DSCT FOCUS announced the 2026 FOCUS Conference will take place April 30, 2026, at Laurel Manor in Livonia, Michigan, marking the event’s 50th anniversary. The conference has long served paint and coatings professionals in Southeast Michigan and beyond, bringing automotive paint and coatings leaders together to share technical challenges and emerging developments.

The 2026 theme is “Celebrating Legacy, Driving Future Innovations.” John McElroy, an automotive industry analyst and journalist, will deliver the keynote on the state of the industry.

The conference is accepting abstracts for presentations that reflect both legacy technology advancements and emerging or sustainable solutions relevant to the automotive sector. Abstracts (under 500 words) should be sent to call4abstracts@dsctfocus.org and include the talk title plus the speaker’s name and email address. The submission deadline is January 17, 2026. Organizers expect to notify selected speakers by February 7, 2026.

The Livonia venue also supports industry-focused tutorials, student research posters, and a supplier showcase.