After a stunning 2007 performance in Las Vegas, METALCON International heads to the East Coast this year to the Baltimore Convention Center, Oct. 1-3.

This will be the 18th METALCON, the only annual trade show and conference focused on the application of metal in industrial, institutional, commercial and residential construction. Each year it brings together builders, designers, specifiers, developers, building owners, government officials and manufacturers from all over the world. More than 8,000 registrants from 54 countries come see thousands of products and services, attend the four-day education conference, and see live-action demonstrations.

METALCON meets the needs of these design and construction professionals who want to learn about metal. “The use of metal in construction keeps growing by reaching into new segments and by finding new applications in existing markets. So there’s something here for everyone,” said Show Director Claire Kilcoyne. “And that reflects the innovation of the members of this industry as well as what we do at this show.

Leading companies in more than 750 booths will exhibit the latest products for commercial, industrial, residential and institutional construction projects around the globe. For design and construction professionals who attend, this means seeing and learning about all types of wall and roof components, cold-formed steel framing products, whole building systems, software, forming and fabricating equipment, tools, accessories and more.

The conference theme is “Breaking Convention, Adding Dimension,” which reflects METALCON’s reputation for always doing something different—breaking convention—and how designing and building with metal adds a new dimension to any project. A host of new educational offerings will be included in the 47-session program. Repeat sessions will cover the most requested topics; a gutter boot camp, basics of metal roofing, steel framing, cool roofing, retrofit, metal interiors, insulation, and roll forming.

Metal’s key role in green building will also be highlighted in segments of the conference program and in a special exhibit area called Green Island that features a wide variety of metal products serving the every-growing green building market.

Rounding out the learning potential at METALCON are the daily live-action demos held inside the exhibit hall. Produced by members of Metal Construction Association councils, including the Wall Panel Council and the Roofing Council, each demo features a new technique and highlights industry trends.

A major attraction for those involved in wall and ceiling applications is the steel-framed structure built inside the exhibit hall. Each year it features a new design that shows the latest techniques and products for building cold-formed steel structures. For the third consecutive year, the materials from the structure will be donated to Taunton, Mass.-based Homes for Our Troops (www.homesforourtroops.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing homes to injured veterans who need handicap accessible housing.

METALCON is sponsored by the Metal Construction Association, based in Glenview, Ill. For more information, visit www.metalcon.com or call 800-537-7765.