IMTS 2026 Preview: What’s New, How to Plan It, and Why It’s Worth the Trip | Ep. 533

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IMTS is 1.2 million square feet spread across six days, and the average visitor only spends about 2.7 of them on the floor. That math is exactly why walking in without a plan means seeing a fraction of what you came for. In this episode we sit down with Bonnie Gurney and Michelle Edmondson from AMT, the team that builds IMTS, to talk through how to actually get value out of the biggest manufacturing show in the country.

We’re about six and a half weeks out and registration is running 29% ahead of 2024, so the energy is real. Bonnie and Michelle break down what’s new for the 100th anniversary show: the 10 technology sectors, the Industrial AI arena with 40 first-time exhibitors, a bigger defense presence, and a conference lineup, from Elevate to the job shop and LATAM tracks, that too many people still treat as a hidden gem.

We also make the case for why you should go even if you’re not buying this year. As Mike puts it, you don’t have time not to go. You go to see the solutions you’ll need in two or three years, the way he spotted a machine tending robot in 2018 and finally bought it in 2022. And this year, a plan-my-route feature built into the floor plan app is a genuinely practical use of AI.

There’s plenty happening on the floor too, from the main stage schedule and the 100-year history of the show to the machine tool we’re giving away with DN Solutions and Kennametal. Mostly, though, this is a conversation about showing up prepared and getting the most out of your days in Chicago.

If you’re heading to IMTS 2026, this is the planning conversation to hear first. Come find us in the Hennig booth, and let’s make some chips.

What’s Covered in this Episode

• (0:00) Why every visitor needs a game plan before the doors open
• (1:21) Six and a half weeks out, with registration up 29% over 2024
• (3:25) The scale of IMTS: 1.2 million square feet and 500-plus semis a day
• (7:56) The August 5th pre-IMTS party for Oscar Mike and the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium
• (10:04) Elevate: powered by AMT and Women in Manufacturing
• (10:56) What’s new: the 10 technology sectors that map the show floor
• (13:00) Why the conference and education lineup is the show’s hidden gem
• (17:58) Learn more about Elevate, the Women in manufacturing conference
• (20:45) Kennametal’s Next Level Shop and a bike giveaway on the show floor
• (21:47) 100 years of IMTS, from a 62,000 square foot science fair in 1927
• (27:06) The main stage schedule: capital decisions, AI, and the coolest stuff we saw
• (28:31) How the machine giveaway works: register, collect chips, earn entries, win Friday
• (31:09) Find your next leader with Hire MFG Leaders
• (31:38) Why “you don’t have time not to go” is the real case for IMTS
• (35:47) A practical AI use case: let the floor plan app build your route
• (37:48) Poll your team: What should you look for at IMTS?
• (39:17) The biggest changes coming to IMTS 2026

Resources Mentioned

• IMTS 2026
• Register for the IMTS machine giveaway: https://www.makingchips.com
• Hire MFG Leaders
• Elevate, powered by AMT and Women in Manufacturing
• DN Solutions
• Oscar Mike Foundation
• Manufacturing Pathways Consortium

Connect with Bonnie Gurney & Michelle Edmondson

• IMTS
• AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology
• IMTS on LinkedIn

Connect with MakingChips

• Website
• On Facebook
• On LinkedIn
• On Instagram
• On Twitter
• On YouTube