The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) Annual Spring Convention and Expo—the largest gathering of professionals in the adhesive and sealant supply chain—will be held April 8-10 in downtown Philadelphia this year, and you can’t afford to miss it. Building off last year’s record attendance and largest-ever expo, this year’s convention is shaping up to be another must-attend event. With proximity to many ASC member companies, Philadelphia is an ideal meeting destination for you and your team to network with peers and learn from experts on a variety of hot topics.

Our opening keynote is futurist and generations expert Matt Thornhill, founder of the Institute for Tomorrow, who will share top traits of best-in-class organizations and why what they’re doing works and how to fully leverage multiple generations in the workplace. Day one of the conference also features numerous key topics such as key feedstocks in adhesives and sealants, building and construction trends influencing the industry, domestic and international regulatory developments, advanced technology, and sustainability.

During lunch, special recognitions will be announced, including recipients of this year’s ASC Scholarship Program, inductees in the ASC’s new Hall of Fame, and graduates of the ASC’s Certificate Program.

Day two’s keynote is Jack Shaw, co-founder of the American Blockchain Council, who will discuss “The Blockchain Transformation: How Enabled Digital Transformation Will Change Your Business, Your Industry, and the World.” Session highlights for day two include workforce and business success strategies, topics important to small businesses, new product introductions, product innovations by finalists of the ASC’s Innovations Award, and pressure-sensitive adhesives. Day three’s keynote is Joe Wheeler, co-director of the Center for Design Research and professor of Architecture at Virginia Tech, who will present “Architects and Adhesives—A Perspective on Designing the HAUS of the Future.”

In addition, two co-located short courses are scheduled over two days. The first, focusing on pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs), will present formulation strategies based on application and performance requirements for a variety of PSA markets. The second course, which will cover caulks and sealants, will give attendees a thorough understanding of the functions and applications of caulks and sealants. These courses are ideal for research and development staff, application engineers, technical sales/service people, architects, specifiers, and project managers.

Our Opening and Closing Receptions provide excellent opportunities to network with fellow industry professionals. And lastly, we will once again feature more than 100 exhibitors in the expo, where the leading suppliers, technologies and solutions in the adhesive and sealant market will be available to meet with you (see Exhibiting Companies on p. 25).

As you can see, there is a lot of value built into two days at the ASC’s Annual Spring Convention. Review the program schedule (see pp. 19-23) for the most recent lineup. You can also check for updates on our website or by contacting an ASC staff member. I look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia.