Pelles AI at SMACNA 2026
General AI knows the world. Pelles knows your business.
Pelles AI is at Booth #303, showing a Trade Operating System — AI that runs your projects the way your best people would, on your own drawings, specs, and contracts. The 2026 SMACNA Annual Convention runs October 25–28, 2026 at the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek in Orlando, and our session “STOP SAYING AI!” opens it on Sunday, October 25 at 1:45 PM: what it actually takes to get AI working inside a contracting business.
Pelles AI is a Silver Associate Member of SMACNA
SMACNA Annual Convention
OCT 25–28 · 2026
Booth
#303- Venue
- Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
- City
- Orlando, FL
- Our session
- Sunday, October 25 · 1:45 PM
Booth#303
Partner exhibit hall · Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek · October 25–28, 2026
Where to find us
Two ways to catch us in Orlando
Our session opens the convention on the Sunday afternoon, and we're at Booth #303 in the partner exhibit hall for the rest of it. Both are open to any registered attendee.
Sun 25 Oct · 1:45 PM
Our session: STOP SAYING AI!
Yael Meretyk Hanan and Ido Glanz on why AI only pays off once it is embedded in your operational systems, workflows, and processes — and the framework for getting there.
Sun 25 – Wed 28 Oct
Booth 303
In the partner exhibit hall for the whole convention. Stop by any time, or book a slot so we can prepare a walkthrough against your own drawings and specs.
At a glance
SMACNA 2026, in one block
- Event
- 2026 SMACNA Annual ConventionSheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA)
- Dates
- October 25–28, 2026Sunday through Wednesday
- Venue
- Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek14100 Bonnet Creek Resort Ln, Orlando, FL 32821
- Our booth
- Booth #303Partner exhibit hall
- Our session
- STOP SAYING AI!Sunday, October 25, 1:45 PM
- Membership
- Silver Associate MemberSMACNA
On the agenda
Our session: STOP SAYING AI!
Pelles AI co-founders Yael Meretyk Hanan and Ido Glanz present on Sunday, October 25 at 1:45 PM. The argument: AI on its own changes nothing, and it only starts paying off once it's embedded in your operational systems, workflows, and processes — with structure, ownership, and clear use cases behind it.
- Sunday, October 25 · 1:45 PM
- Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
STOP SAYING AI!
AI is everywhere, but for many contractors it still feels like a magic powder that promises results without real change. The reality is that AI alone is not the solution. The real shift is from using AI as a standalone tool to embedding it in your operational systems, workflows, and business processes. Without structure, ownership, and clear use cases, even the most powerful AI tools fall short. This session challenges the common misconceptions and offers a practical framework for putting AI to work: why AI is only as effective as the processes behind it, how to shape AI around your business instead of reshaping your business around AI, and what it actually takes to get results — from asking better questions to building repeatable workflows.
Yael Meretyk Hanan
CEO & Co-Founder, Pelles AI
Ido Glanz
CTO & Co-Founder, Pelles AI
Booth #303
What fifteen minutes at the booth gets you
Enough to tell whether this works on your projects, which is the only question worth answering on a trade show floor. We'll run it on real work, not a canned deck.
- A live demo run against a real drawing and spec set — bring one of yours if you like.
- A side-by-side revision compare on a job you already know, so you can check our work.
- Straight answers on rollout, security, and what this costs.
What we'll show you
General AI knows the world. Pelles knows your business. It runs on your own drawings, specs, and project history, and what you build into it stays yours. Three applications cover the everyday work:
DoubleCheck
Find answers instantly. Ask anything about a project and get the answer straight from your own drawings, specs, and files — with the source shown.
Compare
Spot changes instantly. Two drawing sets side by side, every difference found, aligned, and summarized. The overlay work that eats an afternoon, done before the coffee is cold.
Reports
Smarter deliverables, built your way. Proposals, pre-bid RFIs, BOMs, and change orders, produced from your project data in the templates you already use.
Then you make it yours
Past that it’s yours to shape: agents that hold your standards, and apps built around workflows your team already runs. Start with what you already have, build what makes you better — which is exactly the argument of the session.
See what's inside Pelles Core →What it takes to run it
Your data stays yours, you decide what runs automatically and where a person signs off, and Pelles sits on top of the tools you already run — no migration, no IT project. SOC 2 Type II attested.
Read our security posture →Proof it works
Sheet metal and HVAC work gives it the hardest test — thousands of pages of drawings and specs per job, and a change order waiting in every one that gets missed. Kidwell, a 75-year-old electrical and low voltage contractor, standardized preconstruction on Pelles and cut 70–80% of the time its team spent reviewing plans and specifications.
Read the Kidwell case study →The numbers behind it
- Construction projects
3,000+
Construction projects
- Issues caught early
85,000+
Issues caught early
- Hours saved per project
100h+
Hours saved per project
Pelles AI is a Silver Associate Member of SMACNA. We exhibit at the Annual Convention and take part in the association's programs through the year — this is our industry, not a market we dropped into.
Our research
What contractors actually told us about AI
We surveyed trade contractors about how they really use AI. The gap between the last two numbers is exactly what “STOP SAYING AI!” is about: daily use and real enthusiasm, paired with a trust level that says nobody is letting it near a bid unchecked. Closing that gap is the product — every answer shows the document it came from, and you decide where a person signs off.
- use AI multiple times a day
55%
use AI multiple times a day
- say AI is a competitive advantage
8.3/10
say AI is a competitive advantage
- trust AI with their work
4.2/10
trust AI with their work
Source: The State of AI in the Trades, Pelles AI's survey of trade contractors.
The event
What happens at the SMACNA Annual Convention?
The SMACNA Annual Convention is the association's largest yearly gathering of members, chapter executives, and associate members. Four days of business and leadership education, a partner exhibit hall, and the networking the industry plans its year around — running October 25–28, 2026 at the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.
Education sessions
Business, leadership, and technology sessions aimed at the people running sheet metal and HVAC contracting firms — including ours on the Sunday.
Partner and exhibit hall
Time set aside to talk with the manufacturers, service providers, and technology partners the industry actually buys from. We’re at Booth 303.
SMACNA Block Party
New for 2026: a block party at Universal CityWalk on Monday, October 26, 6:30–9:30 p.m., with dinner and entertainment.
Golf, happy hour, and the business meeting
The College of Fellows Golf Outing and a convention happy hour bracket the program; the SMACNA Annual Business Meeting runs Wednesday, October 28 at approximately 7:45 a.m.
Who attends SMACNA 2026
The convention is built for the people running sheet metal and HVAC contracting firms — HVAC, architectural and industrial sheet metal, residential HVAC, and TAB contractors, mainly owners, CEOs, presidents, and executives.
- HVAC contractors
- Architectural sheet metal
- Industrial sheet metal
- Residential HVAC
- Testing, adjusting & balancing (TAB)
- Owners, CEOs & presidents
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the 2026 SMACNA Annual Convention?
The SMACNA Annual Convention is the yearly gathering of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association — the largest meeting of SMACNA members, chapter executives, and associate members. The 2026 edition runs October 25–28 at the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Florida, and combines business and leadership education with a partner exhibit hall and networking events.
When and where is SMACNA 2026?
October 25–28, 2026 at the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, 14100 Bonnet Creek Resort Ln, Orlando, FL 32821. Registration and housing are open through smacna.org.
Where can I find Pelles AI at SMACNA 2026?
Pelles AI is at Booth #303 in the partner exhibit hall for the full convention. Stop by any time, or book a slot in advance so we can prepare a walkthrough against your own drawings, specs, and contracts instead of our sample set.
Is Pelles AI speaking at SMACNA 2026?
Yes. Yael Meretyk Hanan (CEO & Co-Founder, Pelles AI) and Ido Glanz (CTO & Co-Founder, Pelles AI) present “STOP SAYING AI!” on Sunday, October 25 at 1:45 PM. The session argues that AI only works once it is embedded in your operational systems, workflows, and processes — and lays out a practical framework for getting there.
What is the “STOP SAYING AI!” session about?
It challenges the idea of AI as a magic powder that delivers results without operational change. The argument: AI is only as effective as the processes behind it, so the work is shaping AI around your business rather than reshaping your business around AI — building repeatable workflows, assigning ownership, and picking use cases specific enough to measure. Practical framework, contractor examples, no vendor demo.
Who attends the SMACNA Annual Convention?
The convention draws HVAC, architectural sheet metal, industrial sheet metal, residential HVAC, and testing-adjusting-and-balancing (TAB) contractors — mainly owners, CEOs, presidents, and executives — along with chapter executives and SMACNA associate members.
Is Pelles AI a SMACNA member?
Yes. Pelles AI is a Silver Associate Member of SMACNA, which is how we exhibit at the Annual Convention and take part in the association’s programs through the year.
What does Pelles AI do for sheet metal and HVAC contractors?
Pelles is a Trade Operating System: AI that runs your projects the way your best people would — on your own drawings, specs, and contracts, not on general knowledge. Pelles Core covers the everyday work: DoubleCheck answers questions straight from your documents with the source shown, Compare matches revisions across drawing sets and summarizes every change, and Reports produces proposals, pre-bid RFIs, BOMs, and change orders in the templates you already use. From there you build: agents that hold your standards, and apps shaped around workflows your team already runs. Across 3,000+ analyzed projects, the platform has flagged 85,000+ issues early.
How is this different from using ChatGPT on a spec book?
General-purpose assistants have never seen one of your jobs — they don’t know your standards, your history, or your customers, and whatever your team teaches them in a chat doesn’t stick. Pelles runs on your own documents and project history, and what you build into it stays yours: your 500th job runs smarter than your first.
Also this season
Where else you can meet Pelles AI in 2026
We're exhibiting at three trade contractor conferences this autumn. Every stop has its own page with booth details, schedule, and the fastest way to get time with us.
- SUBExcel 2026ASA's national convention for subcontractors and specialty trade contractors.Sep 29 – Oct 1, 2026Bonita Springs, FL
- NECA 2026NECA's 125th-anniversary convention and trade show for electrical contractors. Booth 2027, plus our happy hour on the Tuesday.Oct 4–7, 2026Las Vegas, NV
See it on your own drawings — in Orlando.
Booth #303 gets busy fast. Book a slot ahead and we'll have a demo ready that runs on your project, not our sample set.