Deciding what to bring to IMTS matters more than most visitors expect. Some trips produce a decision. Others produce a tote bag of brochures. The difference often comes down to one item in your luggage: an actual production part. That advice comes from Kevin Bowers, Vice President of Research at AMT, the association that owns and produces IMTS.
Key Takeaways
- The short answer on what to bring to IMTS is the part, not just the spec. Application engineers can assess material, tolerance and fixturing in person if you hand them something physical.
- Build your list with the whole team first. Visitors who arrive with only their own department’s project routinely miss equipment the company actually needs.
- Use the Show Planner before you fly. The 2026 planner includes MYS Connected, an agentic AI feature, plus a Plan My Smartest Route function with offline mapping across all four McCormick Place halls.
- New equipment debuts here. Many exhibitors stage product launches at IMTS, so that machinery is not publicly visible anywhere else.
- Three machines in person beat thirty online, in Bowers’ assessment.
- IMTS 2026 runs September 14 through 19 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The show covers more than 1.2 million square feet organized by technology sector.
Watch the IMTS 2026 Segment With Kevin Bowers
Bowers joined Danny Gonzales on IndustrialSage Headlines to make the case for attending. He also covered what separates a productive visit from a wasted one. Finally, he shared what AMT’s own data says about which exhibitors get real business.
The video above starts at the Bowers segment. Watch the full episode on IndustrialSage Headlines Episode 31.
What to Bring to IMTS: The Part, Not the Spec
Most visitors arrive with drawings, tolerances and a list of questions. Bowers suggests adding one more thing to the bag.
Make sure if you can, bring the part, not just the spec. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a part is even better.
Kevin Bowers, Vice President of Research, AMT
The reasoning is practical. Booths are staffed with application engineers and technical salespeople. They can evaluate a real component in ways a drawing does not allow. Consequently, a conversation that would have stayed general becomes specific: this material, this tolerance, this fixturing problem, on this machine. That is a qualification step most buyers otherwise postpone for weeks after the show.
Furthermore, the part does the work of explaining your process for you. Instead of describing a bottleneck, you hand over the evidence of it.
Talk to Your Whole Team Before You Go
Bowers returns to this point twice, which suggests it is the mistake he sees most. Visitors tend to arrive carrying only the project their own department owns.
However, a plant has more needs than any one silo can see. Bowers describes a pattern AMT observes every show cycle. Someone walks the floor and encounters technology they did not know they were shopping for. They recognize a need it solves. A purchase order follows roughly 18 months later. Notably, that only happens when the visitor knew enough about the wider operation to recognize the need when they saw it.
So the prep work is a conversation, not a checklist. Ask production, quality, maintenance and engineering what they would fix if the budget existed. In practice, that turns a narrow trip into a broader one at no additional cost.
Use the Show Planner’s AI Before You Fly
IMTS 2026 covers more than 1.2 million square feet across four halls. Bowers is blunt about the risk of improvising. He warns that visitors can get lost in the bowels of McCormick Place.
Therefore the planning tools are worth the time. The IMTS Show Planner for 2026 includes MYS Connected, an agentic AI feature. It examines a visitor’s stated interests and suggests additional exhibitors and sessions. Once selections are saved, a Plan My Smartest Route function organizes them into an efficient path. The directional mapping also works offline between booths and across all four halls.
In short, the AI handles the logistics so the visit can be about the equipment.
Three Machines in Person Beat Thirty Online
The strongest argument for making the trip is availability rather than atmosphere. Many exhibitors time new product launches to the show, and Bowers put it plainly in the segment above.
What’s on the floor here in September doesn’t exist publicly anywhere else. If you’re looking to specify capital equipment for the next couple years, you’re either gonna see it in Chicago or you’re gonna be seeing it late.
Kevin Bowers, Vice President of Research, AMT
Bowers frames the tradeoff plainly. Seeing three pieces of manufacturing technology in person is worth more than seeing thirty online. Likewise, he is direct about the failure mode. A brochure is what you walk away with when you do not have a plan.
That framing also explains why the buying group matters. AMT’s post-show research found roughly eight of ten IMTS visitors hold some role on a buying team. Moreover, those roles increasingly extend past executives to foremen, programmers and operators. We covered that shift in depth with Bowers on why the manufacturing buying committee keeps getting bigger.
Planning Beyond IMTS
Deciding what to bring to IMTS is only part of the preparation. IMTS is the largest show on the U.S. manufacturing calendar, but it is not the only one worth budgeting for. Our guide to the top manufacturing trade shows in the US compares IMTS against FABTECH, PACK EXPO and Automate. It ranks them by audience and timing.
IndustrialSage is an official media partner for IMTS 2026 and will be reporting from the floor for the full week. Exhibiting teams who want to be part of that coverage can find details on our IMTS 2026 coverage page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you bring to IMTS 2026?
The short answer on what to bring to IMTS is an actual production part, not just a drawing or spec sheet. Kevin Bowers, Vice President of Research at AMT, advises visitors to carry the part they need machined. Application engineers can then assess it on the spot. Also bring a prioritized list built with your whole team, not just your own department.
Why bring a physical part instead of a spec sheet?
A part lets an application engineer evaluate material, tolerance and fixturing in person. That turns a general conversation into a specific one. In Bowers’ words, a picture is worth a thousand words, but a part is even better.
How do you plan a route through 1.2 million square feet?
Use the IMTS Show Planner. The 2026 version includes MYS Connected, an agentic AI feature that suggests exhibitors and builds an agenda. It also adds a Plan My Smartest Route function with offline mapping across all four McCormick Place halls.
Is it worth attending IMTS in person if you can research online?
Bowers argues yes for anyone specifying capital equipment. Many exhibitors stage new product launches at the show, so that equipment is not publicly visible anywhere else. He also notes that seeing three machines in person beats seeing thirty online.
How long is IMTS 2026 and where is it held?
IMTS 2026 runs September 14 through 19, 2026 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The show covers more than 1.2 million square feet organized by technology sector.
Who should you talk to before attending IMTS?
Talk to everyone in your company who touches production before you go. Bowers says buyers routinely find technology they did not know they were shopping for. Those discoveries sometimes turn into a purchase order roughly 18 months later.
Author: Wes Garrett
Content and Growth Marketing Producer | From Strategy to Execution, Delivering Impactful Media Solutions and Client Success
