MHI roars back to in-person trade shows with record Modex 2022

The manufacturing and supply chain community came together last week for a return to in-person trade shows with a record-setting MODEX event, according to show producer MHI. More than 37,047 visitors connected with over 857 exhibitors across 405,000 square feet of exhibit space at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center, according to show sponsor MHI.

This was the largest MODEX event to date for MHI, with 20% more visitors than the last pre-pandemic show - MODEX 2018. Additionally, the direct economic impact of this event to the Atlanta area is estimated to be $45 million.

“MODEX 2022 was a huge success and a dramatic return to in-person events for the supply chain industry,” said John Paxton, CEO, MHI. “After two years, exhibitors and attendees were excited to be there and energized by the opportunity to connect and get back to the business of discovering the latest supply chain technology and innovation in-person.”

“The excitement on the show floor and the educational events is a sign not only of the pent-up demand for the latest solutions and technology, but also the overall strength of this industry,” added Daniel McKinnon, EVP of Exhibitions at MHI. “Attendees representing the Fortune 500, the top 100 retailers and consumer goods firms brought large teams to MODEX to source the latest innovations and to learn leading trends impacting supply chains. They came to MODEX with plans in hand and budgets in place to make large deals on-site.”

The dominant trend at MODEX surrounded digital supply chain solutions including automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, augmented reality, the Internet of Things and data analytics.

“We’re seeing a revolutionary acceleration in the adoption of these technologies in manufacturing and supply chain operations,” said Paxton. “The solutions on display this year reflected this trend.”

The tech trend was also evident in MODEX Supply Chain Conference sessions which included 172 educational seminars and four keynotes. On March 28, Erika Alexander, Marriott’s Chief Global Operations Officer, spoke on Marriott’s efforts to anticipate tomorrow’s supply chain challenges as well as discussing the leadership needed to attract top talent. Dr. Sanjay Gupta discussed the impact of the pandemic and ways to mitigate future health-related disruptions by emphasizing the importance of risk planning and preparedness in his March 29 keynote.

During the March 30 keynote, MHI’s John Paxton and Deloitte’s Thomas Boykin released the findings of the 2022 MHI Annual Industry Report: Evolution to Revolution: Building the Supply Chains of Tomorrow during a panel discussion with four industry thought leaders. The report details the revolutionary adoption of supply chain technology that is predicted to make operations more responsive and agile amid ongoing disruptions. The report can be downloaded here.

The March 30 afternoon keynote featured Shaquille O’Neal who delighted the audience with tales of his storied basketball and business career. Overall, the MODEX educational conference session attendance was 13,524.

Industry Night with comedian Preacher Lawson was an exciting and entertaining evening. Five thousand dollars in proceeds from the event were donated to Atlanta’s Habitat for Humanity and $40,000 was donated to the Material Handling Education Foundation to fund scholarships and programs for students and educators in our industry.

During this event, MHI announced the winners of the 2022 MHI Innovation Awards during MODEX. The MHI Innovation Awards serve to educate and provide valuable insights on the latest manufacturing and supply chain innovative products and services. The awards had 121 submissions from MODEX 2022 exhibitors, and the winners were:

• Best New Product: Phantom Auto
• Best IT Innovation: Veryable, Inc.
• Best Innovation of an Existing Product: Ancra Systems BV

Student Day at MODEX introduced 305 high school and university students and educators from 33 schools to career opportunities in material handling, supply chain and logistics through hands-on learning and networking with industry professionals. This year’s Student Day combined an interactive educational session with a dynamic guided tour of the MODEX expo.

On-demand content from the event, including keynote sessions, educational sessions and video presentations will soon be available online at modexshow.com via MODEX Digital Entry.

The next MHI-sponsored trade event will be ProMat 2023 held March 20-23 in Chicago’s McCormick Place. For more information on exhibiting at ProMat, or to register as an attendee, visit promatshow.com. The next MODEX will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in 2024.