FABTECH, the industry’s premier metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event returned to Chicago’s McCormick Place September 13-16, 2021.
Over the four days, over 24,000 people attended the show to check out in-person products on-offer from exhibitors, listen to keynote presentations and attend technical and specific presentations as part of the educational Technical Cnference. Exhibitors covered over 500,000 ft2 of the available space at McCormick Place.
FABTECH 2021 was held in conjunction with RAPID + TCT 2021 at the same location during the same dates. For information on RAPID, see RAPID + TCT Emphasizes How Additive Will Expand.
The purpose of in-person shows, exhibits, and technical conferences is to a provide a convenient ‘one-stop shop’ venue where professionals can meet with suppliers, see the latest industry products and developments, and find the tools to improve productivity, increase profits and discover new solutions. One on one conversations and direct observations of equipment is invaluable in understanding how to solve problems or improve operations.
“In my conversations with exhibitors, it was clear the quality of attendees was high, and they felt safe and comfortable at our events,” noted Bob Willig, CEO of SME. “Our keynotes drew big crowds and we had strong interest and turnout at our Technical Conferences as well.”
Educating and attracting young people to the industry of manufacturing is prime goal of SME in general and conferences like this in particular. “The student summits were also a hit with over 200 high school kids being exposed to manufacturing careers through education-guided show tours and some fun competitions,” said Willig.
FABTECH 2021 was hosted by a group of industry associations, including SME, the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International (FMA), the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), the American Welding Society (AWS), and the Chemical Coaters Association International.
“FABTECH 2021 was a great show”, said Michael Bell, directory of sales, Pemamek LLC. “The show exceeded our expectations by far and our company closed several large deals during the week. We met with the right buyers. The people who came to FABTECH were here to learn and to buy. We already have our booth for next year!”
Connect With Us
