Early-bird registration for the 2018 International Code Council Annual Conference, Code Hearings and Expo will end on Sunday, September 16. This essential industry event will be held on October 21-29 in Richmond, Va., and features expert speakers, education sessions and networking opportunities for building safety professionals at all levels of their career.

Top hoarding expert Matt Paxton from the hit television show Hoarders will share his expertise on hoarding, a topic that is inextricably linked to building, fire prevention and the codes. Attendees will also hear from industry leaders from ASTM International, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the World Bank.

Numerous education sessions provide an opportunity to earn continuing education units. Topics covered this year include disaster planning, best practices from building departments, fire and life safety, and trends in building inspection technology. New this year is a plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas education track with sessions about significant changes to the International Codes (I-Codes) and the residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning design process.

At the Government Relations Forum on Tuesday, October 23, participants will learn about hurricane recovery in the U.S. Virgin Islands, mitigation investment of current building codes and high performance buildings. Then at Global Connections Day on Wednesday, October 24, presenters will cover a wide range of subjects from resilient cities and innovation in the construction industry to post-earthquake building damage assessment.

Also in Richmond this October is the Building Safety & Design Expo, which brings professionals from the built environment including tradesmen, architects, engineers, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, building, and fire safety professionals together to exchange critical information on the latest technologies in the industry. Admission is free to the public on Monday, October 22.

Immediately following the conference, the 2018 Group A Public Comment Hearings will begin. At the hearings, Governmental Member Voting Representatives will vote on hundreds of proposed code changes to the 2021 I-Codes on behalf of their respective jurisdictions. The voter validation deadline is Monday, September 24.

The American Gas Association, Koffel Associates, the Portland Cement Association, National Technologies Associates, the Softwood Lumber Board and many others are making this event possible through their sponsorships. Click here to see the full list of sponsors.

For more information and to register, visit www.iccsafe.org/conference. Join the online conversation with the hashtag #ICCAC18.