Registration is open for NASCC: The Steel Conference 2026 in Atlanta, April 22-24, with 300 sessions, six specialty conferences and 350+ suppliers.
Registration opened on February 2 for NASCC: The Steel Conference 2026, which will bring nearly 7,000 participants to Atlanta from April 22 to 24 for more than 300 technical sessions and six specialty conferences, according to the American Institute of Steel Construction’s announcement.
Atlanta conference dates and registration details are set
The 2026 NASCC: The Steel Conference will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta from April 22 to 24. The event is aimed at professionals involved in the design or construction of steel buildings and bridges, with the program bringing together designers, fabricators, erectors and educators.
The attendance estimate covers the main conference and its specialty subconferences. AISC says nearly 7,000 people are expected, alongside an exhibition featuring more than 350 suppliers. The registration notice also identifies more than 300 technical sessions and the opportunity to earn up to 17.0 professional development hours, with an additional four hours available through pre-conference workshops.
The venue and event scale
A technical program built around practical steelwork questions
The agenda is structured around technical sessions intended for professionals working across structural steel design, fabrication, erection and education. AISC’s announcement says the sessions cover practical information that participants can apply in their work, while the available PDHs give the program a formal professional-development component.
The subjects listed in the announcement range from architecturally exposed structural steel and fracture mechanics to connection design, high-strength steel and steel additive manufacturing. They indicate a program that combines design practice, material selection, welding and emerging fabrication methods.
Selected subjects on the 2026 agenda
The registration notice identifies the following examples from the nearly 300 technical sessions:
- Architecturally exposed structural steel and what makes AESS beautiful, presented by Terri Meyer Boake.
- Fracture beyond fatigue, presented by T.R. Higgins Lecturer Caroline Bennett, PhD, PE.
- Lessons from 20 years of connection design by Bo Dowswell and Larry Muir.
- When to use high-strength steel.
- Practical applications of 3D printing with steel.
- Skewed weld design.
- Connections to HSS columns from the perspective of a design connection engineer.
The real benefit is the people you meet.
Scott Melnick, senior vice president of AISC and the conference’s main organizer
That emphasis on peer exchange sits alongside the formal education program. The conference announcement presents networking as an opportunity for participants to compare issues encountered in practice and discuss solutions, rather than limiting the event to classroom-style instruction.
Six specialty conferences sit within the NASCC program
NASCC 2026 incorporates six specialty conferences in addition to the main conference program. The structure gives the event separate channels for bridge engineering, quality, architecture, safety, structural stability and steel detailing while retaining a common venue and date range.
The principal program elements described by AISC are:
| Program component | Details stated by AISC | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Main conference | More than 300 technical sessions; up to 17.0 PDHs | NASCC 2026 registration announcement |
| Exhibition | More than 350 suppliers | NASCC 2026 registration announcement |
| Specialty conferences | Six conferences incorporated into the event | NASCC 2026 registration announcement |
The six named specialty streams
AISC lists the specialty conferences as follows:
- World Steel Bridge Symposium.
- QualityCon.
- Architecture in Steel.
- SafetyCon.
- SSRC Annual Stability Conference.
- NISD Conference on Steel Detailing.
A single venue for multiple technical audiences
Registration pricing and eligibility vary by attendee group
AISC lists registration for members from $415, with the price increasing each week. The announcement also advises attendees to book hotels early to use special local hotel rates. It does not state a single price for every attendee category.
The registration notice identifies several groups eligible for special rates or other attendance arrangements:
- Multiple registrants from the same firm.
- Architects.
- Recent graduates.
- Educators.
- Public agency employees.
- Professionals under the age of 30.
- Student members, who can attend the Steel Conference for free and may be eligible for travel-cost assistance.
- Journalists, for whom AISC offers complimentary full registration and travel-cost reimbursement, subject to contacting Dani Friedland for details.
The event is designed for the full structural steel project chain
The audience described by AISC spans the principal disciplines involved in steel building and bridge work: designers, fabricators, erectors and educators. The exhibition adds suppliers to that mix, while the specialty conferences create dedicated program tracks within the broader event.
For procurement engineers and technical buyers, the announcement’s relevance is therefore less about a single product category than about access to a concentrated program covering specifications, connections, fabrication practice, quality and safety. The source does not identify individual exhibitors or supplier products, so the exhibition can be reported only at the stated level of more than 350 participating suppliers.
The announcement presents three main participation channels:
- Technical education through nearly 300 sessions and up to 17.0 PDHs, plus additional pre-conference workshops.
- Industry discovery through exhibition spaces containing more than 350 suppliers.
- Peer and cross-discipline networking among designers, fabricators, erectors and educators.
A conference built around technical exchange
Later reporting puts the registration announcement in context
The February registration announcement is forward-looking: it sets the dates, venue, program scale and attendance expectation for the April event. A later entry in AISC’s July 2026 Modern Steel Construction archive reports that NASCC: The Steel Conference set attendance and exhibit-hall records. That later report provides post-event context for the importance the original notice placed on participation and exhibition capacity.
The two points should not be treated as the same statistic. The registration notice gives an expected attendance figure of nearly 7,000, while the later report describes records without supplying a replacement attendance or exhibitor count in the supplied facts. The defensible reading is that the event’s eventual scale was reported separately after the registration stage.
The dated sequence in the supplied information is straightforward:
Key details for prospective participants
For professionals deciding whether and how to attend, the supplied announcement answers the principal logistical questions:
NASCC 2026 registration questions
When is NASCC: The Steel Conference 2026?
The conference is scheduled for April 22 to 24, 2026.
Where will the conference take place?
The event will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
What is the starting registration price?
AISC says registration starts at $415 for members, with the price increasing each week.
How many technical sessions are planned?
The announcement describes more than 300 technical sessions and says participants can earn up to 17.0 PDHs, with another four available through pre-conference workshops.
Can students attend?
Student members can attend the Steel Conference for free and may be eligible for help with travel costs.
Are special rates available?
AISC identifies special rates for multiple registrants from the same firm, architects, recent graduates, educators, public agency employees and professionals under 30.
How can journalists request press registration?
AISC offers complimentary full registration and travel-cost reimbursement for journalists. Press inquiries should be directed to Dani Friedland at friedland@aisc.org.
NASCC: The Steel Conference 2026 is set as a three-day Atlanta event combining technical education, supplier exhibits and six specialty conferences. With registration open, the material decision points are the April 22-24 dates, the Georgia World Congress Center venue, the weekly price increases and the separate arrangements available to students, firms and other attendee groups.