BETHESDA, MD – The Adhesive and Sealant Council’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to adjust its annual meeting lineup by hosting a single Convention and EXPO in the spring, and adding an annual Executive Leadership Conference in the fall.  These changes will be implemented in 2017. The voting took place at the Board of Directors Meeting held on October 19 in Pittsburgh.

“The new annual meeting lineup is 100 percent focused on engagement,” noted Matthew E. Croson, President of ASC. “We envision enhanced supply chain interaction, and our flagship event will become even more important when it is hosted once a year. Additionally, focused executive-level engagement will be promoted by creating an opportunity for our industry’s leaders to gather annually in order to consider the future.”

Historically, the council has hosted two annual conventions and EXPOs, one in the spring and one in the fall. In addition, the council hosted a biennial leadership conference every other year.  Following the adoption of the Long Range Plan, and the addition of 17 new programs and services, many of which require face-to-face meetings, the board asked the industry how best to align the annual meeting lineup to add value.

ASC created a board-level task force to consider changes, ensuring that member needs were taken into account while also considering the economic impact to the council itself.

“ASC leadership wanted to make sure that industry was supportive of adjusting the lineup, but also ensure that we wouldn’t cripple the council’s ability to deliver value,” reports Croson. “We had nearly 70 percent member respondents supporting the idea and even higher support from suppliers. The task force concluded that an adjustment was what members valued and recommended the changes to the board.”

ASC’s annual meetings have averaged 534 attendees from 2011-2015. From 2006-2010, the average was 360 attendees. In addition, the council’s EXPO has grown from 35 exhibitors per meeting to 70 exhibitors per event.

“Given the growth of the convention and EXPO, the task force felt comfortable that an adjustment to a single convention and EXPO each year would continue to keep the council in a strong financial position to serve the industry,” noted Croson. “But most importantly, it would continue to add value by making it the must-attend event for our industry.”

On November 6, the ASC Executive Committee announced that a new task force would be convened to review the convention and EXPO structure and make a recommendation to the board by October 2016. They will consider any changes that need to be made in order to ensure that members receive the maximum value from their participation.

“Now that the board has adjusted the overall lineup, the EC wants to make sure that membership and staff thinks about how many educational tracks we need, how to co-locate our short courses, when board and committee meetings will be held, etc.,” notes Croson. “We will pull together a task force made up of members that can help guide technical programming as well as the networking and EXPO side of the equation, with the goal of taking a look at the entire structure of the program to ensure that members get the strongest value possible.”

While the annual meeting lineup is changing for 2017, next year’s lineup is already in place.  ASC’s convention and EXPO and short course lineup includes the following:

• April 18-20, 2016 – Spring Convention and EXPO in New Orleans;
• April 18-19, 2016 – Hot Melt Short Course in New Orleans;
• June 14-15, 2016 – Structural Adhesives Short Course in Baltimore;
• October 17-19, 2016 – Fall Convention and EXPO in Indianapolis; and
• October 17-18, 2016 – Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Short Course in Indianapolis.

For more information, visit www.ascouncil.org.