We are incredibly thankful 2021 is finishing differently from how it began. In the past three months, more than a dozen industry trade shows have taken place in the United States and around the world. We are once again interacting face to face, exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, and rekindling connections – central elements to driving innovation, partnership, and opportunities in our industry.
IMTS spark
We started the year producing IMTS spark, our digital event that took place from September 2020 through March 2021. We owe much of its success to your participation. As a direct result, we are now producing more webinars and on-demand content more frequently. Visit IMTS.com/Programs.
MT Series
This fall, we successfully co-produced with our longtime partner, SME, the Manufacturing Technology Series. These four long-standing regional manufacturing shows are tailored to each area’s specific needs. They included:
HOUSTEX, Oct. 5-7, Houston, Texas
EASTEC, Oct. 19-21, West Springfield, Mass.
SOUTHTEC, Oct. 26-28, Greenville, S.C.
WESTEC, Nov. 16-18, Long Beach, Calif.
Attendees were thrilled to connect in person. Interestingly, attendance was just a bit lower than in 2019, but many exhibitors felt booth visitors were more specific about their needs and straightforward about their purchasing intentions. Many had stories to tell, experiences to share, and conveyed a sense of heartfelt gratitude for the positive developments in our industry
Around the world
Your AMT Global Services teams have promoted AMT members at several premier industry shows. Carlos Mortera, AMT international director – Latin America, and his team participated in MexiMold 2021, produced by Gardner Business Media. (Latin America consumes more than $6 billion in the U.S. die-and-mold market.)
Li Xingbin, AMT international director – Asia/Pacific, spoke on transformational technologies and coordinated the AMT pavilion at AMTech 2021 & AMC 2021 (International Advanced Manufacturing Technology Show and Advanced Manufacturing Conference) at Shenzhen World, China, Oct. 11-14. The event featured over 200 exhibitors, was attended by 32,140 people, and emphasized digital manufacturing technologies.
AMT President Doug Woods attended EMO Milano 2021 and represented the only American and international association at the event. With more than 60,000 visitors and 91 countries represented, EMO Milano 2021 featured 700 businesses from 34 countries, covering 100,000 square meters (1,076, 391 square feet).
IMTS 2022
The rapid flurry of recent trade shows is energizing and provides a great setup as we prepare for IMTS 2022, taking place Sept. 12-17 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Despite having already reserved over 1 million square feet of exhibition space, IMTS 2022 continues to accept more booth requests. Combined with the positive economic outlook presented at AMT’s recent event, The MFG Meeting + MTForecast conference in November, IMTS 2022 will undoubtedly drive the marketplace for manufacturing technology.
To help you prepare, we are busily organizing the IMTS 2022 Exhibitor Workshop, Jan. 25-26, at McCormick Place. Designed with operations, sales, and marketing tracks, the workshop features experts to share tactics, actionable information, and ideas that will help you execute a successful IMTS 2022. Visit IMTS.com/Exhibitor for details.
As the year comes to a close, I wish you all a warm holiday season and am looking forward to connecting with you in 2022.
