IMTS Booth Builder for custom exhibits and rentals
ET Expo builds custom trade show booths, island exhibits, booth rentals, graphics, LED walls and installation programs for IMTS exhibitors in Chicago.
We support exhibitors with concept design, 3D renderings, in-house fabrication, graphics, LED walls, freight, on-site installation, dismantle, storage and reuse.
Request a quoteIMTS is AMT's manufacturing technology show in Chicago, and booths there are often built around running machine tools - heavy, powered and producing chips and noise on the show floor. ET Expo designs and fabricates the booth structure in-house and ships and installs it around your machines.
Show facts
- IMTS 2028: September 11-16, 2028, Chicago (the organiser has not named the 2028 venue on the page we checked)
- 2026 show: September 14-19, 2026: over 90,000 attendees, 1.17 million sq ft of exhibit space and more than 1,700 exhibitors
- Booth height (2026 rules): 8 ft for 10 ft deep booths, 12 ft for 20 ft deep, 16 ft for 30 ft or deeper
- Sound (2026 rules): Non-machine sound capped at 85 dB; machine operating noise exempt; no live performances during show hours
- Organiser: AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology
Planning a booth for this show
- Weight drives the bill: at the 2026 show a mandatory Custom Block program priced material handling, carpet, cleaning and machinery rigging per square foot, with final invoices based on the weight each exhibitor brought in - so we keep the booth structure light and let the machines carry the weight.
- Drawings on deadline: for 2026, islands, peninsulas, booths over 1,600 sq ft or over 16 ft high needed Show Management approval by June 30; we plan design sign-off well ahead of that date.
- Chips and coolant: finished work and chips had to be cleared every day after closing, so cutting demos get a collection point and floor protection in the design.
- Wiring: machine and display wiring followed NFPA 79 and the Chicago Electrical Code, with covered floor runs and a ground wire - we route power in the booth floor plan.
- Hanging signs need GES and Show Management approval, so the sign design goes in with the booth drawings.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next IMTS?
September 11-16, 2028 in Chicago. The last show ran September 14-19, 2026.
How tall can a booth be?
Under the 2026 rules: 8 ft for a 10 ft deep booth, 12 ft for 20 ft deep and 16 ft for 30 ft or deeper. Taller or larger exhibits needed Show Management approval. Check the 2028 rules when they are published.
Can our machines run during show hours?
Yes. The 2026 rules capped other sound at 85 decibels but exempted machine operating noise; chips had to be removed each day after closing.
Have you built for this show before?
Not yet - no ET Expo IMTS case is published. For 2028 we would design around running machine tools, chip collection and wiring, and check the new rules when AMT publishes them.