IMTS 2026

2026 IMTS Technology Luncheon

NTMA members (machine-shop owners/operators) and NTMA's own vendor/supplier ("National Associate") members — a trade-association-run showcase luncheon, membership-oriented rather than open to the general public, but a genuine recurring IMTS-week institution distinct from AMT's own program.

DMG MORI Chicago Innovation Days 2026

Machine-tool buyers, plant engineers, and systems integrators get a reason to extend their Chicago trip to DMG MORI's own facility -- the company also runs a springtime 'Technology Days' at the same site, so this is a real, recurring DMG MORI institution, not a one-off.

Get Your IMTS 2026 Game Plan, Free

For IMTS 2026 exhibitors and floor-walkers who want a working pipeline plan going in, not just badge scans and business cards.

IMTS 2026 – Deep Dish Pizza, Drinks & Networking (Harmoni Solutions)

For manufacturing IT/software and plant-ops buyers who want an informal, food-forward break on the floor rather than another fly-by booth pitch — registration is required and space is limited, so it skews toward people who plan their day rather than walk-ins.

Italian Night @ IMTS

For manufacturers, buyers, and suppliers interested in Italian machinery and technology — an Italian Trade Agency / UCIMU hospitality tradition that has run at past IMTS cycles (2012, 2024, now confirmed 2026); open registration via Google Form, not gated to Italian nationals.

Fatpour Tap Works – McCormick

Independent guides flag it as essentially 'a permanent corporate happy hour venue' -- the default, low-effort, order-a-pitcher spot exhibitor booth teams gravitate to after a show day.

Guinness Open Gate Brewery

A working production brewery people can tour is a built-in conversation piece for process/plant-ops engineers in a way a standard bar isn't, and it's directly recommended on IMTS's own official Chicago visitor guide.

Miller's Pub

Independent reviews use the word 'conventioneers' by name to describe its regular clientele alongside businessmen and politicians -- the textbook late-night landing spot for out-of-town business travelers staying downtown.

VU Rooftop

One of the only rooftop-bar options within walking distance of the show floor -- named by every South Loop convention guide checked as the place to decompress with a drink and a view without leaving the district.

Momentum Coffee – South Loop

A reviewer wrote it's 'on my list for every conference at Chicago Convention Center' -- direct, unprompted repeat-visitor testimony from the exact crowd this guide targets.

Apolonia

Independent reviews specifically describe its clientele as including conference attendees from McCormick Place alongside hotel guests -- it sits inside the Hiltons at McCormick Place hotel complex where much of the show's out-of-town crowd actually stays.

Chicago Oyster House (Prime Seafood & Steaks)

Marketed and reviewed as the default 'upgraded client dinner' near the show -- exhibitor sales teams entertaining a prospect or plant-manager guest use it instead of trekking downtown.

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse

A reviewer specifically described attending an annual convention and making a point of visiting Gibsons each stay -- a known ritual stop for out-of-town conference travelers with an expense account, matching the exhibitor-sales-team profile.

Il Culaccino

Sits inside McCormick Square, the mixed-use block built to give the convention district a walkable dining option, and IMTS's own official Chicago visitor guide names it directly as a recommended nearby restaurant.

Manny's Cafeteria & Delicatessen

IMTS's own official Chicago visitor guide lists Manny's by name under 'Quick Bites' for show attendees -- the rare case of the show organizer itself pointing attendees to a specific off-site restaurant, on top of its decades-long reputation as a business/power-lunch institution.

Moody Tongue Brewing Company

A working production brewery with a tasting-room/bar area lands differently with plant-ops and process engineers than a standard bar, and it's grouped with the other McCormick-Place-adjacent client-entertainment venues in independent South Loop dining guides.

Shaw's Crab House & Oyster Bar

Named directly on IMTS's own official Chicago visitor guide under 'Seafood,' and its private-dining program is explicitly built for corporate/convention groups of 10-250 -- exactly the exhibitor-team or client dinner that fills up during a McCormick Place trade-show week.