Main Points

Participate and Follow Social Media Related to a Show

Will suggests announcing ahead of time on social media that you will be going to a trade show. Often this will lead to meeting up in person with new people, or reuniting with old contacts who you had not realized were going to the show. 

Will likes to post on social media about what he is seeing at trade shows, mainly on Linkedin, which can provide interesting ideas to other show goers about places to see that they didn’t know about.

This year, for the first time, IMTS has a new booth called the creators lounge, devoted to content creators and social media thought leaders where you can hear them speak. The thought leaders will also be going around the show creating a live stream.

Student Area at IMTS

Will suggests to check out a student area at IMTS, hidden on level 1 in the North building. There you can see students presenting projects related to machining. It also has many booths encouraging young people to go into the machining field. Robotics companies as well as firms such as MasterCam, Haas, Autodesk, and even NASA have booths there. 

Take Advantage of Conferences at Shows

Trade shows such as IMTS are packed with conferences for attendees who want to learn more about the latest machining technology and industry trends. Will is going to be presenting for two to three conferences and will be on the IMTS+ Main Stage as a panelist.