After in-person events came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, FABTECH 2021 will be the first large-scale manufacturing trade show to return to McCormick Place in Chicago, IL September 13-16th. The event brings all aspects of the metal fabricating, forming, welding, and finishing industries together to showcase the technology, innovation, and solutions they provide.
The economic impact of FABTECH is important to the industries it serves, as well as at the state and local levels. “FABTECH is one of the largest events held at McCormick Place, bringing $73 million delegation spending to Chicago,” says Ed Youdell, President and CEO, Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, International. “Our last event in Chicago employed just short of 4000 laborers with over 110,000 hours of work. This contributed $5.3 million dollars of labor to the overall Chicago workforce. We are looking forward to bringing these jobs back online. In addition, FABTECH will provide an important boost to the hospitality industry, utilizing over 40 hotels as well as many entertainment and restaurant outlets during the 19 days the event brings delegates to Chicago from setup through tear-down.”
FABTECH facilitates connections between exhibitors and attendees in order to conduct business, share knowledge, and showcase the most advanced manufacturing equipment and technology. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore three halls filled with cutting-edge technology, new product debuts, and firsthand product demonstrations from over 1000 exhibitors.
FABTECH has coordinated within state and local public health guidelines to develop a plan for return and anticipates more than 30,000 convention-goers this fall. FABTECH is one of over 120 conventions planning to return to McCormick Place’s halls as a result of Illinois recently advancing to Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois plan—a framework to guide the reopening of the economy—which allows all industries to return to full operations without capacity restrictions. Phase 5 is based on progress made toward vaccine administration and allows for the return of all conventions, events, and activities across all industries.
Attendee and media registration for FABTECH 2021 is open now; visit fabtechexpo.com to register and obtain additional show details.