Central Fabricators Association upcoming events

2026 Summer Meeting | August 9-11 2026 | Oak Brook, IL (09 Aug 2026)

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 22:00:00 GMT

August 9-11, 2026

The Drake Oak Book

2301 York Road
Oak Brook, IL 60523

SUNDAY, August 9, 2026

Special Evening Event (optional)

7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Gibson’s Oak Brook
2105 South Spring Road, Oak Brook, IL

Join us for a special evening in The OAKS Room at Gibson’s Oak Brook for a fantastic evening of camaraderie and food! Bourbon tasting and other entertainment - watch this space for more details.

Transportation on your own.
sponsored by

MONDAY, August 10, 2026

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Central Fabricators Association Board of Directors Meeting

2:30 PM – 5:00 PM

GENERAL SESSION: The Future of Fabrication Software

Join us for an exclusive look at the tools and events shaping the structural steel industry.

Trimble will walk us through the latest in their Tekla ecosystem, with a focus on Tekla PowerFab's expanded ERP capabilities — including enhanced production planning, real-time job cost tracking through Viewpoint Vista integration, and a fully connected design-to-fabrication workflow.

ALLPLAN will introduce Steel Genie, a just-launched AI-powered estimating tool that automatically reads structural drawings, detects members, and generates material quantities and estimating-ready 3D models in minutes — with early adopters reporting dramatic gains in throughput and accuracy.
We'll close with Jennifer Traut-Todaro, AISC Director of Workforce Development. She will showcase how partnerships with your local career and technical education (CTE) high schools can help build awareness of rewarding careers in steel fabrication and strengthen your future workforce pipeline. Learn practical ways to engage students through shop tours and industry exposure while exploring American Institute of Steel Construction workforce development resources, including the award-winning Fabricator Education Program, the September Insider Shop Talk on mental health and suicide prevention in the steel industry, and tools to support more effective recruitment and retention strategies. See Student Tour Host information here
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

SPONSOR DINNER & RECEPTION

Lucca Osteria
1415 W 22nd Street
Oak Brook, IL 60523

Transportation is on your own.

Join us for a fantastic Italian Family style dinner. We’ve bought out the place!

Chef Claudio Ulivieri was born in Lucca, Italy and was raised in the town of Altopascio, a small village outside the city of Lucca. He grew up on a farm where he learned the value of hard work. Life on the farm wasn’t always easy, but it laid the foundation for his future. He learned wine making from his father, and helped him harvest the crop every year. He learned cooking traditions passed down over generations from his mother, who was known for never letting a soul go hungry. To this day, 40+ years after emigrating to the United States, Claudio still lives and breathes this tradition. And he’s ready to share it with you.
TUESDAY, August 11, 2026

8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Fabricator Round Tables + Breakfast + Large Group Debrief
Contact CFA with any topics you would like to see discussed via j.metsker@centralfabricators.org. The Fabricator Round tables are limited to CFA members only.

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

PEER LEARNING GROUP Session (for committed members only)
There is an additional Annual fee to participate in the Peer Group. Unless you have paid this fee, please do not sign up for this portion of the meeting. Committed participants will receive a separate agenda and communication regarding the Peer Group session. Committed companies can bring up to 2 participants. Lunch will be provided.

Notes and Hotel Rooms:
CFA has arranged for a room block at the hotel. Please make your reservations for the entire event by registering with CFA.
The rate for these rooms is $179 per night (subject to tax).
These RATES are applicable until July 18, 2026 or until the room block is full. Occasionally our room block sells out, so reservations are taken on a first come first served basis.

ALL guests who are attending ANY events MUST be registered in order to attend any portion of the meeting.

IMPORTANT:
When you register using our online system you should receive a registration confirmation within 30 minutes of online registration. If you DO NOT receive a registration confirmation, it likely did not go through.
Please contact Julie Metsker at the office to confirm receipt of your registration if you DO NOT receive an email confirmation of your registration.

2026 | October 9-11 | CFA's 100th Anniversary (09 Oct 2026)

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

October 9-11, 2026

JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort

5402 East Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale, Arizona, 85253

How to Book

All room reservations must be made directly through the CFA-exclusive hotel portal. The portal supports reservations with arrivals beginning Thursday, October 8 and departures through Sunday, October 11.

If you plan to stay outside of these dates, the portal will not accommodate your reservation. In that case, please contact Julie Metsker and she will forward that to the hotel for their assistance.

Prior to registration, please carefully review the Calendar of Events.

OVERVIEW

Because multiple attendee groups and sponsorship levels are involved, the registration process may vary depending on your organization’s participation.

All attendees, including anniversary sponsors, members, vendors, and guests, will register through CFA’s online event registration system.

Before registering, please review the information below and the event schedule to ensure you select the correct options and choose the events you and your guests plan to attend throughout the weekend.

GALA SPONSORS

Your company has committed to sponsoring the Anniversary Gala and receives event tickets based on your sponsorship level.

When registering, please register each individual attending your organization’s events using the Ticket type: Gala Sponsor. Please be prepared to reference the name of the sponsoring company.

Sponsorship ticket allocations:

Platinum – up to 8 attendees
Gold – up to 6 attendees
Silver – up to 4 attendees

Guests of Gala sponsoring companies may also register using the Ticket type: Gala Sponsor. Please be prepared to reference the name of the sponsoring company.

CFA MEMBERS (NON-GALA SPONSOR)

CFA members who have not committed to a Gala sponsorship may register up to two (2) employees from their organization at no cost.

Additional attendees beyond the two-person limit, or guests who are not spouses/partners of the member company, will be invoiced $800 per person.

CFA ANNUAL VENDOR SPONSORS (NON-GALA-SPONSOR)

CFA Annual Vendor Sponsors who have not committed to a Gala sponsorship may register up to two (2) representatives from their organization at no cost.

Without a Gala sponsorship, additional attendees beyond the two-person limit are not permitted.