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OT-Tips for IMTS first timer

pmack

Cast Iron
Joined
Jan 16, 2015
Location
Vinemont, Al
I am heading to IMTS for the first time this year. Any tips from the regulars as far as things to see, areas to avoid, places to eat appreciated.
How do you decide how you spend your time at the show? Should I use the IMTS planner to schedule time with vendors, or wing it?
 
Be prepared to spend a fortune wherever it is you choose to eat. Wear comfortable shoes as you will be doing a great deal of walking. You can save yourself a bunch of hassle if you let the vendors you are interested in swipe your card. They will mail you any information instead of you having to pack catalogues and brochures around, although they may sell that information to others. It truly is sensory overload, so be prepared.
 
There are buses that run between the cheaper parking lots and the building. I don't recall having to pay for it last time.

Plan multiple days if you are interested in taking detailed looks at anything. Plan out what vendors you would like to visit,check the map to see where they are. Try to get to them as you can and then start letting yourself get distracted by other cool stuff.
 
You can save yourself a bunch of hassle if you let the vendors you are interested in swipe your card. They will mail you any information instead of you having to pack catalogues and brochures around, although they may sell that information to others.
As a preparatory function I always set up a phony name and address. Later on keep what you want and shitcan that "person". They are then free to send their irrelevant crap to a trashbox in the desert.

Sorry, they deserve it.
 
I don't remember the ap name, but there is a very good ap for your phone to get around Chicago. It tells you which bus to take, about how long to the next stop, etc. If you do ride the bus, it doesn't stop at McCormick place, but a couple of blocks west.
 
Google Maps did an excellent job of navigating the public transit when we were there this year for visiting, it wasn't that good at last IMTS I don't think.

Wear good shoes.
 
Congrats! Great time ahead! Come see me at the Yamazen booth in the South hall. I hope you plan on being there at least 2 or 3 days. There is so much to take in. For eats I always have to have Lou Malnati's deep dish sausage pizza. Vienna Beef Chicago dogs are good too.
 
It would do you well to do a little homework before you go. While others have made some very good suggestions (comfortable shoes are a must) I'd like to suggest another aspect. If you plan to explore the city beyond McCormick Place, lots to see and do, there are areas you need to be mindful of. Search for the most current crime area reports on the internet, the neighborhoods can change every couple of years. While many dangerous areas have been gentrified (Logan Square, Lake & Halsted, etc) and many are ok during the day (Chinatown, Lakefront) it's probably best to not be there after dark when the crowds leave. As a general rule if there's crowds there's less chance of trouble, although crowds also draw pickpockets so safeguard your valuables. I lived/worked/frequented many of these areas while living in Chicago for 20 years. The face of many neighborhoods may have changed in the 10 years I've been gone but the potential for trouble almost anywhere has not. If you know what a bad inner city neighborhood looks like then that should be your guide. Take a map with you that's been highlighted with potential trouble spots. McCormick Place should be safe enough, it's quite the exposition if you've never been to one. Do get some of the food at the restaurants away from the show if you get the chance. The buses, subways, and trains can get you around fairly easy if you get the free maps that are readily available. Enjoy the trip.
 
That's a relatively safe part of the city. You are near Soldier Field, so there's lots of parking, especially to the North. Most hotels run a shuttle and can give you a ride if you are nearby.

China town to the West, Greektown to the Northwest. Greektown is my favorite food in the city.

The actual show depends on what you want to do. I usually go on Saturday and just cruise through the whole thing in about 6 hours. That's enough for me.

If you are looking at specific machines or have a specific agenda, you can spend a lot of time. You could spend a whole day in the cutting tool section, at least a whole day in the machine section, and there's still the software, automation, fabrication, and specialty stuff like EDM, 3D printing, etc.
 
Im still on the fence- sitting at the registration page now....

If I just want to wander around, do I register as a visitor or am I required to register for the conference? There is a small price difference...

Also- are safety glasses required?
 
Im still on the fence- sitting at the registration page now....

If I just want to wander around, do I register as a visitor or am I required to register for the conference? There is a small price difference...

Also- are safety glasses required?

I'm going for the first time... We can grab some beers!
 
I am going this time too. 2 years ago I found a great room thru Airbnb. If you stay at a hotel expect to pay 2 to 4 times more then any other place. I paid around $80.00 for a room in a condo about a mile away. Was in a safe remodeled area and condo. The condo owner made dinner and had soda and snacks in the refrig. I parked on the street just down the block. I drove and parked inside McCormick. I think it was around $20.00 a day, but I figured the I could afford it staying where I did. Be prepared to pay $12.00 for a cold crappy hot dog and $8.00 for a beer on a card table inside McCormick, LOL something like that. Go buy some good shoes and wear compression knee high sox.

I will start the show at the DAPRA Booth North building level 3 - 236246. Biax decided not to have a booth of their own this year. I'm planning on going day 1 - 3. Also be careful at night, take a Taxi if you have to walk more then a few blocks. You will see PanHandlers all over and I don't look at them, because if you do they will hassle you for $$. I carry my wallet in my front pocket and have a fanny pack. Wear casual clothes. Many booths will have shopping bags they pass out to carry your "stuff" Many will have really cool hand outs. I register early otherwise you may get stuck in a long line. It is fun but exhausting. OH and if you play your cards right many of the BIG vendors have cocktail parties after the show. I go and drink coke :-). Food in Chicago is great. If you like the blues music you have to go to the Kingston Minds or Blue Chicago. Loud but fun.

Oh and as Bill said about your name tag...upgrade your job from Machinist to Management, Engineer or Purchasing or many salesmen will ignore you...lol
 
Congrats! Great time ahead! Come see me at the Yamazen booth in the South hall. I hope you plan on being there at least 2 or 3 days. There is so much to take in. For eats I always have to have Lou Malnati's deep dish sausage pizza. Vienna Beef Chicago dogs are good too.

Yamazen/Brother is definitely a booth I intend to spend some time in.
 
It would do you well to do a little homework before you go. While others have made some very good suggestions (comfortable shoes are a must) I'd like to suggest another aspect. If you plan to explore the city beyond McCormick Place, lots to see and do, there are areas you need to be mindful of. Search for the most current crime area reports on the internet, the neighborhoods can change every couple of years. While many dangerous areas have been gentrified (Logan Square, Lake & Halsted, etc) and many are ok during the day (Chinatown, Lakefront) it's probably best to not be there after dark when the crowds leave. As a general rule if there's crowds there's less chance of trouble, although crowds also draw pickpockets so safeguard your valuables. I lived/worked/frequented many of these areas while living in Chicago for 20 years. The face of many neighborhoods may have changed in the 10 years I've been gone but the potential for trouble almost anywhere has not. If you know what a bad inner city neighborhood looks like then that should be your guide. Take a map with you that's been highlighted with potential trouble spots. McCormick Place should be safe enough, it's quite the exposition if you've never been to one. Do get some of the food at the restaurants away from the show if you get the chance. The buses, subways, and trains can get you around fairly easy if you get the free maps that are readily available. Enjoy the trip.

I booked the new Marriot Marquis right at Mccormick Place, but I will definitely venture out at night to eat and drink good. The recent rash of shootings in Chicago has me a little on edge, but you can't live life wrapped in bubble wrap in a foam rubber room.
 
Oh and as Bill said about your name tag...upgrade your job from Machinist to Management, Engineer or Purchasing or many salesmen will ignore you...lol


Mine will say "President" or "Owner", I don't remember which I put when I registered. Maybe I will downgrade it or swap with one of my employees. I would rather know how a company treats someone when they don't think they have a lot to gain than have a fake butt kissing show.
 
I missed one whole hall last IMTS. They moved all the cleaning and finishing stuff downstairs in a hall they never used before.
 
I've not been for 2 or maybe 3 shows, but expect there to be 4 halls - north and south right across from each other, and then west which is across a skybridge, and a sort of lower-east down an escalator.

You care because vendors tend to cluster by function, and sometimes the booths away from the giant Hass/Mazak/DMG boths, often off in the other halls - will be the most interesting - because there will be vendors you've never heard of or at least don't know much about, and likewise products.
 








 
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