Omni Hotel Louisville
The 64th Annual Society of Plastics Engineers Color and Appearance Division RETEC® will be held in Louisville, KY during September 13-15, 2026. Come join us at the Omni Hotel to celebrate Where Color Leads the FIELD and engage in topics related to plastics coloration and appearance.
- Preconference Color Seminar (separate registration required)
- Preconference golf outing (separate registration required)
- Two full days of technical sessions
- PlastiVan presentation for local schools
- 60+ exhibitors showcasing products and services
- Opening reception, Sunday evening September 13
- Network Reception, Monday evening September 14
- Fun Run for local charity
CAD RETEC® is the longest running and largest technical conference in North America devoted to the coloring of plastics. It started as a technical conference focused on development, manufacturing and research in the field of color science, color measurement, and coloring plastics but has grown to be THE place to network with others in the industry.
Register for CAD RETEC® 2026 as an attendee, exhibitor and sponsor.
Attendee Early Registration Extended to August 28!
Hotel Registration is through Omni Hotel Louisville.
|
Type |
Advance (By 8/28/2026) |
Late (After 8/28/2026) |
SPE Member |
$480 (extended to 8/28) |
$580(after 8/28) |
SPE Non-Member |
$740(extended to 8/28) |
$840(after 8/28) |
Tabletop |
$1,650 |
$1,850 |
Speakers/Moderators |
$225 |
|
Student (w/valid student ID) |
$100 |
|
Emeritus |
$200 |
Registration
Exhibitors
5-Pack
Sponsorships
Hotel
++We were given a small number of additional rooms for Tuesday evening, September 15. If you were wanting to stay that extra day after the conference, you can now modify your existing reservation to include Tuesday evening.
Technical Program
Updates will be posted as they become available. The conference will be held at the Omni Hotel, Louisville, KY .
Monday, September 14, 2026
Omni Hotel
Morning Program
| Time | Category | Speaker/Company | Title/Sponsor |
| 7:00-8:00 AM | Breakfast | Omni Hotel
Olmstead Ballroom 5-7 |
Sponsored by The Shepherd Color Co. |
| 7:55 AM | Opening Remarks | TJ Stubbs – Teknor Apex
Commonwealth Ballroom 1-3 |
Welcome to CAD RETEC® 2026 |
| 8:00 AM | Keynote | Patrick Krieger – PLASTICS | Appearances Aren’t Deceiving: PLASTICS and SPE Look Good |
| 8:30 AM | Presentation 2 | Mercedes Landazuri – Ampacet | Emerging Color, Material and Finish Directions for 2028 |
| 9:00 – 10:00 AM | New Technology Forum | Tony Tanner – Trust Chem | |
| 10:00 AM | Break
Exhibits Open |
Exhibits Area
Commonwealth Ballroom 4-8 |
Sponsored by Susonity |
| 11:00 AM | Presentation 3 | Dr. Breeze Briggs – Sun Chemical | Expanding Role of Heat‑Management Pigments in High‑Performance Technologies |
| 11:30 AM | Presentation 4 | Bonnie Piro – Sudarshan | Solvent Dyes in Plastics: Performance, Processing, and Regulatory Considerations |
| 12:00 – 1:30 PM | Lunch | Open – on your own |
Afternoon Program
| Time | Category | Speaker/Company | Title/Sponsor |
| 1:30 PM | Presentation 5 | Mark Ryan – The Shepherd Color Co. | Something old, something new, something borrowed, and two things Blue: Updates on recent inorganic pigment advances |
| 2:00 PM | Presentation 6 | Anne Stelzer – LANXESS Corporation | High-Tech Dyes for Plastics and New Mobility |
| 2:30 PM | Presentation 7 | Kelsey Anlicker – Keller & Heckman | Updates on the Regulation of Chemicals in Food Packaging |
| 3:00 PM | Presentation 8 | Robby Helminiak – CPMA | Color at the Crossroads: Navigating the Policy Landscape of the Color Value Chain |
| 3:30 – 4:00PM | Break | Exhibits Area | Sponsored by Vivify |
| 3:30 – 5:00PM | Exhibits Open | Exhibits Area | Commonwealth Ballroom 4-8 |
| 7:00 – 9:00 PM | Pigments & Pours | Offsite
The Last Refuge |
Color Pigments Manufacturing Association |
| 8:00 – 11:00 PM | Supplier Hospitality Suite | Omni Hotel
Olmstead Pre-Function |
Multiple Vendors |
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Omni Hotel
Morning Program
| Time | Category | Speaker/Company | Title/Sponsor |
| 7:00 AM | Fun Run / Walk | Omni Hotel | Sponsored by Chroma Specialty |
| 8:00 AM | Breakfast | Omni Hotel
Olmstead Ballroom 1-4 |
Sponsored by Liberty Specialty Chemicals |
| 8:55 AM | Opening Remarks | TJ Stubbs – Teknor Apex
Commonwealth Ballroom 1-3 |
Welcome Day 2 |
| 9:00 AM | Presentation 9 | Doreen Becker – Ampacet | Sustainability Update for Colors, Effects in Plastics |
| 9:30 AM | Presentation 10 | John Howard – Tronox | Green today, Red tomorrow? A traffic-light framework for regulatory-resilient substitution |
| 10:00 -10:30 AM | Break | Exhibits Area
Commonwealth 4-8 |
Sponsored by Tomatec |
| 10:30 AM | Presentation 11 | John Seymour – John the Math Guy | CIELAB at 50 |
| 11:30 AM | Presentation 12 | Jack Ladson | Why D65 Spectral Fidelity Matters in Industrial Spectrophotometry |
| 12:00 – 1:30 PM | Awards Luncheon | Omni Hotel
Olmstead Ballroom 1-4 |
Afternoon Program
| Time | Category | Speaker/Company | Title/Sponsor |
| 1:30 PM | Presentation 13 | Kevin Lucero – Susonity | Additives for durable, fast and accurate laser marking silicones |
| 2:00 PM | Presentation 14 | Frank Neuber – Clariant | Maintaining clarity, smoothness, printing, labelling and hot-sealing properties while using an FDA-approved, PFAS-free PPA to eliminate sharkskin in LLDPE films. |
| 2:30 PM | Presentation 15 | Doug Koerner – Paramount Colors | The Influence of Carbon Black on Dye Photodegradation in Polymer Coloration Systems |
| 3:00 – 3:30 PM | Break | Exhibits Area Commonwealth 4-8 |
Sponsored by All Silver Sponsors |
| 3:30 PM | Presentation 16 | Ed Gay – KraussMaffei | Color Compounding with Co-Rotating Twin Screw Extruders |
| 4:00 PM | Presentation 17 | Dean Elliot & Philip Brunner – Entek & BioRegion Technology | Innovative Color Compounding applied to a renewable pigment. A Collaborative Approach to Circular Plastics |
| 4:30 PM | Closing Remarks & Raffle | TJ Stubbs – Teknor Apex
Commonwealth Ballroom 1-3 |
Closing Remarks & Raffle
Must be present to win |
| Conference Ends | Conference Ends |
Activity |
Date |
Price |
|---|---|---|
| Coloring of Plastics Tutorial | Sunday Sept 13
8:00AM – 4:30PM Germantown Room |
$550 |
| Golf Outing | Sunday Sept 13
8:30AM |
$120 |
| Welcome Reception | Sunday Sept 13
8:00PM – 11:00PM Olmstead 1-4 |
Included with Registration |
| Breakfast | Monday Sept 14
7:00AM – 8:00AM Olmstead 1-4 |
Included with Registration |
| CPMA Pigment and Pours | Monday Sept 14
7:00PM – 9:00PM The Last Refuge |
$35 |
| Supplier Hospitality Suite | Monday Sept 14
8:00PM – 11:00PM Olmstead Pre-function |
Included with Registration |
| 5K Fun Run/Walk | Tuesday Sept 15
7:00AM Omni Hotel Lobby |
$25 |
| Breakfast | Tuesday Sept 15 8:00AMOlmstead 1-4 |
Included with Registration |
| Awards Luncheon | Tuesday Sept 15
12:00PM – 1:30PM Olmstead 1-4 |
Included with Registration |
| Raffle | Tuesday Sept 15
4:30PM Commonwealth 4-8 |
Included with Registration |
5K Fun Run/Walk
Tuesday Sept 15, 7:00 AM
Proceeds benefit PBSF Dog Rescue, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, 100% volunteer and foster-based dog rescue in Louisville, Kentucky
Pigments & Pours
An evening of exceptional bourbon in the heart of bourbon country, for a cause worth toasting.
Join T1D Warriors at The Last Refuge on Monday, September 14th, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, for a curated four-pour tasting, a bourbon raffle, and a spread of appetizers, all in support of people living with Type 1 Diabetes.
The setting is part of the magic. Housed in a beautifully restored 1879 church in Louisville’s NuLu district, The Last Refuge is a self-styled High Church of Bourbon, home to more than 1,200 bottles and an atmosphere you will not soon forget.
Settle in, sip something exceptional, and know that every ticket, raffle, and toast helps T1D Warriors empower people living with Type 1 Diabetes through education, connection, and community.
Address – 600 E Market St, Louisville, KY 40202
Please note: the venue is a 20-minute walk/5-minute drive from The Omni Hotel
Exhibitor Information
Registered exhibitors can participate in the New Technology Forum (NTF) and showcase new products and services during the NTF presentation on Monday, September 14, 2026. For more information, click on the NTF Information button.
Exhibitor Schedule
| Set-Up | Schedule | Teardown & Move-out |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 13 1:00AM-5:00 PM | Sept 14 10:00AM-5:00PM
Sept 15 10:00AM-3:30PM Sept 15 9:00AM Plastivan |
Sept 15 3:30PM Teardown
Sept 15 3:30PM-5:00PM Move-out |
Exhibitors (as of August 24, 2026)
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
