American Coatings Show: Breaking records in Indianapolis
A total of 9,000 people attended the American Coatings Show 2024, which took place from April 30 to May 2 in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States.
Packed with 588 exhibitors and covering 138,800 square feet, the show‘s halls quickly filled as visitors engaged in talk about the latest in coatings raw materials, technologies, equipment, and services.
“This is a record-breaking year, and we have opened the doors to a sold-out exhibition floor for the first time in ACS history”, said Cheryl Matthews, Vice president, Events & Expositions at the American Coatings Association, the association which organises the event in partnership with Vincentz Network.
Over the three days of the event, the show floor was busy and included many recurring favourites: from the Product Presentations to the Powder Coatings Pavilion. Another recurring highlight was the Fun Run, a 5 km run on the morning of May 1, whose proceeds help to fund student participation at the American Coatings Conference. Alfredo Vergara finished first in an impressive time of 16:47, just ahead of Martin Ocepek who ran the race in 16:56.
Successful conference
The conference was also a success. With around 931 attendees fronm 29 countries, the American Coatings Conference once again provided insights in the latest innovations in the paints and coatings industry. In 16 topical sessions a total of 96 presentations offered a full load of the latest developments and breakthroughs in coatings technology.
The Plenary Session kicked off the American Coatings Conference on April 30. Robert Roop, CTO of Axalta, delivered a presentation on the alignment of sustainability and performance. In his keynote, Roop emphasized in the past innovation was driven primarily by the need for improved performance such as durability, cure rates and consumption while meeting regulatory compliance. Roop added that in the future, innovation will be heavily focused on improved sustainability and driven by societal demands.
Michael Krayer and Sean Bullis of BASF received the prestigious AC Conference Award for the best paper submitted. Their paper focuses on “Novel bimodal high solid polymer dispersions for architectural coatings“. Krayer presented their findings in one of the sessions focusing on architectural coatings.
Moreover, the Poster Session, which was part of the Networking Reception after the first day, was the largest poster session at the American Coatings Conference to date.
Sustainability in the focus
As at the last edition of the American Coatings Show, sustainability remains the dominant theme – but with even greater emphasis than in 2022, the first post-pandemic show. “The ACS highlighted the industry’s commitment to sustainable practices, paving the way for a more environmentally conscious coatings sector,” stated Matthias Janz, Director Trade Shows in the Coatings Division at Vincentz Network. “I am eagerly awaiting the future developments and the presentation of prospective solutions in 2026.”
Mark your calendars
The next American Coatings Show and Conference is set to return in two years’ time, in May 2026. “Whether it’s information obtained at the product presentations or coatings research presented at the conference, we are grateful and proud to bring this valuable event back for industry and look forward to another successful event in 2026,” said Cheryl Matthews.”
Matthias Janz added: “The industry experienced three days full of networking opportunities at the leading North American coatings event. Exhibitors and attendees were very excited to make connections and enhance their industry knowledge. We are already looking forward to seeing you again in Indianapolis May 5 – 7, 2026”.
