students get up and present their ideas – everything from improving CO₂ refrigeration systems on fishing vessels to predicting condensation in stored fruit. So much talent, and so much confidence. The future of this sector feels bright. And then there were the early career engineers and apprentices who worked with us as conference assistants. Honestly, they were brilliant. They didn’t just help keep the sessions running smoothly; they threw themselves into it, networking, learning, and grabbing every opportunity they could. They went above and beyond, and I couldn’t have been prouder of them.

What really stuck with me, though, wasn’t just the technical know-how (though there was plenty of that). It was the urgency, the sense that everyone knows adaptation can’t wait. And the optimism too – that we already have a lot of the tools and knowledge we need to start making a difference.  The RACHP community is ready to lead on climate adaptation.

The call to host the next Adaptation Conference is being issued by the International Institute of Refrigeration and while last week’s conference felt like the start of something important, it will be fascinating to see the developments that will be presented in two years’ time at the next one.