CHICAGO-The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) 2008 has posted its strongest showing since 2000. Total registration for the 6-day event, which ran from September 8 to 13 at McCormick Place in Chicago, was 92,450. IMTS covered 1,233,878 square feet of exhibit space with 1,803 companies exhibiting.

“We are ecstatic that IMTS 2008 not only achieved, but exceeded expectations and objectives,” says IMTS Vice President of Exhibitions Peter Eelman. “The feedback from exhibitors and the purchasing activities of attendees proves that manufacturing is not only healthy, but thriving. Manufacturers coming to the show from around the world clearly understand that investing in the latest technology is key to being competitive.”

Delcam North America President Glenn McMinn says that the event had generated more enquiries, from a higher-quality audience, than any previous show in the series of biannual events. “We gathered more leads and more sales than we have ever achieved at a North American event,” says McMinn. “This was definitely our best IMTS ever.”

McMinn admitted that he was surprised at the number of people flooding onto the Delcam booth. “We included 12 demonstration stations at our booth, which I thought would be more than enough,” he says. “After the first day, we set up two more engineers using laptops on our meeting tables and still had people lining up for demonstrations.”

“From large manufacturing companies to small job shops, the economic climate in manufacturing is strong and IMTS 2008 was another step up in technology and professionalism,” says Brian Papke, president of Mazak USA. “Our booth traffic was high. Customers came with very specific objectives and were looking for solutions to make them more productive.”

For almost 50 years, Columbus, Indiana-based Boyer Machine & Tool has relied on IMTS to provide its best and most profitable equipment ideas. IMTS 2008 was no exception. “We always purchase at the show and after the show,” says Boyer Machine & Tool President Bill Boyer. “Based on what we saw during our visit, we will be continuing this trend.”

“Overall, IMTS 2008 was a very productive show for both visitors and exhibitors,” says Eelman. “The continued increase in attendance over 2006 clearly shows visitors understand the key to the future is productivity and innovation. With the show two days shorter, it was especially exciting to surpass the registration total from 2006.”

IMTS 2010 will run September 13 to 18, 2010, on the six-day schedule, which was new for 2008. “An enormous amount of strategic thinking, talent and energy went into making IMTS a major success,” says Eelman. “The six-day show was met with resounding results and we are charting the path to even greater excellence in serving the industry for the years ahead.” For more information, visitwww.imts.com.