Where Coatings Innovation Comes Together

CTT Summit combines practical technical education, emerging technologies and meaningful industry connections in one focused event.

By Courtney Bassett, Chief Editor, Paint & Coatings Industry Magazine

Attendees listening to a coatings industry panel discussion — Credit: Courtesy of Robert Levy Photography

Need to Know

The 2026 Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit takes place Sept. 15-17 at The Westin Chicago Lombard.
Four pre-conference short courses will cover surfactants and rheology, resins, latex film formation and powder coatings for harsh environments.
PPG’s Calum Munro will deliver the keynote on smart manufacturing, productivity and sustainability.
More than 50 technical presentations will address liquid and powder coatings technologies, formulation challenges and emerging trends.
Attendees can meet 98 exhibitors and participate in eight dedicated networking opportunities.
Coatings formulators and manufacturers can buy two registrations and receive a third free when registering together.

The Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit gives coatings professionals a place to learn, see new technologies and talk directly with the people doing the work. This year’s event takes place Sept. 15-17 at The Westin Chicago Lombard.

CTT Summit begins Tuesday with four short courses. Morning courses will cover surfactants and rheology with Sam Morell and resins for coatings with Michael Praw. In the afternoon, Artur Palasz will examine film formation and early performance of latex paints, while Eric Casebolt and Nathan Biller will focus on powder coatings for harsh environments, from pipelines to electric vehicles.

Wednesday opens with PPG Associate Fellow Calum Munro presenting “Coatings in the Era of Smart Manufacturing: Productivity and Sustainability Ahead.” Munro will examine how digitalization, automation, AI and advanced materials are changing formulation, process control, performance and sustainability.

Following the keynote, we will present the 2026 PCI Lifetime Achievement Award. The keynote panel, “Organic Growth vs. Open Innovation in Coatings R&D,” will then bring together Cynthia Baricos of Sheboygan Paint Company, Angus Findlay of AkzoNobel, James Swope of The ChemQuest Group and Dean Webster of North Dakota State University. The panel will explore what companies should develop internally, when collaboration makes sense and how those decisions affect speed, expertise and differentiation.

The technical agenda includes more than 50 liquid and powder coatings presentations. Topics include architectural and industrial coatings, resins, additives, pigments and dispersions, waterborne technologies, PFAS-free formulation, energy cure, AI, sustainable materials and process optimization.

CTT also offers eight dedicated networking opportunities, including the student poster session and Wednesday evening’s reception. The exhibit hall will feature 98 exhibitors representing raw material, equipment and technology providers.

We are grateful to our 2026 sponsors: Albert Invent, ChemQuest, Revvity Signals, Alchemy, BYK, Elinor Coatings, Penn Color, Azelis, Evonik, IMCD, Uncountable, Nagase, Omya Specialty Materials, R.E. Carroll, The Paint Foundation, Siltech, the Chicago Society for Coatings Technology, Access Rudolf and MÜNZING.

Registration is available now, including a buy-two, get-one-free offer for coatings formulators and manufacturers registering together. Those unable to attend can visit the CTT streaming page for select sessions available live and on demand.

I hope to see you there.