Robots & Vision Show Makes a Triumphant Return to Chicago

'We've had terrific feedback on the show and conference,' said Donald A. Vincent, Executive Vice President of Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the trade group that co-sponsors the event along with the Automated Imaging Association (AIA).

'The conference sessions were jammed and received very good evaluations, the show floor had a steady stream of potential customers looking to buy robots and machine vision systems, and the convention center in Rosemont was an excellent facility,' Vincent said.

The International Robots & Vision Show was co-located with Sensors Expo (sponsored by Advanstar) and Finishing 2001 (sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers).  All three shows benefited from the crossover attendance between the shows.  The combined audience for the three events is expected to be more than 8,000 once final registration figures are in.

'The co-location was effective because it offered potential customers a chance to view a wider range of products that could benefit their companies.  With the economy slumping, having three shows together likely made it easier for attendees to cost-justify their trips,' Vincent noted.

'The Robots & Vision Show was fabulous,' said Roy Hill, Plant Engineer/Q.A.Manager,  Ralph McKay Industries Inc. Regina, SK., Canada.

'It has been the best show that I have attended. It was an extreme concentration of suppliers, equipment, integrators and know-how.  I'm confident that the companies that I have contacted will help us to become more competitive in the future by applying robots equipped with vision technology in our manufacturing processes.'

William Towsend, President and CEO, Barrett Technology said his lead count at the Robots & Vision Show broke every company record and that one contact had already led to a purchase order.  Flir Systems reported an order on Wednesday from a contact made on Tuesday at the show.  Chris Round of QC Industries took in over 500 leads and said that recent industrial automation shows his company exhibited at didn't even come close to the Robots & Vision Show in terms of the quality and volume of customers.

'The fact that we had people from industries such as consumer goods, beef processing, medical and pharmaceutical, and a host of other non-automotive industries in addition to the strong turnout from auto suppliers is a very good sign,' Vincent explained.  'Nearly half of the pre-registered attendees said they plan to buy robots or vision systems within the next six months, which should help the robotics and machine vision industries resume their growth soon.'

The International Robots & Vision Show, which is held every two years, will play host to the International Federation of Robotics' International Symposium on Robotics in 2003.  This conference brings together robotics leaders from more than 20 countries that participate in the IFR.  RIA and AIA are expected to announce the location for the 2003 event by late Summer - for full details, watch Machine Vision Online.