The American Foundry Society (AFS), North America’s largest and most influential professional society and trade association, today announced the location for the next three trade shows.
Metalcasting Congress 2026 will take place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 14-16. This will be the AFS show’s first return to Michigan since 1978. With a population of nearly 200,000 persons, Grand Rapids is the state’s second largest city. It has invested considerable funds to develop outstanding hotel and convention facilities that AFS staff members have personally visited and evaluated.
“Michigan is a major state for metalcasting,” noted AFS CEO Doug Kurkul, “and it is also a very convenient drive or flight for much of the North American foundry supply chain. The city has extensive trade-show hosting experience and should deliver a tremendous experience for AFS members in 2026.” Exhibit sales will open in the early autumn and registration will commence in the late autumn.
In 2027, Metalcasting Congress will return to Cleveland, the Midwest city that delivered an outstanding show experience in 2023, shattering all attendance expectations. The dates for the 2027 show will be April 20-22.
Since hosting the Republican National Convention in 2016, Cleveland’s investments in enhanced convention center and downtown hotels have made it a popular tourist and convention destination. Ohio is also the number one state in terms of the most foundries.
AFS announced that CastExpo 2028 will be held in St. Louis, April 8-11. St. Louis last hosted an AFS trade show in 2013. That 2013 show was well attended by suppliers, equipment buyers and those coming for technical content.
St. Louis continues to make investments in its convention center as well as its downtown facilities and services, including a $256 million expansion and facelift of the America’s Center Convention Complex that is nearing completion. Compared to the 2013 show, there will be double the number of loading docks for improved exhibit-floor access.
Highly convenient, St. Louis is a one-day drive from states including Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Tennessee, and Kansas, as well as all of Missouri. The city’s airport also boasts nonstop and direct service to numerous major airports across the United States.
Looking ahead, AFS also announced that the subsequent CastExpo will be moved up from 2031 to 2030 in order to avoid a conflict with the international GIFA show which will be held in Dusseldorf in 2031. The host city for the 2030 CastExpo has not yet been finalized.