Going to IMTS

Why IMTS is worth it for machinists

IMTS calls itself the largest manufacturing technology trade show in the Western Hemisphere. For a machinist, that means the machines, tooling, workholding, probing, CMMs, CAM software, and automation you read about are all under one roof, running, with the people who build them standing right there.

• See it cut before anyone buys it. Watch machines run side by side and compare them yourself instead of trusting a brochure.
• Bring your problem parts. Carry a print or a sample part (with your boss’s OK) and ask the tooling and workholding people how they’d run it.
• Learn from people who do it every day. The conferences and booth talks are a shortcut to things that take years to pick up on your own.
• Meet your people. Other machinists, programmers, and shop owners are walking the same aisles. Some of the best answers come from a conversation in line for coffee.
• Bring the next generation. The Smartforce Student Summit is built for students and teachers. For 2026, IMTS said students and educators could attend it free (Smartforce↗).

How to get your boss to say yes

Most shops don’t say no to IMTS because of the money. They say no because “I want to go to the show” sounds like a few days off. Turn it into a plan for the shop:

1. Pick one to three real problems the shop has right now: setup time, a tough material, scrap on one job, inspection backlog.
2. Find the booths and sessions that answer them, using the exhibitor directory and conference listings on imts.com.
3. Put the cost on one page: registration, travel, hotel, meals, and who covers your work while you’re gone.
4. Say what a win looks like, measured against where the shop is today.
5. Promise to share it. A one-page summary and a short talk at a shop meeting turns one person’s trip into the whole team’s training.

IMTS has its own Justify Your Trip↗ page and sample memo↗. Mine below is built from the machinist’s side of the bench. Use whichever fits your shop, or both.

Proposal template (copy it or download it)

Download the template (.txt)

Fill in the brackets. The sample email to your boss is at the bottom of the template.

IMTS ATTENDANCE PROPOSAL
From: [Your name], [Your job title]
To: [Supervisor / owner name]
Date: [Date]
Re: Request to attend IMTS 2028, Chicago, September 11-16, 2028
(Dates from imts.com/show/abouttheshow.cfm. Confirm on imts.com before you send.)

1. WHAT I'M ASKING FOR
I'd like approval to attend IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology
Show) in Chicago for [number] days, [day/date] to [day/date].

2. GOALS: THREE PROBLEMS I WANT TO SOLVE FOR THE SHOP
   1. [Example: cut setup time on our [machine] jobs]
   2. [Example: find a better way to hold / cut / inspect [part or material]]
   3. [Example: compare probing, automation, or software options for [job]]
I'll bring prints and sample parts (with your OK on what can leave the shop)
so vendors can talk about our real jobs.

3. SESSIONS AND BOOTHS I WILL TARGET
Booths (from the IMTS exhibitor directory / show planner):
   - [Company] - booth [#] - why: [reason]
   - [Company] - booth [#] - why: [reason]
   - [Company] - booth [#] - why: [reason]
Conference sessions or talks (from imts.com conference listings):
   - [Session title] - [day/time] - why: [reason]
   - [Session title] - [day/time] - why: [reason]
I'll build my route in the IMTS show planner and send it to you before I go.

4. ESTIMATED COST
   Registration ............ $[____]  (check imts.com/show/reg.cfm;
                                        early registration usually costs less)
   Travel (air/drive/train)  $[____]
   Hotel ([#] nights) ...... $[____]  (IMTS lists official hotels on
                                        imts.com/show/travel/)
   Meals ([#] days x $[__]) $[____]
   Local transport ......... $[____]
   Time away ([#] days) .... [who covers my work / which jobs move]
   TOTAL ................... $[____]
Ways I'll keep cost down: [early registration, sharing a room or ride,
booking early, flying in and out the same week, etc.]

5. EXPECTED RETURN
What a win looks like, measured against where we are today:
   - [Problem 1]: today [baseline, e.g. setup takes __ hrs]. Goal: [target].
   - [Problem 2]: today [baseline]. Goal: [target].
   - [Problem 3]: today [baseline]. Goal: [target].
Even one fix on a job we run often can pay for the trip. I'll come back
with quotes, contacts, and a short list of what's worth testing here.

6. HOW I'LL SHARE WHAT I LEARN
   - Within [1 week]: a one-page written summary for you and the team.
   - Within [2 weeks]: a [15-30] minute talk at a shop or team meeting,
     with photos, brochures, and vendor contacts.
   - Follow-up list: vendors to call, demos or test cuts to set up,
     quotes to request, and who owns each item.
   - Within [90 days]: a short update on what we tried and the result.

Thank you for considering this.
[Your name]
[Phone]


----------------------------------------------------------------------
SAMPLE EMAIL TO YOUR BOSS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Request to attend IMTS 2028 in Chicago

Hi [Name],

I'd like to attend IMTS, the International Manufacturing Technology Show,
in Chicago this September ([dates]). It's the biggest manufacturing
technology show in this half of the world: machines, tooling,
workholding, inspection, software, and automation, all in one place.

I want to go with a plan, not just walk the floor. I've picked three
problems I'd like to solve for us: [problem 1], [problem 2], and
[problem 3]. I've also listed the booths and sessions I'd target.

My estimate is about $[total] for registration, travel, hotel, and
meals. When I get back I'll write up a one-page summary and walk the
team through what I found at a shop meeting.

My one-page proposal is attached. Could we talk about it this week?

Thanks,
[Your name]

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Template from timmytaunton.com/imts/ . Free to use and edit.
Official IMTS info: https://www.imts.com/  |  Justify Your Trip page:
https://www.imts.com/show/justify.cfm
Not affiliated with IMTS or AMT. Check dates and prices on imts.com.

After the show

This is where the trip pays off or doesn’t. Within a week, hand in your one-page summary. Call the vendors you promised to call. Set up the test cut or demo. Then, a few months later, tell your boss what changed. Do that once and the next IMTS request is an easy yes.

I’m not affiliated with IMTS or AMT. Show dates, prices, and programs come from imts.com and can change, so check there first.

Before you go: Machinist Toolbox · How shops vet a used CNC. Shopping for used machines after the show? usedcnctools.com