industrial machinery · Chicago
ProMat 2027Exhibitor guide: booth costs, dates and deadlines in Chicago
ProMat 2027 booths in Chicago where the conveyor runs and the buyer stays
- Event dates
- April 19–21, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- April 19–21, 2027 (Mon–Wed 9 a.m.–5 p.m.)
- Venue
- McCormick Place, Chicago
4.9 client rating3,000+ exhibitors10,000+ booths builtSince 2015
Quick answers
ProMat 2027 in 30 seconds
The short version for exhibitors. Each ProMat figure is sourced further down the page.
- When is ProMat 2027?
- April 19–21, 2027, at McCormick Place, Chicago.
- When is the hall open at ProMat?
- April 19–21, 2027, Mon–Wed 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
- How big is ProMat?
- 52,223 attendees, 1,160 exhibitors (2025 edition).
- How much is a 10×20 booth at ProMat, all-in?
- $7,500 – $15,000 for a Purple rental at ProMat with design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. Space and show services are billed by ProMat.
- At ProMat, what is the next exhibitor deadline?
- Hanging-sign, peninsula, sign and double-deck drawings due to MHI: January 11, 2027.
Official ProMat 2027 links: ProMat 2027 floor planProMat 2027 hotelsProMat 2027 booth space
Everything about ProMat 2027 in one place
ProMat 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | ProMat 2027, the MHI manufacturing and supply chain show |
|---|---|
| Event dates | April 19–21, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | April 19–21, 2027 (Mon–Wed 9 a.m.–5 p.m.) source |
| Venue | McCormick Place 2301 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60616 |
| Organizer | MHI |
| Size (2025) | 52,223 attendees · 1,160 exhibitors source |
| Who attends | Warehouse, distribution and plant operations managers, supply chain executives, buyers of material handling systems, dealers and integrators |
| Next deadline | Hanging-sign, peninsula, sign and double-deck drawings due to MHI: January 11, 2027 source |
| Nearest airport | Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) or O'Hare International Airport (ORD) |
| Hotels | onPeak, the official ProMat Hotel Reservation Office, with complimentary shuttles between show hotels and McCormick Place Official hotel page → |
| Official website | promatshow.com |
Official ProMat resources
ProMat 2027 calendar
ProMat 2027 dates and deadlines
The dates the organizer has published, in order, each linked to the page that states it. The next date is highlighted.
01 Purple at ProMat 2027
ProMat 2027 booths in Chicago where the conveyor runs and the buyer stays
We design your ProMat booth around one working cycle, a tote in, a pick, a tote out, with a quiet table beside it for the layout talk. At McCormick Place we file MHI's January drawings, book your GES target day and keep freight on schedule.
- Apr 19–21, 2027 · McCormick
- 1,160 exhibitors in 2025
- Sign drawings due Jan 11
What makes ProMat different, and how we build for it
ProMat is MHI's manufacturing and supply chain show, held in odd years at McCormick Place under the 2027 theme Supply Chains.In Focus. It spreads across South Hall, North Hall and Lakeside Center, with more than 1,200 exhibits, 200 educational sessions and keynotes in Grand Ballroom S100, from the MHI Annual Industry Report panel to Mike Krzyzewski. The StartUp Pavilion, the MHI Innovation Awards and MHI Industry Night on Tuesday, April 20 pull buyers across all three floors. MHI says 55% of ProMat attendees go to no other trade show, so the conveyors, AMRs and racking in your booth are their whole comparison.
A demo they can follow from tote in to tote out in under two minutes, with throughput and footprint numbers posted where they can point to them.
Access to the guarding, controls and interfaces up close, plus a table off the demo path for layouts, load data and integration questions.
A clear reason to stop from the aisle, a private meeting space away from machine noise and a staff member who can talk total cost and lead time for a building of 500,000 square feet or more.
Your team in Chicago
Built in two shops, run by one project manager
We fabricate in our own Fishkill, NY shop and our Las Vegas hub, then ship to McCormick Place, where our own project manager leads the install with vetted local labor. A predictable 30–45-day turnaround, secure storage and a pre-show QA before ProMat.
The booth is lit and stocked when your team reaches McCormick Place. You just show up.
Inside ProMat 2027
Rules that shape your ProMat booth
Hanging signs are banned over booths under 600 square feet; the bottom must sit at 16 feet or higher, 5 feet from neighbors and 10 feet from the booth behind, with MHI approval by January 11, 2027. We size the booth and sign together.
A peninsula backwall may run no longer than the booth width less ten feet and no higher than 12 feet, and every peninsula layout goes to MHI by January 11, 2027. We center the wall and open both sides to the aisles.
Racks, shelving and similar products made by the exhibitor may extend to any height the ceiling and local ordinances permit, while other island structures stop at 35 feet. We build the booth's height from your own product.
Mobile robots and equipment may not roam the show floor or the building, demonstrations must stay inside the booth, and all equipment needs safety guards. We draw a closed AMR loop with a visible edge and a guarded demo zone.
Booths in Hall B2 at the back of North Hall sit under a 16-foot ceiling, may not hang signs or build double decks, and move in last and out first with no target changes. We design B2 booths low and ship them early.
Programs worth planning for
A dedicated ProMat floor area where MHI places early-stage supply chain technology companies, chosen through a separate application, next to the established exhibitors.
Awards for new manufacturing and supply chain products from ProMat exhibitors, announced at MHI Industry Night; the 2025 program drew 234 submissions.
Exhibitors can sponsor one or more of the more than 180 educational seminars MHI holds in theaters on the ProMat 2027 show floors.
Tuesday, April 20, 2027, 4:30 to 7 p.m. in Grand Ballroom S100, with comedian Charlie Berens; a natural slot for hosting customers after the floor closes.
ProMat is MHI's odd-year Chicago counterpart to MODEX, 1,160 exhibitors in 2025; pick it when your buyers run national or Midwest distribution and your system is ready to run in April 2027 rather than Atlanta in 2028. See how ProMat compares with every industrial machinery show we build for →
industrial machinery at ProMat
The industry behind ProMat, in pictures
02 Booths & pricing for ProMat 2027
Popular booth sizes at ProMat
ProMat floors are built around islands running conveyors, AMRs and full pick modules; MHI requires at least 400 square feet for an island and 600 for a hanging sign. Exhibitors here usually land between a 20×20 with one working cell and a 30×40 with a connected line and a private engineering room.
A picking arm, scanner tunnel or sorter module behind a low guard, with backwalls held to MHI's 8 feet, a demo table and two-person staffing.
Pictured: SunUs, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
A picking or sorting cell behind a low guard takes the center bay, with throughput numbers posted on one side and a layout table with representative loads on the other, outside the motion envelope.
Above: Han Song, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
An island of exactly 400 square feet: a running conveyor or AMR loop with a defined visitor edge and an open meeting table, but no hanging sign, which MHI allows from 600 square feet.
Shown: TM AI Corp, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
A connected line from induction to storage, racking that may rise as high as the hall allows, a hanging sign at 16 feet or higher and an enclosed engineering room.
Shown: Senzani, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's ProMat price
- Your design and 3D rendering, revised until it is right for ProMat
- Structure, graphics printed for ProMat, counters and storage as specified
- Lighting and power distribution inside your ProMat booth
- Installation and dismantle in Chicago, run by our project manager on the floor
- Every ProMat show-service order and deadline tracked for you
Billed by ProMat and its contractor
- Exhibit space (paid to MHI)
- Material handling (drayage) at McCormick Place, where the space rate does not include it
- Electrical, internet and rigging orders for ProMat
- Booth cleaning and whatever union labor the ProMat venue requires
Rates to plan with for ProMat:
- Drayage (Purple venue guide) About $210 per cwt, 200 lb minimum, Purple's 2026–27 McCormick Place planning figure source
We estimate each of these on your ProMat proposal, so the total is on paper before you sign.
Prices are all-in 2026 rental ranges for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle; custom builds are quoted per project. Run your ProMat numbers in the booth cost calculator and the 2026 booth cost guide.
Tell us your ProMat booth size and what the space has to do. We reply within one business day, then send a rendering and a fixed proposal, usually within a week. No charge.
At ProMat, your team walks into a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
Our booths, designed, built and installed, to compare for ProMat
Case study · KLEEMANN
KLEEMANN at an industrial technology exhibition
A global elevator manufacturer’s interactive booth: real product showcases, digital simulations and a floor plan that guided visitors from the first step to the last.
KLEEMANN brought heavy lift equipment to an industrial exhibition and needed buyers to watch it work, the same job a running conveyor or AMR fleet does on the ProMat floor.
Read the KLEEMANN case study All case studies →“Purple Exhibits made us look good. The booth was one of the nicest displays in our section of the convention center and generated a lot of positive comments from both customers and industry peers. Their attention to detail, professionalism, and willingness to go above and beyond made a huge difference.”
Kimberly Owens, Brand Manager, Owens Products · read more client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for material handling, warehouse automation and supply chain technology brands at ProMat
Four things we get right for ProMat exhibitors
1Build a short, repeatable cycle
Pick one cycle a visitor can follow start to finish, usually one transfer, pick or scan rather than the whole line. MHI requires demonstrations to stay inside the booth with safety features in place, so we draw the guard line first and give the reset a spot out of the visitor's way.
2Let your own racking set the height
At ProMat, racks and shelving made by the exhibitor may rise to any height the hall and local ordinances allow, while other structures stop at 35 feet. We use your own rack frames as the tallest element of the booth and hang the brand from them.
3Keep the AMRs on a leash
MHI rules keep mobile robots inside the booth; they may not roam the aisles or the building. We mark a floor loop with a visible edge, set the charging dock out of sight and give the fleet manager screen a spot where buyers can watch the routing.
4Plan the install around the target day
ProMat is a targeted move-in show: GES assigns the day your freight must arrive and charges off-target penalties. We document weights, floor interfaces and power needs, then sequence walls, overhead structure and furniture around the moment your machine lands on the floor.
Concept rendering
A rendering like this comes with every proposal
The 3D view shows layout, graphics, lighting and product positions before we cut a panel, and we revise it until the ProMat booth is right. Pictured: a Purple concept for Bonak.
Start my ProMat conceptFloor at a glance
Where you could be at ProMat 2027
ProMat 2027 uses three McCormick Place floors: South Hall, North Hall and Lakeside Center. Your booth number decides the dock, the ceiling you design to and whether your move-in day can change.
South Hall
The South Building has about 840,000 square feet across two levels; ProMat's keynotes and MHI Industry Night run in Grand Ballroom S100 in this building.
Our advice Booths near the ballroom see the morning keynote crowd at 8:30; we put the running demo on the aisle that faces the ballroom exit.
North Hall and Hall B2
North Building, about 700,000 square feet. Under MHI's 2027 rules Hall B2, at the back of North Hall, has a 16-foot ceiling, no hanging signs, no double decks and last-in, first-out move-in.
Our advice In B2 we design a booth whose tallest element is your own equipment and ship through the GES advance warehouse to protect the fixed target day.
Lakeside Center
The third ProMat floor: the former East Building, about 583,000 square feet, reopened in 1971 and home to the Arie Crown Theater, per Purple's McCormick Place guide.
Our advice Lakeside booths need their own freight label and a staffing plan for the walk; we address crates by building, hall and booth number.
05 McCormick Place · Chicago
Logistics for ProMat 2027, handled
Chicago labor rules changed in 2010: at McCormick Place your full-time employees may now put up a booth of any size using their own tools, while every crate still travels dock to booth with Teamsters. That handling is billed by weight with a 200-pound minimum, about $210 per hundredweight in Purple's 2026 and 2027 planning numbers, so we crate tightly and ship one consolidated load. GES runs ProMat's floor; its exhibitor manual, out about five months ahead, gives each booth a target move-in day, and LIFO booths cannot trade theirs. We file MHI's drawings and hold your target; on the floor, our project manager directs vetted local labor through the install.
ProMat exhibitors can find this building's hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines in our McCormick Place exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- Hanging-sign, peninsula and double-deck drawings filed with MHI by January 11
- GES orders and your target move-in day from the exhibitor manual
- Motion envelope, guarding and visitor-edge layout with your engineers
- Graphics matched to your equipment livery and safety markings
- Consolidated freight to the GES advance warehouse
- On-floor build, demo rehearsal and teardown run by our project manager
Your ProMat timeline, from move-in back
Hanging-sign, peninsula layout, sign and double-deck drawings due to MHI: January 11, 2027. Without MHI approval GES will not hang your sign and peninsula labor orders can be cancelled, so we need design sign-off by mid-December 2026.
We need your ProMat design signed off by mid-December 2026.
- Mid-December 2026Design sign-off for islands, peninsulas and anything with a hanging sign or second deck, so drawings are ready for MHI.
- January 11, 2027Hanging-sign, peninsula layout, sign and stamped double-deck drawings due to MHI Show Operations.
- February to mid-March 2027Production in our Fishkill, NY shop over 30 to 45 days; graphics proofed against your equipment colors and safety markings.
- Late March 2027Crates ship to the GES advance warehouse, labelled by hall and booth number.
- Your GES target day, April 2027Move-in on the target day from the exhibitor manual; our project manager installs around the equipment delivery and runs the demo rehearsal.
- April 19–21, 2027Three show days, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., then move-out on your assigned target day and freight home or to storage.
Purple's planning timeline for ProMat. Official move-in, freight target and order deadlines for ProMat come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule; we confirm them against your booth when you book.
Printable budget & deadline sheetTravel to ProMat 2027
Getting to ProMat 2027: airport, hotels and parking
Fly in
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) or O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Stay
onPeak, the official ProMat Hotel Reservation Office, with complimentary shuttles between show hotels and McCormick Place
Park
Lot A, a six-level garage with 2,100 spaces and 8-foot clearance, is the primary lot for North and South Building events
Travel facts from promatshow.com.
ProMat by the numbers
ProMat year by year
How ProMat 2027 compares with other industrial machinery shows
The industrial machinery shows closest to ProMat on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each show name opens our industrial machinery exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMPPAMPP (Association for Materials Protection and Performance) | April 11–15, 2027 | Columbus, OH | 6,345 registrants attendees · 350+ exhibitors (2026) |
| RAPID + TCTSME | April 12–15, 2027 | Detroit, MI | 10,000+ attendees · 470+ exhibitors (2026) |
| ReMA ShowRecycled Materials Association (ReMA) | April 12–15, 2027 | Nashville, TN | – |
| Design-2-Part Show, TexasDesign-2-Part Shows (D2P) | April 14–15, 2027 | Irving, TX | 90% of 2026 Irving attendees decide on outsourcing |
| ProMatMHI | April 19–21, 2027 | Chicago, IL | 52,223 attendees · 1,160 exhibitors (2025) |
| Metalcasting CongressAmerican Foundry Society (AFS) | April 20–22, 2027 | Cleveland, OH | 2,200+ attendees · 230 exhibits (2023) |
| TAPPIConTAPPI | April 24–28, 2027 | Indianapolis, IN | 100+ exhibitors (2026) |
| Powder ShowInforma Markets | April 27–29, 2027 | Rosemont, IL | 2,500+ attendees (2025) |
| WQA Convention & ExpoWater Quality Association | April 28–30, 2027 | Phoenix, AZ | 2,500+ attendees, WQA 2027 prospectus |
| AISTechAssociation for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) | May 3–5, 2027 | Nashville, TN | 9,711 attendees · 652 exhibitors (2026) |
ProMat exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before ProMat
How much does a booth at ProMat 2027 cost?
For a working conveyor or AMR demo, plan on a 20×20 island: $16,000 to $40,000 as a rental, $50,000 to $120,000 custom. A 20×30 with a meeting room runs $75,000 to $175,000 custom. MHI bills the space; at McCormick Place, freight weight is what moves the show-services side most, at about $210 per hundredweight in our planning figures.
What is the deadline for ProMat 2027 booth drawings?
January 11, 2027. By then MHI wants every hanging-sign request, every peninsula layout, all booth sign drawings and engineer-stamped plans for double-deck booths at showoperations@mhi.org. GES will not hang a sign without MHI approval. We need your design signed off in mid-December 2026 to file on time.
Can we rent a booth for ProMat, and what does a rental include?
A ProMat rental from us covers the frame, printed fabric, LED lights, demo counters and a locking storage cabinet, and our proposal prices shipping, setup and teardown alongside it at a fixed figure. Companies with heavy equipment often rent only the architecture around their own machines; a 10×20 rental runs $7,500 to $15,000.
Can our own staff set up our ProMat booth at McCormick Place?
Since the 2010 reforms, your own full-time people may build the booth at McCormick Place with their own tools, whatever its size. Freight from the dock to the booth remains Teamster work through GES, so we plan your target day so the machine arrives before the walls and your technicians commission it once the booth stands.
Can we run robots and AMRs in our ProMat booth?
You can, inside your own space. MHI's 2027 rules keep mobile robots and costumed performers within the booth, require safety guards on all equipment and make the exhibitor responsible for visitor safety during demonstrations. Drones need McCormick Place approval through MHI first. We plan the fence line and the robot loop before your engineers commit a layout.
What does drayage cost at ProMat and who pays it?
The exhibitor pays GES for material handling, billed by weight with a 200-pound minimum; our 2026 and 2027 planning figure for McCormick Place is about $210 per hundredweight. Freight that misses its target day draws an off-target penalty from GES, so we ship to the advance warehouse when your booth sits in a LIFO area.
Which hall will our ProMat booth be in?
That depends on the booth you picked at the Space Draw or bought since. ProMat 2027 fills South Hall, North Hall and Lakeside Center. If your number sits in B2 at the back of North Hall, MHI's rules mean a 16-foot ceiling, no hanging sign, no double deck and a fixed last-in, first-out schedule.
Can we reuse our ProMat booth at other shows?
ProMat runs in odd years and MODEX in even years, so one modular structure can serve both: Chicago in April 2027, Atlanta in April 2028. The same kit can also travel to Automate or PACK EXPO Southeast. Between dates we keep it in storage, refresh graphics for each audience and ship it to whichever show comes next.
Do you handle GES orders and the MHI forms for ProMat?
We do. We file the MHI drawings and sign requests, order electrical, rigging and material handling from GES, request a target date change through the manual's form when your schedule needs it, and keep you copied on every submission.
When is ProMat 2027?
ProMat 2027 runs Monday, April 19 to Wednesday, April 21, 2027 at McCormick Place in Chicago, with the show floors open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. MHI Industry Night is Tuesday, April 20, 4:30 to 7 p.m. in Grand Ballroom S100.
When is the exhibit hall open at ProMat 2027?
All three ProMat show floors open Monday, April 19 through Wednesday, April 21, 2027, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, per MHI. Booth staff may enter from 8 a.m. on show days and must leave at the evening close unless MHI grants written permission for extra time.
How many people attend ProMat?
MHI counted 52,223 registrations and 1,160 exhibitors at ProMat 2025, on 659,000 net square feet with attendees from 143 countries, the largest ProMat to that point. ProMat 2023 drew 50,924 registered attendees and 1,051 exhibitors, according to MHI.
Who organizes ProMat?
MHI, a trade association for material handling, logistics and supply chain companies with offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, owns and produces ProMat in Chicago and MODEX in Atlanta. Membership is not required to exhibit, but exhibitors must be eligible for it, and members get exhibit-rate discounts and better space selection position.
How do we get a booth at ProMat 2027?
The 2027 Space Draw was held in November 2025 and filled 94% of the floor, so remaining booths are sold through the MHI exhibitions team from the live floor plan. Space Draw order follows MHI's Loyalty Point Program, which rewards repeat exhibitors and members for future shows.
Before you sign for ProMat
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for ProMat:
- Will the proposal show every ProMat fee, including show contractor charges?
- Does your own shop build the booth, or do you subcontract it?
- Will your project manager be on the floor at McCormick Place for install and dismantle?
- What does the rental include, and what is billed by ProMat?
- What happens to the booth after ProMat, and what does storage cost?
Common situations
Already own a booth? Bring it: we refresh the graphics, repair what is worn, ship it, install it at ProMat and store it until the next show. You keep the structure you paid for and bring it to ProMat.
Exhibiting from outside the US? We are your team on the ground in Chicago: freight to the advance warehouse, show-service orders, installation and storage, with one project manager answering your emails in your time zone.
Short on time? A rental with your graphics can be ready for ProMat in two to three weeks. We say on the first call what is realistic for your show date.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your ProMat booth
What happens next
- Within one business day we write back to ask about your products, your goals for ProMat and your footprint.
- You get a concept rendering and a fixed proposal, usually within a week. Every last fee for ProMat, listed upfront and in full on paper.
- Production runs 30–45 days, then we ship to the advance warehouse and install before the ProMat hall opens.