FABTECH announces that its recently completed show in Chicago set records for numbers of attendees and exhibitors as well as for floor space.

Chicago, IL November 22, 2013

FABTECH, the largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event in North America, announced today that its recently completed show in Chicago set records for numbers of attendees and exhibitors as well as for floor space. A total of 40,667 attendees visited 1,573 exhibitors to see live equipment demonstrations, compare products side-by-side to find cost-saving solutions at product displays spread across 650,000 square feet of exhibits at McCormick Place. Attendees also benefited from the FABTECH educational conference held simultaneously with the four-day expo that included an unprecedented number of expert-led sessions on some of the hottest topics in manufacturing.

"While breaking our own records is impressive, most important were the reports we received from attendees and exhibitors," said John Catalano, FABTECH show co-manager. "Attendees were impressed with the record size and scope of the show and the number of new products and innovative technologies on display. Exhibitors were enthusiastic and report that sales activity was brisk and leads were plentiful."

FABTECH attendees and exhibitors in Chicago also raised more than $15,000 for the victims of the severe storms and tornados that devastated Washington, Illinois and other areas of the state on November 17th. The five FABTECH co-sponsors made a financial commitment to start the campaign with all funds collected going to the American Red Cross to help victims of the storms.

"We send our condolences to the residents of Illinois, our host state for FABTECH 2013, and we know that many are struggling to recover from the physical and economic damage caused by these storms that hit on a set-up day for the show," said Catalano. "Some of our exhibitors and attendees were directly impacted by this tragedy, and we wanted to show our support. We are continuing to collect donations http://www.crowdrise.com/fabtechexpocares and encourage the manufacturing community to contribute."

FABTECH 2013 in Chicago sets the tone for the upcoming year of international programming by the FABTECH Partners. FABTECH Canada, will take place March 18-20, 2014 at the Toronto Congress Centre. On April 10-12, the inaugural FABTECH India, co-located with the India Institute of Welding's Weld India Exhibition, will take place in New Delhi. On May 6-8, 2014, FABTECH Mexico will take place at the Centro Banamex in Mexico City.

The five FABTECH co-sponsors represent a wide variety of expertise and include: SME, the American Welding Society (AWS), the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA), the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), and the Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI). Together, these associations bring unmatched technical proficiency and industry insight to FABTECH.

FABTECH 2014 will be held on November 11-13, 2014 in Atlanta, GA.