Heating, cooling and ventilation rarely make headlines, but in the events business they decide whether a hall full of visitors stays comfortable. The sector's main annual meeting in Serbia, the 57th International HVAC&R Congress and Exhibition (KGH), takes place at the Belgrade Fair from 9 to 11 December 2026.
KGH is organised by the Serbian HVAC&R Society, part of the Union of Mechanical and Electrotechnical Engineers and Technicians of Serbia (SMEITS). It combines a technical congress with a trade exhibition in Hall 4. According to the Belgrade Fair, the event brings together more than 160 exhibitors on over 170 booths, more than 100 presentations and over 3,000 visitors. The fair has not said which edition those figures refer to.
What is on the programme
The detailed 2026 programme has not been published on the pages we checked. The Expoclima trade portal lists the themes of the congress:
- HVAC systems and equipment, refrigeration and refrigerants;
- nZEB (nearly zero-energy) buildings and decarbonisation;
- district heating and renewable energy sources;
- indoor air quality;
- AI in smart HVAC systems;
- cooling for data centres, and renovation of existing buildings.
Alongside the lectures, the exhibition lets visitors meet manufacturers and distributors directly. The organiser also presents the event as a place to look for, or offer, jobs.
Practical information
Entry is free, but registration is mandatory. The fair says participant registration opens in October. Opening hours are 09:00–18:00 on 9 and 10 December and 09:00–16:00 on 11 December.
Companies that want to exhibit or present can contact the SMEITS team directly. Business partners can also publish articles in the quarterly KGH journal and reach a monthly e-newsletter sent to more than 11,000 addresses in the region.
Why it matters for venues, decorators and stand builders
For venue owners, KGH is a practical place to talk to suppliers about the systems that affect every event they host: ventilation in packed halls, cooling during summer conferences and heating for winter fairs. With Expo 2027 Belgrade bringing a busy summer of events in 2027, venues planning upgrades this winter have a chance to compare solutions and installers in one place.
For stand builders, an HVAC&R exhibition is a heavy show. Exhibitors bring large and heavy units, need extra power and sometimes water connections. Firms that can handle forklifts, rigging and technical stands should approach exhibitors early, as the build-up falls in the middle of December's busy calendar. The Water Fair and Forum runs at the Belgrade Fair only a week earlier, on 2–4 December.
Event details
- Event: 57th International HVAC&R Congress and Exhibition (KGH)
- Dates: 9–11 December 2026
- City: Belgrade
- Venue: Belgrade Fair (Beogradski sajam), Hall 4
- Organiser: Serbian HVAC&R Society / SMEITS, Kneza Miloša 7a/II, Belgrade
- Event type: congress and trade exhibition
- Admission: free, registration required
- Participation contact: Jelena Salević, jelena.salevic@smeits.rs, +381 60 300 83 22
- Official website: kgh-kongres.rs
Sources
- sajam.rs
- www.expoclima.net
- sajam.rs
- sajamskaoprema.com
Photo: alpha innotec / Unsplash licence / source
