IMTS tops 100,000 attendees at week-long show

Attendance up almost 20%; IANA partnership renewed.

By IMTS September 17, 2012

When John Adamczyk, global manager of engineering services, at Chicago-based Littelfuse registered onsite at Saturday’s International Manufacturing Technology Show, he became the event’s 100,000th attendee. That made the 2012 IMTS the most successful manufacturing show in the U.S. in more than a decade. Attendance at the 2012 show topped 2010 figures by almost 20%.

The 2012 event brought manufacturers from all over the world to Chicago’s McCormick Place for the biannual event. The four halls were filled with manufacturers looking for innovations in machine tools, electrical systems, robotics and, for the first time at IMTS, a pavilion devoted to industrial automation. The 2012 Industrial Automation North America pavilion, sponsored by Hannover Messe, drew huge crowds throughout the week. The first Global Automation and Manufacturing Summit, presented by CFE Media in partnership with Hannover Messe, featured speakers including AMT president Doug Woods and McGladrey consultant Karen Kurek. The Wednesday keynote from Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant manager Billy Taylor drew rave reviews from attendees.

During the show, officials from AMT and Deutsche Messe announced a renewal of their partnership for the 2014 IMTS Show in Chicago. “Deutsche Messe as the organizer of Hannover Messe and AMT as the owner of IMTS combined have become a powerhouse in showcasing products and solutions for production automation in the manufacturing technology industry,” said Peter Eelman, IMTS vice president for exhibitions and communications. “The Industrial Automation North America component of IMTS has been fully embraced by the North American manufacturing community and we are pleased to move forward as partners.”

“We are very pleased to continue this successful partnership with AMT and IMTS. Our inaugural event this year sold out of exhibitor space,” said Larry Turner, Hannover Fairs USA CEO. “In fact, we added 30% more exhibition area because of the strong demand in North America for a comprehensive industrial automation event.