Rachel Kerstetter, PR Engineer
The 30th edition of IMTS (The International Manufacturing Technology Show) 2014 was the fourth largest IMTS in history and the largest six-day show ever with registration of 114,147 representing 112 countries. [Read the Press Release Here]
I was able to attend IMTS two days last week and the one main impression that I walked away with is that IMTS is a huge show. Although I made a point to visit all four halls at McCormick Place in Chicago (North, South, East and West), I regret that I could not see it all. I spent most of my time with one of Sonnhalter’s clients in the North hall and kept busy most of the time.
IMTS takes place every two years and the 2014 show stats are impressive:
- 2014 registration was 13.9% higher than 2012
- 2,035 companies exhibited
- Exhibits covered 1.282 square feet
- 17,767 students, educators, administrators and parent chaperones (double the 2012 numbers)
I had the opportunity to talk with exhibitors, attendees and media at the show and all of them had similar comments on IMTS being an impressive and very positive show. Here were some of my personal highlights from the show:
- Every client booth that I visited was busy and their teams reported gathering quality leads
- There were a lot of students who visited the show and they asked excellent questions at the booths such as, “What does your company do?” “How does this machine work?” “Where would I see your products in my everyday life?” and many more. The exhibitors were more than happy to answer their questions.
- Manufacturing growth and technology advances were evident everywhere I turned, from the world’s first 3D-printed car [more on that here] to highly advanced machines and robotics and many other areas that I’m excited to learn more about.
- Having an Insider’s Guide to a trade show city is incredibly helpful. It can be intimidating to find a place to have dinner or grab a drink when a city, like Chicago, has so many options. The Insider’s Guide to Chicago definitely helped many IMTS attendees find some great places.
Did you attend IMTS this year? What were the highlights of the show for you? Will you be at IMTS 2016?
