European manufacturers of air handling technologies felt the need for in-depth cross-national coordination and information exchange, leading to the foundation of CECMA (later Eurovent) in 1958.

In the course of the constant enlargement of the European Union, CECMA and CECOMAF expanded accordingly, with national associations joining from both EU and non-EU member states, such as Denmark, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Sweden.

[4] CECOMAF and Eurovent developed joint recommendations and technical documents, which increasingly obtained recognition and were sold in high numbers (about 300 copies annually) across Europe and beyond.

Today, ICARHMA (with the heating sector being added over time) members meet once a year, now also including associations from other regions of the world.

[5] In June 1996, further cooperation between CECOMAF and Eurovent finally led to the merger of the two associations into the European Committee of Air Handling and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers, known as Eurovent/CECOMAF.

By now, the European politicians and legislators noted that, in order to ensure a properly functioning Single Market and the reaching of common goals, it was necessary to introduce directly applicable laws (so-called EU Regulations).

[2] In 2015, the association's geographical scope was extended following an increasing number of requests from manufacturers in the Middle East and Northern Africa to support them in the development of high-quality standards and legislation.

The General Secretariat, with its headquarters in Brussels and regional offices in Milan and Prague,[7] is the executive body responsible for day-to-day association management.

One of Eurovent's key activities is representing the industry's achievements while bringing knowledge across to emerging markets around the globe in cooperation with local partners.

Examples of these activities are: Eurovent is a founding member of ICARHMA, the International Council of Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Heating Manufacturers Associations,[9] and represents European-oriented industry ideals in the latter.

Once per year, representatives of ICARHMA's member associations from Australia, China, Japan, India, Korea, Latin and North America meet in a different host country to discuss ongoing policies and various other global issues related to the ‘HVACR’ industry including energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

[12] The EUROVENTSUMMIT is a biennial event gathering key decision-makers in the area of Indoor Climate (HVAC), Process Cooling, and Food Cold Chain Technologies.

Founded in 1994, EMI aims to establish a detailed map of the European, Middle-East and African market thanks to the manufacturers' participation in the data collections.