Bethesda, MD -- The Adhesive and Sealant Councils Spring Convention and EXPO was a record setting event, with 515 attendees registering for the convention, short course or EXPO events, held in April.

The first of two annual events produced by the Council featured four end user key note addresses, 43 technical sessions, a two-day hot melts short course and 53 exhibiting companies. The technical presentations explored a variety of topics including wind energy, raw material trends, emerging government regulations and innovative formulations.

"The focused technical presentations, expanding economy and attractive Tampa Bay climate led to a perfect storm of supply chain interaction," notes Matthew E. Croson, President of ASC. "Records are nice to achieve, but all conventions and expo experiences are singular in nature, and we are pleased to note that evaluations are coming back to the Council with positive feedback from attendees on the quality of information shared, and networking opportunities developed."

A significant change that has evolved over the past year, is the Councils focus on delivering end user presentations that allow the supply chain to understand customer needs and emerging trends. This years sessions featured four keynotes focused on the following:

• Coca-Cola Agenda on Environmental Sustainability featuring Maury Zimring, manager of corporate responsibility and sustainability at Coca-Cola Enterprises
• Where is the Chemical Adhesive and Sealant Sector Going? featuring Dr. David Crowe, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders
• The Compostable Sunchips Bag - a new arena for PepsiCo featuring Kimberly Assaad, principal engineer, sustainable packaging, Frito-Lay North America
• Has the Recovery Picked Up Its Tempo? Featuring Ken Mayland, President, ClearView Economics

These keynote presentations joined 43 other technical, market or government relations focused topics to round out the educational experience for the industry.

"We were pleased to have leaders from Avon, Ford, ICIS Chemical Business, CMAI join a variety of supplier members, market research providers and other industry leaders as we collected the wisdom of the industry together to explore new ideas, emerging markets and innovative solutions," added Croson. "Attendees that were not able to make the event can still benefit as we are providing all of the presentations to the industry via our website."

"The Council strives to be a catalyst for change for the entire adhesive and sealant supply chain, and we look forward to continuing to execute our game plan with upcoming events including Adhesives 101 webinar series, the Leadership Conference, Sustainability Summit, Export Symposium and the Fall Convention and Expo," added Croson.

Source: Adhesive and Sealant Council