IMTS 2028 Guide: Chicago Dates, Registration & Attendees
By Ilyas Kerbal,
IMTS 2028 will bring the International Manufacturing Technology Show back to McCormick Place in Chicago in September 2028. The 2026 edition ran from 14 to 19 September, and the show typically draws 85,000 to 89,000 registrants and around 1,700 exhibitors across all four buildings.
IMTS is where manufacturers come to see machine tools, automation, additive manufacturing and factory software running live. Because it happens every two years, buyers often save capital projects for it. This guide covers what to know and how to plan your outreach.
IMTS 2028 at a glance
| Next edition | IMTS 2028, September, McCormick Place (IMTS 2026 ran 14-19 Sept) |
| Venue | McCormick Place |
| City | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Typical month | September |
| Frequency | Biennial (even years) |
| Attendance | ~85,000-89,000 registrants |
| Exhibitors | ~1,700-1,800 exhibiting companies on 1.2 million+ sq ft |
| Industry | Manufacturing technology, machine tools & industrial automation |
| Organizer | AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology |
| Official website | imts.com |
About IMTS
IMTS is the largest manufacturing technology trade show in the Americas. Machine-tool builders, cutting-tool makers, automation and robotics vendors, metrology firms and manufacturing software companies show working machinery to buyers from aerospace, automotive, medical, energy and job-shop manufacturing.
It happens every two years, so it concentrates two years of purchasing interest. Many visitors arrive with specific capex projects. The show also runs conferences, an Investor Forum and a large student program.
Location and venue
McCormick Place, Chicago, using all four buildings (North, South, East, West).
Does it change location? No. Always McCormick Place, Chicago, in even-numbered years.
CNC machine cutting a piece of metal. Photo by aluminum Zheng ji on Unsplash.
IMTS attendee profile
- Plant managers, manufacturing engineers and operations leaders
- Owners of job shops and contract manufacturers
- Procurement and capex decision-makers
- Aerospace, automotive, medical-device and energy manufacturers
- Distributors and integrators
Decision-makers attend, but they are busy and protective of their time. The teams that get the most out of this show reach out weeks in advance with a specific reason to meet.
Going to IMTS with a sales target? Start with the actual list of people who will be there. Enriched profiles, CRM-ready format, delivered before the show. Contact Prospector
Industries and niches covered
- CNC machine tools: metal cutting and forming
- Additive manufacturing
- Automation, robotics and cobots
- Metrology and quality
- Tooling and workholding
- Manufacturing software: CAD/CAM, MES, IIoT, AI
- Fabrication and laser
Why IMTS matters for sales teams
Machine tools and automation systems are major investments, and the people who approve them rarely respond to generic outreach. At IMTS, many of them are actively shopping, often with a project and a budget already in place.
The most valuable contacts are plant managers, manufacturing engineers, operations leaders and owners of job shops and contract manufacturers. A list segmented by industry (aerospace, medical, automotive, energy) lets you send relevant messages instead of one broad invitation.
Is IMTS right for your team?
Go if your buyers work in manufacturing and you can identify the specific companies you want to meet. The budget holders are there; the work is in finding them among a large crowd.
Think twice if you can’t staff a booth or meeting schedule properly. Without a target list, IMTS can turn into a lot of pleasant conversations and very little pipeline.
IMTS ticket prices
| Option | Price / details |
|---|---|
| Also good to know | Visitor registration has historically been free with advance registration (fees may apply for late/onsite) |
| Also good to know | Conferences and special programs priced separately |
| Typical cost | Free to low cost for show-floor access. |
Prices change between editions and by registration date, so treat these as a guide and check imts.com before you buy.
Event app and digital platform
IMTS publishes an official mobile app and the MyShow Planner for exhibitor search, maps and agenda building.
From a sales point of view, the app’s main limitation is access. You see the people who chose to be visible, you can’t pull them into your CRM, and once the event ends the data usually disappears with it.
Pros and cons of IMTS
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Buyers with large capital-equipment budgets | Only every two years |
| Free registration (historically) brings a broad audience | Very large, needs a plan to cover |
| Highly focused on manufacturing | Huge booths dominated by big machine-tool builders |
| Biennial timing creates urgency for launches and purchases | Chicago hotel costs during the show |
A pre-show prospecting plan for IMTS
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Early planning | Pull the attendee, exhibitor and speaker lists and score them against your ideal customer profile. |
| Pre-show outreach | Contact your top tier personally and your second tier with a short sequence. Aim to book meetings, not booth visits. |
| On site | Work from a printed or mobile list of priority accounts and use breaks and evening events for warm introductions. |
| Post-show | Follow up fast, share what you promised, and keep the list for next year’s edition. |
IMTS lasts six days. Ask prospects which day they plan to attend in your outreach; many decision-makers come for only one or two days, and that answer tells you when to staff up.
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 IMTS and your other shows.
Frequently asked questions
When is IMTS 2028?
IMTS 2028, September, McCormick Place (IMTS 2026 ran 14-19 Sept). Dates can shift, so confirm on the official website (imts.com) before booking travel.
Where is IMTS held?
McCormick Place, Chicago, using all four buildings (North, South, East, West).
Does it move? No. Always McCormick Place, Chicago, in even-numbered years.
How much does a IMTS ticket cost?
Free to low cost for show-floor access. See the pricing table above for pass types.
Who attends IMTS?
Mainly plant managers, manufacturing engineers and operations leaders; owners of job shops and contract manufacturers; procurement and capex decision-makers; aerospace, automotive, medical-device and energy manufacturers.
Can I get the IMTS 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 IMTS here.
Get the IMTS attendee list
Planning for IMTS? Send me a message on Prospector. Tell me who you sell to, and I’ll come back with what the attendee and exhibitor data looks like for this event.
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Photo credits
- Cover image: Photo by Sven Daniel on Unsplash
- In-article image: Photo by aluminum Zheng ji 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.