National Manufacturing Week (NMW) features technologies, products, services, innovations and solutions which integrate and support of manufacturers. It is sponsored, endorsed, and supported by nearly 30 professional associations, societies, industry groups, and publications (including Control Engineering). It takes place March 15-18, 1999 in Chicago at McCormick Place; and everything about it can be found at www.manufacturingweek.com

Basic information, such as registration, listings of exhibitors, floor plan, a virtual tour, and a concise explanation of each of the four shows(National Industrial Automation, National Design Engineering, National Plant Engineering MRO & Management, and National Industrial Enterprise) which make up National Manufacturing Week can be found on the web site.

The web site's exhibitor search lets users search the entire exhibitor list, alphabetically, within each show, or for individual exhibitor listings.

Fact sheets for each show provide overviews and hyperlinks to more specific information. Among items listed are number of visitors attending, size and cost of the show, and represented products.

NMW's official newsletter, Solutions, is also online. It focuses on each show; for example, the National Industrial Automation section discusses Cutler-Hammer's use of a single PC for controlling processes. Also, the 1999 conference program is listed, along with other special events. The special section dedicated to NMW's conferences says the sessions are divided into eight tracks.

Press releases at the web site are listed chronologically and interested users can hotlink to read about specific topics. Special events are scheduled throughout the week, including an exhibit of Al Unser Jr.'s Penske race car, space exploration day with a keynote presentation by NASA, and a free seminar, "Using the Internet to Boost Your Exports." ISA's Industry Bookstore will be at NMW, featuring more than 400 manufacturing and management titles.

National Manufacturing Week organizers say, attendees include everyone from corporate management to engineering and research and development personnel. If interested in the show, surfers can register to attend online by filling out the registration form.

Also, to help the prospective attendee navigate McCormick Place, there is a floor plan and virtual tour which guides web users through the show.

The 1999 pavilion listings are grouped together on the web site according to show, followed by a brief description of each pavilion. Three new pavilion shows for 1999 are Buildings and Grounds (National Plant Engineering Show)—the newest technology and solutions designed to make the maintenance of the physical plant easier, quicker, and more expedient; Material Handling and Logistics (National Plant Engineering Show)—"the key to warehousing and distribution in the 21st century"; and the Motion Hall (National Design Engineering Show)—"offers all the mechanical, electrical, fluid, hydraulic, and pneumatic control systems and components you need."

Traveling can always be stressful, especially when on a tight schedule. A National Manufacturing Week Travel Desk is set up online to meet all of your travel needs, including hotel and travel arrangements. A listing of the 31 lowest priced hotels is on the first page of the travel page. National Manufacturing Week visitors can take advantage of special event hotel rates, airfares, and auto rentals, only at the Travel Desk.

A hotlink to McCormick Place is provided, as are four web sites devoted just to Chicago: Excite City Net-Chicago, Yahoo! Chicago, Chicago City Life, and Choose Chicago. So, if you are planning on attending the show, check out the travel section and make arrangements early.

Keep your eye out for upcoming new features on the web site. As the show dates get closer, information will be added and updated.