Dear Industry Professionals,
I invite you to join us in Atlanta for the Adhesive and Sealant Council’s (ASC) Annual Spring Convention and Expo. This year, we are introducing several new features to expand the event’s offerings and grow its value to you as an industry professional. You may have heard that the ASC has moved to one annual convention beginning in 2017. As a result, you won’t want to miss this single opportunity to network with your industry peers at an ASC convention this year.
Our opening keynote is Matt Lewis, a CNN political commentator and senior columnist for the Daily Beast. An insightful political commentator and observer, Lewis will provide analysis regarding the changing political landscape and the likely governing consequences of a Trump administration, ranging from economic to environmental policy.
This year, we have increased the number of tracks on Day One to four, with a focus on the following topics: key feedstocks, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory challenges, alternative cure technology, automotive, improved hot melts, innovation drivers, and bonding difficult substrates.
On Day Two, Dan Adams, founder of The AIM Institute and author of the B2B organic growth newsletter “New Product Blueprinting,” will present the keynote entitled “Want Faster Organic Growth? Better Let Your Customers Surprise You.” Adams will share new research by The AIM Institute showing how over 80% of project teams were surprised by customer needs.
Our lunch keynote is Peter Swire, former White House privacy czar and law professor at Georgia Tech, who will provide insights from the perspective of corporate executives, political leaders, and the hackers who challenge law and order for our modern economy and society. Session highlights for Day Two include a first-ever focus on operations and process safety. Sam Mannan, Ph.D., director of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M University, and the Honorable Vanessa Sutherland, chairperson of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, are among the distinguished speakers in sessions dedicated to improving safety at the operations level. Other key sessions will include market trends, building and construction products, characterization, and new or advanced technology.
In addition, two co-located short courses are scheduled. One focuses on waterborne adhesives; it will provide fundamental knowledge of formulating and use of this adhesive class to help attendees to select, design, apply, and troubleshoot adhesive package and, ultimately, add to the bottom line. The other short course will explore caulks and sealants, explaining how sealants not only offer important performance properties, providing many advantages to modern design, but that putties and caulks also serve to take up space and fill voids.
We will also recognize two outstanding recipients of the first-ever ASC Innovation Award, which identifies significant impact chemistries that contribute to downstream industries unmet needs and advancements in technology.
Lastly, we have increased the number of exhibitors in our Expo to more than 100, the largest ever.
Clearly, you cannot afford to miss this year’s ASC Annual Spring Convention. Review the program schedule for the most recent lineup. You can also check for updates at www.ascouncil.org or by contacting an ASC staff member. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta. ASI
