Southern Metal Finishing Conference

The International Surface Finishing Academy will be hosting the 2008 Southern Metal Finishing Conference Sunday, September 14th through Tuesday, September 16th in historic Charleston, SC. The conference has been held annually since 2003, and has gained a following of dedicated metal finishers from all over the United States and abroad. Combining two days of educational workshops and technical sessions sponsored by the ISFA, with a day long trade show - and some very unique opportunities to socialize in an historic atmosphere – the Southern Metal Finishing Conference has become a ‘can’t miss’ event.

This year we will be hosting events that have become conference traditions, and throwing some new ones into the mix, as well. As always, we will be kicking off the conference with our Annual Swamp Fox Scramble Golf Tournament at Patriot's Point Links on the beautiful Charleston Harbor (click here for pictures from last year's tournament and conference). Sunday evening will be a casual meet and greet Opening Night Reception in the Exhibit Hall. There will be an open bar for the first hour, and cash bar thereafter. During the reception there will also be a live filming of the popular metal finishing talk show, Finishing Talk Live. This is sure to be a fun and eventful evening, so plan on attending!

Though Monday and Tuesday will be the more 'serious' days, filled with workshops, one-on-one interaction with some fantastic exhibitors, and other conventional trade show activities, there will still be a variety of 'out of the box' events and activities taking place. There will be a keynote luncheon Monday afternoon (speaker soon to be announced), and our most popular event, the Pub Crawl Scavenger Hunt, will take place that evening. Participants are split into teams, and sent out into the historic streets and pubs of downtown Charleston to find items and answers to questions on a checklist distributed at the start of the game. The event culminates at the Rooftop Bar, with drinks and a late dinner if desired. Tuesday will feature a free luncheon, open to ALL registered attendees. During the lunch there will be an awards ceremony...and if it is anything like last year, nobody will walk away empty handed. Winning Golf Teams and Pub Crawl Teams will be recognized at this event. We hope to make this the most interesting, educational, interactive, and enjoyable conference yet!

Click here to download the printable registration form

Conference Itinerary:


Sunday, September 14, 2008

8:00am: Annual Swamp Fox Scramble Golf Tournament at Patriot's Point
6:00pm: Optional early set up for exhibitors in Exhibit Hall
7:00pm: Opening Reception (a ‘meet and greet' cocktail hour) in the Exhibit Hall.
8:00pm: Live Filming of Finishing Talk Live during Opening Reception

Monday, September 15, 2008

6:30am: Exhibit Set up
7:30am: Registration and Exhibit Hall open
8:00am: Classes Begin
12:00pm: Keynote Luncheon
1:30pm: Classes Resume
5:00pm: Classes End
6:00pm: Exhibit Hall Closes
6:30pm: Pub Crawl Registration
7:00pm: Pub Crawl Starts
10:00pm: Pub Crawl Culminates at the Rooftop Bar


Tuesday, September 16, 2008

7:00am: Registration and Exhibit hall open
8:00am: Classes Begin
12:00pm: Awards Ceremony and Luncheon (open to all registered attendees)
1:30pm: Classes Resume
5:00pm: Classes end
6:00pm: Exhibit Showcase Ends