FABTECH 2026 Las Vegas Guide: Dates, Free Badge & App
By Ilyas Kerbal,
FABTECH 2026 runs from 21 to 23 October at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and the 2027 edition moves to McCormick Place in Chicago from 13 to 16 September. It is North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event, with 31,000+ attendees and about 1,400 exhibits.
Lasers, press brakes, welding systems, robotics and finishing lines run live on the floor. This guide covers the free registration window, the app and the audience, and how vendors can reach the shops and manufacturers that buy.
FABTECH 2026 at a glance
| Next edition | 21-23 October 2026, Las Vegas; 13-16 September 2027, Chicago |
| Venue | Las Vegas Convention Center (2026); McCormick Place (2027) |
| City | Rotating US cities |
| Typical month | September-November |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Attendance | 31,000+ attendees |
| Exhibitors | ~1,400-1,700 exhibitors on 700,000+ sq ft |
| Industry | Metal fabrication, welding & finishing |
| Organizer | SME, FMA, AWS (American Welding Society), PMA and CCAI |
| Official website | fabtechexpo.com |
About FABTECH
FABTECH covers the full metalworking chain: laser and plasma cutting, press brakes, welding, robotics, finishing, tube and pipe, and software. Many machines run live on the floor, and there is a strong education program for fabricators and welding professionals.
FABTECH also runs editions in Mexico and Canada.
Where does FABTECH take place?
Rotates between Chicago (McCormick Place), Las Vegas (LVCC), Atlanta and Orlando.
Does it change location? Yes, it moves between US cities each year (Las Vegas 2026, Chicago 2027).
Welder in a protective helmet working on metal with sparks. Photo by Rob Lambert on Unsplash.
Who attends FABTECH?
- Fabricators and job-shop owners
- Manufacturing engineers
- Welding professionals
- Plant managers
- Procurement and capex buyers
Expect a broad audience where purchasing often runs through dealers, distributors or buying committees. Mapping who is coming, and from which companies, is what turns the visit into pipeline.
Skip the days of manual LinkedIn research. Tell me which roles you sell to and I’ll send a filtered, enriched FABTECH attendee list you can load straight into your CRM. Request it here
What FABTECH covers
- Laser, plasma and waterjet cutting
- Welding equipment and consumables
- Press brakes and forming
- Robotics and automation
- Finishing and coating
- Tube and pipe
- Fabrication software
The sales opportunity at FABTECH
Fabrication shops and manufacturers face the same pressures: labour shortages, tighter margins and more demand for automation. FABTECH is where owners and plant managers look for equipment and software that can help.
For suppliers, the best targets are job-shop owners, fabrication managers, manufacturing engineers and procurement leads at OEMs. Many are mid-size companies that don’t show up in standard lead databases, which makes the event’s own attendee data especially valuable.
Is FABTECH right for your team?
Best for: companies whose customers are the operators, dealers and distributors that FABTECH attracts, and who want to see a whole industry in one place.
Less ideal for: enterprise software vendors targeting C-level buyers only. The crowd at FABTECH is broad, so the attendee list has to be filtered hard before outreach.
Passes and pricing
| Option | Price / details |
|---|---|
| Also good to know | Free expo registration before the deadline (e.g. 16 Oct 2026) |
| Also good to know | $50 after the deadline / onsite |
| Also good to know | Conferences priced separately |
| Typical cost | Free to $50 for the expo. |
Prices change between editions and by registration date, so treat these as a guide and check fabtechexpo.com before you buy.
Does FABTECH have an app?
Yes. The FABTECH Mobile App (sponsored by Bystronic) offers exhibitor and speaker information, real-time alerts, a personal schedule and an interactive floor plan.
If you plan to prospect through the event app, expect friction: limited search filters, caps on messages and connection requests, and no way to get the data into your CRM. It helps on the day, but it is not a target list.
Is FABTECH worth it?
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free with early registration | Changing cities complicate planning |
| Highly focused manufacturing audience | Narrow vertical |
| Live machinery demos | Competes with IMTS in even years |
| Annual cadence |
Getting meetings at FABTECH
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6-8 weeks before | Get the attendee and exhibitor list. Segment it by job title, company size and industry, and remove existing customers and competitors. |
| 3-5 weeks before | Start outreach on email and LinkedIn. Mention the event, give a specific reason to meet and offer two or three time slots. |
| Show week | Confirm every meeting 48 hours ahead, keep a short list of walk-in targets, and log every conversation in your CRM the same day. |
| 1-5 days after | Follow up while the event is still fresh, then add non-responders to a nurture sequence. |
FABTECH is free until shortly before the show, then $50. Include a registration reminder in your outreach; it is a helpful nudge that also gets your name in front of prospects.
Already exhibiting at several shows this year? I can track the same buyers across events so nobody falls through the cracks. Talk to me about FABTECH and your other shows.
Frequently asked questions
When is FABTECH 2026?
21-23 October 2026, Las Vegas; 13-16 September 2027, Chicago. Dates can shift, so confirm on the official website (fabtechexpo.com) before booking travel.
Where is FABTECH held?
Rotates between Chicago (McCormick Place), Las Vegas (LVCC), Atlanta and Orlando.
Does it move? Yes, it moves between US cities each year (Las Vegas 2026, Chicago 2027).
How much does a FABTECH ticket cost?
Free to $50 for the expo. See the pricing table above for pass types.
Who attends FABTECH?
Mainly fabricators and job-shop owners; manufacturing engineers; welding professionals; plant managers.
Can I get the FABTECH attendee list?
Event organisers rarely sell attendee lists. Prospector builds one for you from the event app and website: attendees, exhibitors and speakers, enriched with job title, company, company size, industry, LinkedIn profile and work email where available, delivered as a CRM-ready file before the event. Ask about FABTECH here.
Get the FABTECH attendee list
Whether you are exhibiting or walking the floor at FABTECH, the teams that win are the ones who arrive with meetings already booked. Get in touch through Prospector and I’ll put together the attendee list for your event.
Related event guides
- IMTS 2028 Guide: Chicago Dates, Registration & Attendees
- Automate 2027 Guide: Las Vegas Dates, Free Expo & Buyers
- NPE2027 Guide: The Plastics Show Dates, Venue & Attendees
Photo credits
- Cover image: Photo by Christopher Burns on Unsplash
- In-article image: Photo by Rob Lambert on Unsplash
Sources
Event details were last checked in October 2026. Dates, venues and prices can change, so confirm them on the official event website.