IMTS - International Manufacturing Technology Show 2026
IMTS is a biennial manufacturing technology trade show organized by AMT, The Association For Manufacturing Technology, held at McCormick Place in Chicago.
McCormick Place, Chicago
- Dates
- September 14–19, 2026
- Venue
- McCormick Place, Chicago
- Individual registration
- $85 before September 3, 2026
- Scale
- Largest trade show in the Western Hemisphere
TL;DR
- IMTS 2026 runs September 14–19 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
- Individual registration costs $85 before September 3, 2026, with free registration for international visitors, students, educators, and media.
- Conference registrations include access to the IMTS exhibit halls, and conference pricing includes IMTS admission.
- AMT, The Association For Manufacturing Technology, organizes the show, which it describes as the largest trade show in the Western Hemisphere.
About
IMTS was first held in Cleveland, Ohio in 1927 and was renamed from the International Machine Tool Show in 1990 to reflect its expanded scope into technologies such as welding, lubrication, and materials engineering. The show runs every two years in even-numbered years at Chicago's McCormick Place, alternating with Europe's EMO trade show under an agreement between AMT and CECIMO. IMTS was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but reconvened for 2022. AMT organizes the show and, according to vice president of technology Ryan Kelly, created a new Industrial AI Conference for 2026 to help manufacturers move beyond experimentation and understand where AI can deliver measurable business value.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Manufacturing_Technology_Show
Who you'll find in the room
Manufacturing & production management
Manufacturing/production managers, plant/operations managers, and corporate management/executives.
Engineering & quality
Production/quality engineers, design/R&D engineers, quality assurance/inspection leads, and maintenance/technical supervisors.
Procurement & digital manufacturing
Procurement/purchasing managers and software/digital manufacturing specialists.
Industries represented
Contract manufacturers/job shops, defense, aerospace, medical, energy, and automotive companies.
Featured speakers
1 listedDr. Jay Lee
Featured keynote speaker, IMTS Industrial AI Conference (September 16, 2026) · A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland
Partners on record
1 listedWhat attendees say
“The Navy is here [at IMTS] to support the recapitalization of American manufacturing.”
Past editions
2 on record| Edition | Dates | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | September 9–14, 2024 | McCormick Place, Chicago | 89,020 registrants; 1,737 exhibiting companies; 1,226,523 sq ft of show space, including 14,713 at the Smartforce Student Summit |
| 2018 | McCormick Place, Chicago | 129,415 registrants; 2,563 exhibitors across four buildings; 1,424,232 sq ft of exhibit space |
Venue & travel
Venue
McCormick Place, Chicago,Getting there
Attendees traveling to Chicago for IMTS have access to discounted flights and hotels.
Getting there
A free shuttle service runs between McCormick Place and key hotel locations, and parking is available at McCormick Place.
Getting there
Shuttles from most IMTS 2026 participating hotels to McCormick Place run during show days and show hours.
Questions people ask
7 answeredIMTS 2026 runs September 14–19, 2026.
IMTS 2026 is held at McCormick Place in Chicago.
Individual registration costs $85 before September 3, 2026, and international registration is free. Group registration for five or more people is $65 before August 1, 2026, and active duty or retired military service members receive a 50% discount. Student, educator, and media registration are free, while exhibitor and distributor registration each cost $60 before September 3, 2026. Rates increase for registrations made after September 3, 2026.
Attendees include manufacturing/production managers, production/quality engineers, corporate management and executives, design/R&D engineers, procurement/purchasing managers, plant/operations managers, quality assurance/inspection leads, maintenance/technical supervisors, and software/digital manufacturing specialists. They come from industries including contract manufacturers/job shops, defense, aerospace, medical, energy, and automotive.
IMTS does not publish an attendance figure for the 2026 edition, but the most recent edition, IMTS 2024, drew 89,020 registrants and 1,737 exhibiting companies across 1,226,523 square feet of show space. The 2018 edition drew 129,415 registrants and 2,563 exhibitors across four buildings. AMT describes IMTS as the largest trade show in the Western Hemisphere.
IMTS is worth attending for manufacturing professionals evaluating new equipment, automation, and digital manufacturing tools, since it concentrates a large number of vendors and technical sessions in one place. The organizer does not publish an attendance-value metric, so the decision depends on whether the exhibitor mix and conference tracks match a given team's priorities.
Most attendees wear business casual or comfortable industrial-show attire suited to walking exhibit floors for several hours, including closed-toe shoes. The organizer does not publish a formal dress code.
Related events
Find more events with this kind of reach.
We score 300,000+ B2B events by decision-maker density, so you can find the next one for your ICP.