CHICAGO — On Sept. 9, 2026, Trade Show Executive (TSE) got a special look at the International Manufacturing Technology Show’s (IMTS) move-in at McCormick Place.
Owned and produced by AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology, this massive exhibition is set for Sept. 14-19 and expected to attract more than 86,000 registrants and more than 1,800 exhibitors.
The tour was hosted by EDPA Midwest, the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA), the Midwestern Chapter of the International Association of Exhibitions & Events, Freeman, McCormick Place and GES.
Before attendees donned their badges and safety vests, John Loveless, Senior Vice President of Business Development at GES, and Peter Carroll, incoming ESCA President and Vice President, North Division, at GES, discussed what it takes to bring a show like IMTS to life.
A Major Move-In
On the first day of move-in at a show like IMTS, GES needs to accomplish the following:
- Coordinate dock door/lighting schedule
- Unload GES equipment
- Deliver material handling equipment
- Gas equipment
- Set up the venue’s marshalling yard
- Install any outdoor signage to guide carriers into the marshalling yard
- Mark floors
- Begin installation of exhibitor electrical orders
- Hang aisle signs
- Set service center
- Set remote labor and or boneyards
- Set client’s main office
- Deliver show organizer materials and stage the items
- Deliver additional GES equipment such as signage, structures and counters
- Begin setting registration
- Deliver flooring/carpeting for advance orders for freight to be delivered
- Deliver warehouse freight
- Begin installation of exhibitor advance hanging signs
Carroll shared that GES is working with two different companies to develop automated equipment to mark trade show floors. The organization used robots in McCormick Place’s North Hall for ProMat 2026, which helped reduce their union call by 23 people.
“Both companies are going back to see how they can get more accurate and then speed up the process,” Carroll said.
Making History
Carroll and Loveless revealed that IMTS 2026 is the first event to use a 100% recyclable carpet in its entirety, with a solution TSE has covered from Emerald Carpets. Stay tuned for an article about this achievement!
Innovative Wayfinding
IMTS spans four expansive buildings at McCormick Place and, historically, attendees faced challenges navigating the show floor.
For IMTS 2024, GES developed a creative, intuitive wayfinding system to simplify navigation and improve flow throughout the venue.
This includes an eight-foot-tall directory for each building, which is paired with color-coded directional carpeting. Each building is assigned a unique color, matching the carpet that guides attendees through multiple levels. Also, strategically placed directories help attendees stay on track.
“It’s one of the things that we’re most proud of … other groups have emulated it, and I think it becomes a very good resource for our clients to use and follow,” Loveless said. “It’s a nice way to navigate the building.”
Additionally, Carroll and Loveless outlined the advantages and potential challenges of selecting Chicago as a trade show destination.
Advantages:
- Skilled labor
- Quantity of labor
- Onsite marshalling yard at McCormick Place
- Flexibility = exhibitors’ rights
- Highway access to McCormick Place
- Number of loading docks available
- Sustainability initiatives
- Size of buildings and multiple shows
Potential Challenges:
- Number of back-to-back shows
- Weather
- Competing events in the city
- Multiple unions
- Aging workforce
- Costs
- Trades are organized by seniority
How Lease Dates Can Impact Your Event
Carroll and Loveless also stressed how a show’s lease dates can drastically impact its move-in and move-out, especially as it grows.
“As we get closer and closer to show opening, the stress for everybody, for us, for our client [and] for exhibitors, is running a little bit higher,” Loveless explained. “One of the things that challenges us is, and it’s a great problem to have, when a show starts to grow out of their pattern or out of their dates.”
A move-in that doesn’t have an appropriate amount of time can cause unplanned charges and overtime costs, safety concerns, longer wait times for exhibitors and exhibitors downsizing and even ultimately choosing not to exhibit at all.
Carroll and Loveless urged organizers to be cognizant of straight time and overtime, the size of a show and number of exhibiting companies, electrical, plumbing, rigging and truss requirements, quantity of hanging signs, previous move-in/move-out days and times, operational needs, the type of show, previous floor plans, and targeted move-in and production schedule when planning.
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This article’s featured image is from IMTS 2024.
