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LOOKING AHEAD What Major Trade Shows are on Tap for September? International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) SEPTEMBER 10-15 McCormick Place, Chicago. IL 2 on the TSE Gold 100 Te 29th edition of the sprawling bien- nial machinery show will likely be one of the largest in its history with exhibit space reaching approximately 1.2 million net square feet (nsf). Te crowd at McCormick Place is expected to push six figures and journey from 119 nations. Te exhibitor count will top 1,800, according to the latest predic- tions from Te Association for Manufac- turing Technology (AMT). Tose numbers would be a solid improvement over the 2010 show, which totaled 1,137,375 nsf, a (7.8)% decline in exhibit space from 2008 and a (10.9)% dip in attendance, accord- ing to the Trade Show Executive Dashboard of Monthly Trade Show Metrics. Te event may have been set for a rebound this year by a 33.8% increase in the number of exhibitors from two years ago. Much of the good fortune can be cred- ited to the improvements in the economy over the last two years. But AMT did not sit back and simply wait for the skies to clear. Tis year's IMTS has an entirely new co-location program of exhibits and educational content developed under a partnership between AMT and Germany's Deutsche Messe. "We are thrilled to reinforce the inter- national nature of IMTS by having one of manufacturing's premier trade show organizers join with us," said Peter Eel- man, AMT vice president of exhibitions and communications. "Tis is a major step in expanding and strengthening the range of solutions available to IMTS visitors." Te highlight of the partnership with the Germans is the launch of Industrial Automation North America, which Eelman said would showcase factory automation products and complement IMTS' tradi- tional strength in metalworking, precision manufacturing and technology. Another new feature on the show floor is the AMT Manufacturing Stage, an area where VIPS will have some time to in- teract with attendees and engage in some give-and-take on hot topics in the manu- facturing sector. Reach Peter Eelman at (703) 827-5283 or peelman@amtonline.org Intl. Manufacturing Technology Show Solar Power International SEPTEMBER 10-13 Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL 60 on the TSE Gold 100 Solar Power International (SPI) arrives in the Sunshine State seeking to continue the upward momentum it saw last year in Dallas, where the exhibitor count grew just under 2% but exhibit space jumped 15.9% to 324,000 nsf. Te same show saw a (22.2)% drop in attendance over the previous year when the show was in Los Angeles. Will the move to Orlando lure in more attendees? Industry leaders say the industry itself is humming. "Te $8 billion solar indus- try more than doubled in 2011, making it the fastest-growing sector in the U.S.," said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Associa- tion. "We are extremely proud the show continues to be the epicenter of all that is new in solar." SPI could see some new momentum in international attendance and exhibitor participation from a three-party alliance it signed in May with the leading solar trade shows in Europe and China. Te Solar Power Intl. 12 July 2012 | Trade Show Executive