When the 30th annual ProMat materials handling trade show is held March 23 to 26 at Chicago’s McCormick Place South convention Center, it will feature more than 800 exhibitors and is expected to set all-time attendance records. The event is presented by the materials handling trade group MHI.
In addition to the exhibit hall, ProMat 2015 also will be packed with special events, including breakout sessions featuring some of the leading voices in business today, four keynote speakers, a preview of MHI’s annual industry report, and a special appearance by a well-known comedian and impressionist.
Supply Chain Workforce Summit
Daniel Stanton, vice president of education and professional development at MHI, the trade show’s sponsor and organizer, said addressing workforce issues now will allow industries to make the necessary adjustments for future changes.
“Between now and 2018, there will be 1.4 million new jobs in logistics and supply chain,” Stanton said in a news release. “Meanwhile,there is amazing turnover and change in the jobs and careers within the existing workforce. That requires people with many new skills and abilities just to keep pace with the increasing complexity of supply chains.”
The summit will feature dozens of supply chain professionals participating in nine separate panels held over two days forcusing on how to find, train and retain the right workforce.
Keynote Speakers
The highlight of many trade shows is often the keynote speakers. ProMat 2015 will feature four:
- Rene Noemi, director of Google’s Android and Chrome divisions, will speak March 23 on “Transforming Your Manufacturing Business for the New Digital Age”
- John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market, will speak March 24 on “Conscious Capitalism: Blueprint for a New System for Doing Business”
- Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, will speak March 25 on “What’s Next: The Future of Technology”
- George W. Prest, CEO of MHI, and Scott Sopher, principal at Deloitte Consulting, on March 25 will give a preview of MHI’s 2015 Annual report, entitled “Transforming Supply Chains”
That Guy from ‘NFL Today’
Also on March 25, impressionist and comedian Frank Caliendo will entertain during a reception celebrating the 70th anniversary of MHI. Caliendo has been featured on FOX’s “Mad TV” and “NFL Today”. He is known for his impressions of former NFL coach and sports commentator John Madden, billionaire Donald Trump, former NBA star Charles Barkley and others.
This year’s ProMat trade show will focus future of the manufacturing and supply chain operations, Prest said in a special preview of the event.
“MHI has expanded the educational and networking offerings at ProMat 2015 to provide attendees with a better overall show experience and to connect them with the information and tools they need to tackle the challenges in today’s marketplace,” Prest said. “The goal is to bring the industry together to collaborate and develop into a community that shares knowledge and addresses current and future manufacturing and supply chain issues.”
Two Shows for One
Attendees also will be invited to visit a second trade show going on at the same time and place as ProMat. Automate 2015, which is sponsored by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) will showcase a full spectrum of automation technologies and solutions. It will be presented in the Grand Concourse hall in McCormick Place North, which is connected to the larger McCormick Place South exhibition space via a sky bridge over Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive.