Welcome Back to the Windy City
October 1, 2009Comments
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McCormick Place, which opened in 1960 with 320,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, 23 meeting rooms and a 5000-seat theater, gets its name from Colonel Robert R. McCormick, former editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. While Colonel McCormick led the charge for its construction, it opened five years after his passing, and surely he would be amazed at how his baby has grown. Now, its four buildings combined offer a total of 2.6 million sq. ft. of exhibit space, making it the largest convention center in the United States. The facility plays host to dozens of events each year, attracting more than 3 million visitors and making an economic impact measured in the billions of dollars. This November 15 to 19, McCormick Place will host our industry’s largest-ever trade show, FABTECH International and AWS Welding Show, including METALFORM.
The combined tradeshows create a mega-event dubbed the largest of its kind in North America dedicated to showcasing metalforming, fabricating, stamping, welding and tube and pipe technology. More than 1000 exhibitors and 35,000 attendees are expected to have the McCormick Place’s North and South Halls buzzing with live demonstrations and product displays. Welding technology occupies most of the North Hall, while the South Hall plays host to stamping, fabricating and tube and pipe technology.
Also in the South Hall is the Solutions Showcase Theater, which will stage free expert-led presentations on a series of plant-management topics including these and other topics:
• Maintaining sales focus in a down economy;
• Smart strategies for preserving stakeholder relationships;
• Protecting a company from bankruptcy;
• What the wind energy market means for metal manufacturing;
• The growth of solar energy;
• The essentials of job-shop marketing; and • Social media 101.
Kick-Off the Day with Killer Keynotes
Monday and Tuesday mornings at the mega-show kick off with keynote presentations, also free for all attendees. On Monday, November 16, from 8 to 9 a.m., listen in on a panel discussion on Best Practices for Thriving in Tough Times.
A diverse panel from the metalforming, fabricating and welding industry will discuss workforce development, diversifying product lines and operations, obtaining financing/credit, and tax incentives. Moderator Jeff Knauf, president of Medalist Laserfab, Inc., will trigger the discussion amongst panelists Steve Hasty, president of A & E Custom Manufacturing; Chris Kuehl, founder of Armada Corporate Intelligence; William Citron, president of Mazak Optonics; Dick Kallage, president of KDC Associates; and Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT—The Association for Manufacturing Technology.
