COATINGS 2012 Preview: Meet the Coaters in St. Louis

The Powder Coating Institute has taken a unique approach to marketing its COATING 2012 show, scheduled for Oct. 9-11 in St. Louis. PCI has seen some significant results, as exhibit sales have surpassed last year’s show in Cincinnati by more than 10 percent, says Jennifer Egan, PCI Program Director.

The “Road to St. Louis” marketing campaign, which included emails inviting recipients to play a quiz game about St. Louis and the paint and powder coating industry, enabled the PCI group to get the word out about the event, to be held at the America’s Center convention center.

Those who didn’t win one of the many cool giveaways still have a chance—there will be a final grand prize drawing at the show among all who participated in the program.

Of course, the COATING 2012 technical conference is the main attraction. Offering a wide range of paint and powder coating sessions targeting everyone from those just entering the coatings world to those who are much more experienced, more than 50 in-depth sessions cover introductory and advanced coating courses, coating application, surface preparation, inspection and testing, green coating solutions, coating failure analysis, and others.

Several special events also will coincide with the technical sessions and the exhibition space on the show floor.

A happy hour will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, on the show floor to encourage interaction between exhibitors and attendees. During the happy hour, DSM Coating Resins also will sponsor an auction of goods donated by exhibiting companies, with all proceeds going to the charity of the donor’s choice, Egan says.

The show also will host a hospitality event from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10 in the Crystal Rooftop Ballroom of the Renaissance Grande Hotel to give attendees another opportunity to network while enjoying food, drinks and entertainment.

The Virtual Painter’s Competition, taking place during exhibit hours, invites attendees to show off their painting skills using VRSim’s SimSpray virtual reality training system, with prizes being awarded each day.

The COATING 2012 show program ends early in the afternoon of Oct. 11, but the PCI staff has arranged two optional tours for attendees later that afternoon, including one of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and another of downtown St. Louis architecture.