July / August - Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association

Monday, September 8 - Saturday, September 13, 2008
CONNECTING GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY
by B KYLE
Have no doubt about it: IMTS is no ordinary
trade show, and IMTS 2008 may be the biggest
manufacturing show ever to hit Chicago. During
the show’s shorter schedule, anticipate being
overwhelmed by the sheer volume of exhibitors
and attendees.
Some free advice: Don’t walk into any of the halls
at McCormick Place without a plan. The show is so
big that if you don’t approach it with a clear objective,
you will most likely struggle to get anything done.
Decide what you want to accomplish at the show, and
organize your visit to achieve that goal. Again, our
distributors have some great suggestions for you.
Second, don’t end your visit to IMTS when you’ve
carried out your plan. Take the time to wander the
aisles and give serendipity a chance. Tucked away in
some small booth, or in a corner of larger booth, you
may find a technical gem.
Finally, you might ask, given the crowds, noise
and physical discomfort you can expect to encounter,
why go to IMTS? Well, first of all, every two years
this show brings the best equipment the world has to
offer to North American manufacturing engineers and
managers. From the viewpoint of a manufacturing
professional, attendance is a must. And, besides
(don’t let your boss know), IT’S FUN!
anticipate being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of exhibitors and attendees.