ProMat 2011 exceeds expectations

As an indicator of the continued economic recovery of the materials handling, supply chain and logistics industry, U.S. and international attendees registered in record numbers for ProMat 2011—the industry’s premier North American trade event. The show and conference is sponsored by the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA).

Nearly 32,000 key decision makers in virtually all manufacturing, logistics, distribution and supply chain industries participated in ProMat 2011. Reflecting the growing global nature of the event, attendees from outside the United States at this year’s ProMat represented 110 countries and six continents. They were welcomed by ProMat’s International Visitors Center. ProMat 2011 was held in Chicago’s McCormick Place from March 21 to 24.

“By all accounts, ProMat 2011 met, and in many cases exceeded, exhibitors’ and attendees’ expectations. Attendees were engaged and exhibitors expressed satisfaction with the quantity and quality of attendees,” said John Nofsinger, CEO of MHIA.

According to Nofsinger, “manufacturing and supply chain professionals were greeted with a remarkable display of traditional, new and emerging equipment and technology solutions that are key to their productivity and profitability.”

The show featured 677 exhibitors covering 270,000 net square feet. These exhibitors saw a 33% increase in attendee leads over ProMat 2009, indicating not only an increase in attendee quantity, but also in quality and intention to engage with exhibitors and their solutions. “Participants came with very specific objectives and with buying plans totaling $75 billion over the next 18 months. They know that investing in the latest equipment and technology is the key to building and maintaining their competitive edge,” added Nofsinger.

Other ProMat 2011 Highlights
Along with the healthy traffic on the show floor, other highlights of ProMat 2011 included the educational conference that accompanied the ProMat exhibition. This included two keynotes featuring former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Robonaut 2, two educational tracks on sustainability and the people side of the supply chain and show floor educational sessions on a variety of topics. More than 7,000 attended ProMat 2011 educational conference sessions. Webinars of ProMat 2011 educational seminars are now available online at http://www.promatshow.com/seminars.

The ProMat 2011 Classroom Day introduced students and educators to career opportunities in material handling, supply chain and logistics through hands-on learning and networking with industry professionals. This year’s Classroom Day combined an interactive educational session with a dynamic guided tour of North America’s premier materials handling, supply chain and logistics exhibition.

The next MHIA-sponsored trade event will be Modex 2012, February 6-9, 2012 in Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center. For more information, visit http://www.modexshow.com.

ProMat 2011 will be held March 21 - 24, 2011 at McCormick Place South in Chicago. The tradeshow will showcase the latest manufacturing, distribution and supply chain solutions in the material handling and logistics industry.

Read all of Modern’s ProMat 2011 coverage