Conference Events

Swamp Fox Scramble Golf Tournament

The 5th Annual Swamp Fox Scramble will be held on Sunday, September 14th at Patriot's Point Links golf course on Charleston Harbor. Overlooking Charleston Harbor, Fort Sumter and Shem Creek, Patriots Point Links is known for its excellent putting surfaces and challenging waterfront finishing holes. Companies interested in sponsoring may purchase a Golf Hole Sponsorship, where your company logo will be prominently displayed on a stake at one of the golf holes during the tournament. It will also be displayed on Tournament signs, and you will be listed as a sponsor in the Show Directory book.

Opening Reception & Filming of Finishing Talk Live

This event is free and open to all registered attendees. It will take place Sunday evening at the Francis Marion Hotel, near the Exhibit Hall, where conference goers can take a sneak peak at some of our fine exhibitors while mingling with industry professionals in a casual setting. In addition to an open bar, there will be live entertainment provided by the cohosts of the popular online metal finishing show, Finishing Talk Live. They will be shooting Episode 8 during the reception, and attendees are invited to participate as audience members.

A limit of 2 sponsorships are available for this event. These include your company's high quality logo displayed at our bar (drinks on you) and throughout the room. Your company will be announced as the evening's sponsor, and will also be announced as the 'beer' sponsor during the corresponding live filming of Finishing Talk Live. In addition, you will receive a Hospitality Suite Sponsorship, and your logo will be displayed there as well. Your logo will also be displayed on all of the cocktail napkins handed out during the evening.

Keynote Luncheon

This year, we are proud to announce that John Flatley, Executive Director of the National Association for Surface Finishing (www.nasf.org), will be speaking at our Keynote Luncheon. The NASF is a national association whose mission is to promote the advancement of the North American surface finishing industry globally. NASF represents platers, suppliers, managers, owners, technicians, researchers, academics and students involved in the surface finishing industry. In addition, the NASF has a charitable organization, the AESF Foundation, whose focus is on technical education programs to advance the science and technology of surface finishing.

John is also the Managing Principal of Association Management Strategies (AMS), a full-service association management company located in Washington, DC. AMS provides management expertise and administrative services to industry associations, coalitions, professional societies, trade shows and other special events.

During his presentation, John will discuss priority issues impacting the metal finishing industry and the role the NASF is taking to address them. He will also discuss the value and advantages that belonging to a trade association can provide for individual finishers.

3rd Annual Pub Crawl Scavenger Hunt

This is one of the most popular social events we put on during the conference - and it keeps growing every year! Participants split up into small teams, and are given a list of questions, tasks, objects, etc...to answer, complete, or find throughout downtown Charleston. In the mean time, participants will be hopping bars and getting to know this historic city (and fellow industry members) a little better. The event culminates at the Rooftop Bar for drinks, a late dinner or snack, and a chance for teams to finish their checklists. Prizes will be awarded to winning teams at the Award's Ceremony Luncheon on Tuesday, September 16th. Participants will also receive a keepsake Pub Crawl 2008 t-shirt.

Pub Crawl Sponsors will recieve recognition for their contribution by having their logos mounted on Pub Crawl signs, on the headers of individual 'check lists' that will be handed out to each group, in the conference show book, and will also get their logo printed on the official Pub Crawl 2008 t-shirts.

Awards Ceremony & Luncheon

The Awards Ceremony Luncheon will take place on Tuesday, September 16th at the Francis Marion Hotel. This event is open to ALL registered attendees at no additional charge. Awards will be distributed to the winners of Sunday's Swamp Fox Scramble golf tournament, as well as the winning participants of Monday night's Pub Crawl Scavenger Hunt. Additional prizes and door prizes may be awarded to general attendees, as well (if it's anything like last year's award ceremony, you may want to stick around!).