IMTS, Hannover Messe USA see big growth for 2018 shows

IMTS Show and the co-located 2018 Hannover Messe USA have expanded space at Chicago’s McCormick Place for the biannual event, which will be held Sept. 10-14.

By Bob Vavra, CFE Media April 10, 2018
With manufacturing on solid footing and growth continuing in the sector, organizers of the 2018 IMTS Show and the co-located 2018 Hannover Messe USA have expanded space at Chicago’s McCormick Place for the biannual event, which will be held Sept. 10-14.
“With the U.S. manufacturing sector expanding at its fastest pace since 2004 and capital equipment investment likely to follow, we anticipate that IMTS 2018 will be one of the busiest shows ever,” said Peter Eelman, vice president, exhibitions and business development at the Association for Manufacturing Technology, which produces IMTS. “In a growing economic environment, more manufacturers attend IMTS.”
“As we have done since launching the industrial technology shows at IMTS 2012, Hannover Messe USA’s trade shows will leverage the power of the Hannover Messe brand by demonstrating the full range of Industrie 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions during IMTS 2018,” said Larry Turner, President and CEO of Hannover Fairs USA (HFUSA), which produces Hannover Messe USA.
CFE Media and HFUSA also will co-organize the Global Automation Manufacturing Summit (GAMS), which will feature panel discussions on the key issues surrounding IIoT, including robotics, cybersecurity, and maintenance. GAMS will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 12 starting with an 11:30 a.m. luncheon. Beckhoff, Infor, Stratus, and UL are Gold Sponsors for the 2018 GAMS event.
Registration is now open for IMTS, and attendees will be able to tour a larger exhibit space than in 2016. With six months before the event, more than 1,800 exhibitors already have signed up to occupy 1.3 million sq. ft. of exhibit space. Both figures are ahead of the previous April show numbers. 
Hannover Messe USA’s Integrated Automation, Motion & Drives USA (IAMD USA) also will cover more exhibition space than ever before. Located alongside IAMD USA on level three will be the Fluid Power special display area. 
On level two, the other three Hannover Messe USA co-located trade shows—ComVac USA, Industrial Supply USA, and Surface Technology USA—will take place next to the event’s Digital Factory and Industrial Energy Systems special display areas. 
“We also expect to extend the overall scope and global nature of the co-located shows this year by highlighting more exhibitors from around the world in our international pavilions, including China, Germany, Italy, Korea, and Taiwan,” said Turner. 

Bob Vavra, content manager at CFE Media bvavra@cfemedia.com