ACS 2012: New Location, Big
Expectations
An exclusive Q&A with the American
Coatings Association’s president, Andrew
Doyle.
The 2012 American
Coatings Show (ACS)
will be held in its new
location in Indianapolis, Ind., from
May 8-10 after two
previous successful
shows in Charlotte,
N.C.
With the AC
Show and Conference right around the
corner Coatings
World had a chance to catch up with Andrew
Doyle, president of ACA, who shared some of
his thoughts leading up to this highly anticipated event.
Andrew Doyle is president of the American
Coatings Association.
Coatings World: What are your expectations
for the American Coatings Show and Confer-
ence 2012?
Andrew Doyle: The 2012 American Coat-
ings Show and Conference marks the third
time that the American Coatings Association
and Vincentz have partnered to hold this
event. Each time the event is held, it proves to
be more successful than the last; we expect
to see that happen again this year in terms of
attendees at the show and conference.
CW: Why was the decision made to relocate
the event from Charlotte to Indy?
Doyle: The American Coatings Show and
Conference had a great run in Charlotte in
both 2008 and 2010. As a matter of fact, the
event was so successful in 2010 that we knew
we would outgrow the Charlotte Convention
Center if the show expanded, which it has.
That is why we moved the event to the Indiana Convention Center.
Not only does moving the show and conference to Indy this year give us the additional
space we need, the city has a lot to offer. There
are skywalks between the convention center
and most of the convention hotels, making it
more convenient for attendees. The city itself
also has a lot to offer visitors within close proximity to the convention center. There are more
than 200 restaurants and clubs within walking
distance, as well as other attractions.
CW: How will this year's event differ from '08
and ' 10?
Doyle: After the 2008 show, we added signifi-
cant features to the event to enhance the expe-
rience. In 2010, we added the Product
Showcase, the Career Center, a University Vil-
lage, and the Buyers’ Lounge. We believe that
these additions allowed for an even better expe-
rience in 2010, but this year we have added a
second Product Presentation area, enhanced the
Career Center, and are also offering free Wi-Fi.
CW: Why is it important for industry to attend
this event?
Doyle: In the short time that it has been in
existence, the American Coatings Show and
Conference has filled a void in the coatings industry. That was proven with the success of
the first event in 2008. Since then, the show
and conference have become a major platform for the paint and coatings industry.
In terms of value, the opportunities for
learning and networking are plentiful. Coatings
professionals travel from all over the world to
attend this event because of the level of expertise of our conference presenters and the
understanding that they will leave the show
with knowledge and connections that they didn’t have before they came. In 2010, we had attendees from 61 countries, and we expect our
attendance to be equally as diverse this year.
CW: What are your expectations in terms of
growth this year for the show and conference?
Doyle: We have seen growth with the show in
terms of the number of exhibitors and the
amount of exhibit space. In 2010, we had 328
exhibitors in 68, 100 square feet of floor space.
As of March 27, we had 373 exhibitors taking
87,900 square feet of floor space. Of that total,
22,600 square feet have been reserved by companies or organizations from other countries.
With regard to attendees, we are expecting approximately 7,000 for the show and
1,000 for the conference.
CW: What do you think will be the hot topics
for discussion this year?
Doyle: The theme for the American Coatings
Conference this year is “Preparing for Future
Demands” and the innovative research topics
being presented will offer exciting glimpses
into new bio-based technologies and novel
polymers, advanced anticorrosive coatings, as
well as “smart coatings” and nanotechnol-ogy-based advances, all designed to meet end
users ever-changing performance needs.
A second theme running through this
year’s conference involves a variety of presentations on new modeling techniques for coatings properties, surface preparation impacts
and film formation. Industry and academic
collaboration will also be showcased, providing attendees with insights on the National
Science Foundation’s public-private partnership efforts in the coatings arena.
Finally, the available pre-conference tutorials
have been enhanced to address current industry interests including strategies for efficient use
of titanium dioxide, and new advances in antifouling and “easy to clean” coatings.
CW: What ultimately do you want exhibitors
and attendees to walk away with from the
show and conference?
Doyle: Ultimately, I hope that exhibitors and
attendees leave this event armed with knowledge and a renewed sense of connectivity. I
would like our exhibitors to walk away with a
sense of satisfaction from interacting with
customers—existing and potential—in a way
that they may not have, had they not come
to the ACS. I also hope that they will come
away from this event having taken the opportunity to showcase their products in a
manner that captures the attention of the diverse audience that ACS attracts.
For attendees, I believe that they will leave
the conference and show armed with new
knowledge that is applicable to their area of
focus within the industry. There is also a wealth
of information that can be attained from engaging with peers in the industry. I hope that
no one would miss that opportunity. •
