World Refrigeration Day (WRD) is proud to announce that a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AREA (Air conditioning and Refrigeration European Association) will be formally signed during the forthcoming 21st European Conference on the Latest Technologies in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.
The signing ceremony will take place in Milan, Italy, on 12–13 June 2025, marking a significant step forward in the collaboration between WRD and AREA. This renewed agreement strengthens the shared commitment of both organisations to advancing public awareness, education, sustainability, and inclusion in the refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heat pump (RACHP) sector.
While WRD is a global awareness campaign and AREA is a leading European trade association, the MoU reflects their complementary strengths. WRD focuses on public outreach and celebration, while AREA represents the technical and policy leadership of over 13,000 companies across 22 countries. By working together, the organisations can amplify their impact without competition—only greater cooperation.
The enhanced MoU introduces new areas of collaboration:
- Public outreach campaigns showcasing cooling’s role in modern life
- Youth engagement and STEM-focused initiatives in schools and communities
- Targeted support for women and underrepresented groups in the RACHP sector
- Shared development of educational materials and awareness resources
This partnership is aligned with WRD’s mission to celebrate the people, skills, and technologies that make modern life possible through cooling, while also supporting AREA’s objectives of maintaining high industry standards and fostering a favourable climate for contractors and professionals across Europe.
WRD Founder Stephen Gill commented:
“This agreement highlights the strength of cooperation between awareness-led and industry-led organisations. Together, we are sending a powerful message: that cooling matters, and that careers in this sector are for everyone—regardless of background or location.”
🏆 WiCC25: Recognising Women in Cooling
This year’s conference will also host the official award ceremony for the 3rd edition of the Women in Cooling Video Competition (WiCC25)—another successful collaboration between WRD and AREA.
WiCC25 is a cornerstone of WRD and AREA’s shared mission to foster gender inclusion and elevate visibility for women in the cooling industry. This year’s competition featured compelling video submissions from across Europe, highlighting the expertise, innovation, and achievements of talented women working in RACHP.
Judged by a panel of 12 industry experts, winners were selected across two categories:
Category A – RACHP Best Practice Mastery
🥇 1st place: Chloe Jennings – United Kingdom
🥈 2nd place: Milena Boettcher – Germany
🥉 3rd place: Millie Edwards – United Kingdom
Category B – RACHP Design Excellence
🥇 1st place: Hannah Romberg, Katharina Breuer, and Anna Halle – Germany
🥈 2nd place: Aleksandra Milic – Italy
🥉 3rd place: Araceli Pino – Spain
The first-place winners in both categories will each receive a €1,000 cash prize, sponsored by World Refrigeration Day, and will attend the award ceremony at the Milan conference on 12 June. Travel, accommodation, and registration costs are generously covered by AREA through its Italian member, ATF.
Second-place winners will receive €500 each, and all winning and shortlisted participants will be presented with a commemorative plaque.
🎥 The winning videos can be viewed now on the official AREA YouTube channel in the WiCC25 Playlist.
This dual celebration—the signing of a strengthened MoU and the recognition of remarkable women in cooling—underscores the shared values of inclusion, excellence, and progress that unite AREA and WRD. Together, we look forward to advancing a more sustainable, inclusive, and skilled future for our sector.
🏛 AREA Holds General Assembly in Istanbul
This milestone comes shortly after AREA’s Spring General Assembly Meeting, which was successfully held in Istanbul on 22–23 May 2025, hosted by SOSİAD (Refrigeration Industry Businessmen Association) at the CVK Park Bosphorus Hotel. The event featured evaluation meetings for AREA’s four working groups on 22 May, with strong participation from SOSİAD members. The AREA Board of Directors convened on the morning of 23 May, followed by the official General Assembly meeting.
The Istanbul meetings served as a timely opportunity to review recent initiatives and prepare for the formalisation of the MoU with WRD—highlighting AREA’s continued focus on collaboration, strategic partnerships, and forward-looking action.
It’s a kind of magic – Cool Skills
This year’s World Refrigeration Day theme, “Cool Skills,” could not be more fitting. It celebrates the practical expertise, technical excellence, and human ingenuity that underpin the cooling sector—qualities that are exemplified by AREA’s members and leadership. From boardroom strategy to hands-on system design, AREA continues to champion the skills that keep our world cool, safe, and sustainable. The signing of this MoU and the celebration of WiCC25 winners shine a spotlight on the people—past, present, and future—whose cool skills drive progress every day.
