# Automate 2026: The Essential Guide to North America's Biggest Robotics Show | TradeShowIntel > Automate 2026 lands at McCormick Place in Chicago, June 22-25, bringing 50,000+ robotics and automation professionals under one roof. Here's your complete guide URL: https://tradeshowintel.com/blog/automate-2026-essential-guide-north-americas-biggest-robotics-show --- Trade Show # Automate 2026: The Essential Guide to North America's Biggest Robotics Show Jun 22-25, 2026 · Chicago, USA · 4 min read Automate 2026 lands at McCormick Place in Chicago, June 22-25, bringing 50,000+ robotics and automation professionals under one roof. Here's your complete guide. North America's largest robotics and automation event returns to McCormick Place in Chicago from June 22-25, 2026. [Automate 2026](https://automateshow.com), organized by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), pulls together the full breadth of industrial automation under one roof: AI, robotics, motion control, machine vision, and the industrial software that ties it all together. With over 50,000 attendees expected, this is the show where procurement decisions get made, integration partnerships get formed, and the next generation of factory-floor technology gets its first real audience. You can also explore the [Automate 2026 listing on TradeShowIntel](https://tradeshowintel.com/events/automate-2026) for additional event details and updates. ## Who Shows Up at Automate 2026: Engineers, Integrators, and the People Who Buy Automation The crowd at Automate is distinctly technical and commercial at the same time. Here's who you'll be sharing the floor with: - **Manufacturing engineers and automation engineers** evaluating specific technologies, from collaborative robots to vision-guided assembly systems, for active projects back at the plant. - **System integrators** who come specifically to scout new vendor relationships, compare motion control and sensor platforms, and source components for upcoming customer builds. - **Manufacturing executives and operations directors** benchmarking what competitors are deploying and making the case for capital investment in robotics or AI-driven process control. - **Researchers, educators, and students** engaging with the conference program and hands-on demos, many of them future buyers or future engineers in the industry. ## What's on the Show Floor at Automate 2026: AI, Robotics, Vision, and the Full Automation Stack The exhibition floor at Automate covers the complete automation technology stack. Expect a dense concentration of exhibitors across several converging verticals. **Robotics** is always the centerpiece: articulated arms, collaborative robots, mobile robots (AMRs and AGVs), and increasingly, humanoid platforms. The event features a dedicated Humanoid Robot Forum, which reflects just how fast that segment is moving from research demo to industrial deployment conversation. **Machine vision and vision systems** occupy a significant footprint, with suppliers showcasing 2D and 3D inspection systems, smart cameras, and vision-guided robotics solutions built for real production environments. **Motion control** hardware, from servo drives to linear actuators to precision controllers, runs through much of the floor, often integrated directly into live robot demonstrations. **AI and machine learning** applications are increasingly embedded into these demos rather than standing alone, which makes the show floor feel like a working integration lab as much as an exhibition. Sensors, industrial software, and applied engineering solutions round out the mix, making Automate one of the few events where you can trace a complete automation project, from perception to control to execution, in a single day of walking. ## Exhibitor Strategy for Automate 2026: Selling to Engineers Who Already Know the Technology The buyers at Automate are not generalists. Manufacturing engineers and system integrators come to this show having already done their research. A surface-level product pitch will not hold the room. If you're exhibiting **motion control or robotics hardware**, design your demo around a specific production problem rather than a general capability showcase. Integration engineers respond to cycle time data, payload specs in real working configurations, and failure mode transparency. A robot doing something impressive is less useful to them than a robot solving something specific. Avoid the common mistake of staffing your booth primarily with sales reps when your visitors will be engineers. **Having applications engineers on the floor** who can talk about installation, commissioning, and edge cases builds credibility fast. The sales conversation follows naturally once trust is established. With 50,000 attendees spread across four days, the volume of conversations can easily overwhelm manual note-taking. Use the **[Habsy App](https://habsy.ai/event-lead-capture?utm_source=tradeshowintel&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=automate-2026&utm_content=exhibitor_tip)** to capture intent signals on the spot: scan a badge, record a 10-second voice note about what the visitor is evaluating, tag their buying timeline, and move to the next conversation. By the end of day one, you'll have a structured lead list with context attached instead of a stack of cards and fading memory. ## Visitor Tips for Automate 2026: How to Work a 50,000-Person Automation Show The sheer scale of Automate can work against you if you arrive without a plan. The show floor covers multiple technology verticals that can blur together quickly. If you're a **system integrator** sourcing components for a specific project, group your floor time by technology category rather than walking sequentially. Vision systems, motion control, and robotics platforms each have their own cluster of exhibitors, and jumping between them wastes time. Identify your three or four must-evaluate categories before you arrive and work those zones deliberately. The educational conference at Automate is genuinely worth your time, and not just for general awareness. Sessions led by practitioners often surface deployment specifics, integration challenges, and real cost data that you won't hear in booth conversations. **Prioritize sessions tied to the specific automation domain** you're implementing or advising on, rather than keynotes alone. After a full day of conversations with exhibitors, your recall of who said what degrades fast. Before leaving the show floor each evening, use the **[Habsy App](https://habsy.ai/business-card-scanner?utm_source=tradeshowintel&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=automate-2026&utm_content=visitor_tip)** to scan the business cards you collected and attach a quick typed or voice note to each contact while the details are still fresh. It takes minutes and saves hours of guesswork during post-show follow-up. ## Why Automate 2026 Should Be on Your Calendar Automate 2026 is the event where the full automation industry convenes with serious buying intent. The combination of a massive exhibition floor, a strong technical conference, and a focused audience of engineers, integrators, and manufacturing decision-makers makes it the highest-density opportunity in North America for anyone working in robotics, AI, or industrial automation. Before you arrive, set up your contact capture workflow so you're not scrambling on the floor. The **[Habsy Platform](https://habsy.ai/habsy-platform?utm_source=tradeshowintel&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=automate-2026&utm_content=closing_cta)** lets exhibitor teams centralize every lead captured across the event, see which companies appeared multiple times, and track which conversations still need follow-up. Visit habsy.ai before June 22 and have your team ready to go from the first conversation. ## Frequently asked questions ### When and where is Automate 2026? Automate 2026 runs from June 22-25, 2026 at McCormick Place, located at 2301 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Chicago, Illinois. McCormick Place is North America's largest convention center and is accessible by public transit and multiple major highways. ### Who organizes Automate 2026? Automate 2026 is organized by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), an industry group that represents robotics, machine vision, motion control, and related automation technologies. A3 also organizes the educational conference that runs alongside the exhibition floor. ### How many attendees does Automate 2026 expect? Automate 2026 expects over 50,000 attendees across its four days. The audience includes manufacturing engineers, system integrators, procurement managers, executives, researchers, and students from across the automation industry. ### Is Automate 2026 a B2B event or is it open to the public? Automate 2026 is a B2B trade show, meaning it is primarily designed for industry professionals rather than general consumers. Attendees typically include engineers, manufacturing executives, system integrators, procurement managers, and industry consultants. ### Does Automate happen every year? Automate does not recur on a strict annual basis. The 2026 edition takes place June 22-25 in Chicago, and prospective attendees should check automateshow.com for information on future scheduling. ### What industries and technologies are covered at Automate 2026? Automate 2026 covers robotics, artificial intelligence, machine vision, motion control, industrial automation, sensors, software development, and machine learning. It is one of the few events where the entire automation technology stack, from perception systems to control hardware to execution robotics, is represented under one roof. ### What is the Humanoid Robot Forum at Automate 2026? The Humanoid Robot Forum is a dedicated feature at Automate 2026 focused on the emerging segment of humanoid robotic platforms and their path toward industrial deployment. It reflects the accelerating pace at which humanoid robotics is moving from research and development into real production environment conversations. ### How do I register for Automate 2026? Registration for Automate 2026 is handled through the official event website at automateshow.com. Prospective attendees and exhibitors should visit the site directly for badge types, pricing, and registration deadlines. ### What is the best way to capture leads at Automate 2026? With over 50,000 attendees across four days, manual note-taking quickly breaks down. [Habsy](https://habsy.ai/event-lead-capture?utm_source=tradeshowintel&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=automate-2026&utm_content=faq) lets exhibitor teams scan badges, attach voice or typed notes about each conversation, and tag buying timelines on the spot, so every lead comes out of the show with context attached rather than just a name and email. ### Is Automate 2026 worth attending for system integrators? Yes, Automate 2026 is a strong fit for system integrators, who represent a core segment of the attendee base. The show floor allows integrators to compare robotics, motion control, vision, and sensor platforms from hundreds of suppliers in one visit, and the conference sessions often include real deployment data and integration case studies that are harder to find elsewhere.