The History of IMTS

IMTS Through the Ages

Take a walk down memory lane, highlighting 91 years of IMTS historical facts.

• 1927
  The first National Machine Tool Builders' Exposition
• 1929
  The second National Machine Tool Builders' Exposition was held in Cleveland
• 1935
  The Machine Tool Show of 1935 was held in Cleveland September 11-21, after two postponed events
• 1947
  First post-war show held in Chicago
• 1955
  Machine tool gray was the order of the day
• 1960
  With the computer revolution in its early stages, numerical control was a hot topic
• 1965-70
  Marked the end of the so-called twin shows
• 1972-76
  Marked by a number of firsts!
• 1978-90
  McCormick Place facility was expanded to include Donnelley Hall
• 1992-98
  The 90s saw many changes in the ever-evolving IMTS
• 2000-02
  The new millennium ushered in many industry and world changes
• 2004
  Five-year decline in manufacturing reversed and recovery was underway
• 2006
  Attendance surged to 91,985 as the recovery continued to attract an educated visitor looking for the latest technology
• 2008
  Posting its strongest showing since 2000, covered 1,233,878 square feet of exhibit space with 1,803 companies exhibiting
• 2010
  Strong results at IMTS 2010 signaled a strong comeback in manufacturing
• 2012
  Results of IMTS 2012 prove the continuing leadership of manufacturing in the overall economy as Show Management reports the strongest result s in more than a decade.
• 2014
  IMTS 2014 was the fourth largest IMTS in history and the largest six-day show ever.
• 2016
  IMTS 2016 was the third largest show for registration and exhibit space, and also showcased the highest number of exhibitors in history.
• 2018
  Record Breaker — IMTS 2018 was the largest show ever.