The trade show schedule for Fall 2024 will be very busy around the country. If you want to keep abreast of new technologies, look for American manufacturers to return manufacturing from offshore, or look for new vendors to make your supply chain more secure, be sure to attend the trade show nearest to you. The fall starts off with the biggest trade show of them all in Chicago.
September 9-14, 2024 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL
The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) is the largest trade show in the Western Hemisphere and draws the innovators, sellers, and drivers of manufacturing technology together to connect, be inspired, and find new solutions.
Location: McCormick Place, 2301 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60616
Registration: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Show Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
I’ve been attending this show for over 30 years. It used to be called the Job Shop Show because it featured companies that performed custom fabrication services such as castings, forgings, extrusions, plastic and rubber molding, metal stamping. What is unique about this show is that only American companies are allowed to exhibit, The shows in Southern California is where me met many of the companies my manufacturers’ sales agency, ElectroFab Sales, represents. I will be attending the Long Beach show on September 26th to help out at the booth of the rubber molding company we represent, Century Rubber Company.
Southeast Region
When: | September 10 & 11, 2024 | |
Hours: | Tuesday 9:30am – 3:00pm Wednesday 9:30am – 3:00pm | |
Where: | Greenville Convention Center 1 Exposition Dr. Greenville, SC 29607 | |
Cost: | Free Admission & Free Parking | |
Southern California
When: | September 25 & 26, 2024 | |
Hours: | Wednesday 9:30am – 3:00pm Thursday 9:30am – 3:00pm | |
Where: | Long Beach Convention Center 300 E Ocean Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90802 | |
Cost: | Free Admission Register for Free | |
New England
When: | October 16 & 17, 2024 | |
Hours: | Wednesday 9:00am – 4:00pm Thursday 9:00am – 3:30pm | |
Where: | Royal Plaza Trade Center 181 Royal Plaza Dr West Marlborough, MA 01752 | |
Cost: | Free Admission & Free Parking | |
This show is put on by the Del Mar Trade Shows company that puts on the Del Mar Electronics & Manufacturing show in the spring at which my company has exhibited for 27 years. As an authorized speaker for the Reshoring Initiative, I will be giving a presentation on “How to Reshore Using Total Cost of Ownership Analysis” on October 2nd at 1:00 PM in Room D.
Free parking! Free Attendance! Free Reception!
October 7 – 9, 2025
Anaheim, CA
The Manufacturing Technology Series of five regional shows produced by SME & AMT connects decision makers from diverse industries with leading suppliers of advanced manufacturing technology, equipment and tooling. The next Eastec and Southtec shows will be held in the spring of 2025.
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Meet the Innovators Shaping the Future at The Battery Show 2024!
Over 1,150 exhibitors representing the full advanced battery and EV supply chain.
This show is the Midwest version of the show that takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center in February at which I have been a panelist or speaker five times.
Register with the special code JOINME24 and grab a free expo pass or receive 15% off all conference passes.
Your FREE expo pass includes access to:
- 530+ exhibits for the Midwest’s largest collection of end-to-end design and manufacturing suppliers on one show floor, spanning medtech, automation, packaging, plastics, and design
- Daily keynote presentations including Pat Baird of Philips, Amy Alexander of Mayo Clinic, and Jonathan Arenberg of Northrop Grumman Space
- Access to hours of free content at 3 theaters in the expo hall—MedTech Central, Engineering Theater, and Tech Theater
- Complimentary networking & experiences including a Welcome Reception, Career Connections with professional advancement experts, and booth bar crawls
This list of shows is by no means comprehensive. There are many more trade shows related to a variety of industries, such as the toy industry, hardware industry, consumer electronics, etc. Trade shows are still the best way to see products, new technologies, and meet suppliers in person. Many of the trade shows have a concurrent conference or free seminars.