Every year kicks off with NRF at the Javitz Center in NYC. While not specifically a supply chain show, many supply chain vendors exhibit, especially WMS companies.

Robotic automation vendors with a focus on ecommerce like Locus and RightHand exhibit as well.  I recommend this event for retailers.

A lot of the content goes way beyond supply chain, like store systems, credit authorization, etc. NRF goes to great lengths to qualify attendees or they charge you a fortune to attend. It is also plenty expensive to visit NYC, even in January. 

I’m a huge fan of Manifest, the biggest challenger to MHI’s Modex/Promat juggernaut.

To be clear, Manifest draws only about 10% of the attendance of Modex. While 2024 will only be the third year of this new event, I personally like the focus. As you can imagine by the event’s name it is centered around outbound logistics including last mile delivery.

There are a few notable things that set Manifest apart:

1. There is a focus on startups and a venture capital track for new venture funding,
2. Over the road trucking autonomy is represented with a whole row of autonomous tractors in the back of the show floor,
3. The lower cost to exhibit encourages newer entrants in our industry.

On the downside, I have found the educational sessions at Manifest to mostly be shameless advertisements for the sponsoring exhibitors.

Modex (and Promat) is the granddaddy of US supply chain shows, attracting more than 1000 exhibitors and more than 35,000 attendees.

Only Logimat in Germany compares in terms of size and focus. Exhibitors include all manner of material handling equipment providers, powered and manual vehicles, robotics, packaging, consultants, integrators and supply chain software providers.

Essentially the same event, Modex is held every even year in Atlanta and Promat is held every odd year in Chicago. Robot Advisors’ daily on-the-floor videos can give you an excellent sense of Modex’s sister show ProMat in Chicago in 2023.

Logimat takes place in Stuttgart, Germany every year and it is the largest supply chain and warehouse automation show in Europe, with over 30,000 attendees and about a million sq feet of exhibit space.

Fire regulations in Europe restrict trade show exhibit building size (and warehouse size!), and the result is the Stuttgart exhibit space (Stuttgart Messe) is broken into 10 halls, with solution types designated to certain halls, making navigation very easy. For example, in 2023, Hall 6 was the software hall. Logimat is very conveniently located at the Stuttgart airport and on its own train station, but a little away (about 30 mins) from downtown Stuttgart.

Robot Advisors’ daily on-the-floor videos can give you an excellent sense of this event in 2023.

ICRA is a global conference on robotics focused on teaching and advancing the science of robots, put on by IEEE. For 2024 the conference will be in Yokohama, Japan. Expect papers and presentations on the state of the art.  Of note, ICRA 2025 will come back to the USA and be held in Atlanta in May of 2025.

IWLA, the International Warehouse Logistics Association is the organization for third party logistics providers and their conference understandably focuses on the needs of contract logistics. This is a specialized show, and has a loyal following, especially among small and mid-sized 3PLs.

Boston is a hub for supply chain robotics companies, and the Robotics Summit and Expo has been held in Bean Town, MA for several years.

The exhibit floor is relatively small and the exhibitors lean toward providers of technology to Robot Manufacturers. The event is similar to Manifest in that you can find plenty of early stage ventures and ideas percolating. Co-located with the MassRobotics Form & Function Robotics Challenge for universities, DeviceTalks for the medical industry, and a Mass Robotics career fair, there will be a lot going on in Boston the first days of May. 

Held this year in Orlando, FL, the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium and expo. This conference is intended for executives and draws heavily from Gartner’s client base. While there are some exhibits, this is more of a conference than an exhibition. It is also quite expensive to attend, especially if you are not a Gartner client.

Automate 2024 will be in Chicago, IL,  May 6-9.  Automate is a large (30,000 attendees) show focused on all things automation. There is a strong technical focus, but also business and application use cases revealed. Technical areas include motion control and vision. The show is not exclusive to supply chain but includes manufacturing applications as well.

WERC, the Warehouse Education and Research Council is now part of MHI, but has kept their independence and their annual conference. 

WERC is a conference for practitioners, meaning folks who operate warehouses, and much of the focus includes the human side of operations and operational change. On the last day of the conference, attendees have the opportunity to attend one of five local facilities tours.

RoboBusiness, a boutique conference and exhibit show, will be held in Santa Clara, CA on October 16-17. The event has a focus for people who are creating the next generation of robots. 2023 saw 70 exhibitors, mostly in 10×10 foot booths with a focus on providing components and solutions to robot creators.

My favorite part of RoboBusiness is the PitchFire session where e robotics startup companies deliver five minute pitches to compete for a cash prize and invaluable feedback from industry investors.

Pack Expo will be held in Chicago from November 3rd to 6th. As the name suggests, this show is about packing things.

This could mean palletizing cases, filling bottles, or putting items into cases. The show is large, with nearly a million square feet of exhibits, 45,000 attendees and 2,500 exhibiting companies. The majority are not robot companies, but many robot companies to exhibit especially if their solutions can be used in packing. 

Robot Advisors attended Pack Expo 2023 in Las Vegas and you can view the daily video recaps here: https://robotadvisorygroup.com/pack-expo/

Logistics and Automation  is the premier logistics event in Spain. In 2024 it will be held on November 26th and 27th. The event is co-located with EmPack Madrid and in 2023 it drew over 10,600 visitors.

Robot Advisors attended Logistics and Automation 2023 and you can view the video and you can view the video recap here: https://robotadvisorygroup.com/madrid-logistics-show/