Promat Survival Guide: Everything You Need To Know About ProMat

The Promat Survival Guide makes attending a trade show like ProMat can be an excellent way for your team to learn more about the technologies, trends, and changes influencing the supply chain and distribution industry, while also giving you a valuable opportunity to scope out your competition and their vendors. They can also help you drum up business by connecting you with potential partners and customers.

But to get all of that value out of attending the show, you’re going to need to do a whole lot more than just show up. You need to come prepared with a plan of action, or else risk getting overwhelmed by all of your options.

If you’re attending (or thinking about attending) ProMat, planning ahead can take a lot of the confusion out of the equation and help you get the most value out of the conference possible.

What is ProMat 2025?

ProMat is often called the largest North American expo and trade show for professionals working in the supply chain, warehouse, and distribution industries. It is powered by MHI and happens every other year, in odd-numbered years. (MODEX, a related show, takes place in even-numbered years.)

ProMat is an in-person event that takes place at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois during the spring (typically late March or early April). It is the ideal setting for professionals in supply chain industries to remain competitive with logistics providers as they stay informed on new industry news, and trends while enhancing their brands.

Exposure through these events is also critical for companies within fulfillment industries because they will be able to meet and interact with prospective clients in need of solutions that will help optimize their operations and increase their business success.

Reasons to Attend ProMat

Thinking about attending? The Promat Survival Guide illustrates some of the reasons that attending could be worth it for your company:

1. Product Demonstrations: Attending ProMat will allow your company to see hands-on demonstrations of new and exciting technologies. Every exhibitor will have their key technologies in a demo area.
2. Experience: Attending ProMat is a great way to keep your team and your operation knowledgeable about new technologies and new developments in your industry, with over1,000 exhibitors.
3. Educational Sessions: In addition to helping you connect with potential partners and customers, ProMat also offers an excellent opportunity for attendees to learn from industry experts. With more than 150 educational seminars and four exciting keynote speeches from the best in the industry, you’ve got many great opportunities to listen to industry experts share ideas and solutions that you may be able to implement in your operations.
4. Find Partners Easily: Bringing together so many vendors, presenters, and attendees makes ProMat a powerhouse networking event. Leveraged correctly, this can help you maintain existing relationships or develop new business relationships with potential partners and customers.

How To Get The Most Out Of ProMat 2025

Once you’ve decided that your team is going to attend ProMat, it’s important that you come up with a clear plan of action far in advance of when the conference begins. Below are some of our tips for getting the most out of your ProMat experience.

A. Browse the list of exhibitors and make a list of your top priorities.

If you’ve never attended a trade show, conference, or expo with over 1,000 exhibitors, here’s a little secret: It can be exhausting, especially if you don’t have a plan. Trying to view all of the exhibits is a surefire way to lead to burnout, preventing you from getting real value out of the event. There’s just too much to try and absorb.

Instead of trying to visit all of the exhibits, you should make a list of the exhibits that you most want to visit—well in advance of the actual dates. This could include everyone from competitors you want to scope out to partners you want to maintain a relationship with to vendors you want to learn more about or even customers you’d like to introduce yourself to.

Still haven’t registered? Register for free, courtesy of Conveyco, by clicking the button below.

Browse the list of exhibitors, find those that have technologies or services that can help solve your operations and business challenges, and prioritize booking meetings and reviewing information from those exhibitors first. Once you have worked through your A-List, move on to your B-List, and so on, until you’ve seen all of the exhibits that could bring value to your operations.

Alternatively, if you have multiple people on your team logging in, you could divide and conquer by splitting it into sectors or quadrants. However you proceed, the important thing is to have a plan before the event begins.

Do you know the primary obstacle that’s holding back your operation from taking it to the next level? Maybe it’s a labor shortage, or a need to improve a specific metric. Maybe it’s a desire to design a new facility or upgrade an existing one. Maybe it is a reliance on old technologies. Whatever your main pain point is, you should prioritize visiting the booths of companies that can help you move beyond that primary obstacle and propel your business to success.

B. Identify Your Prime Networking Opportunities and Make Plans to Meet Up Using this ProMat Survival Guide.

One of the main reasons that teams attend ProMat is the networking opportunities that the event offers. From attending seminars and keynotes to putting in Facetime at educational sessions, exhibits and booths, ProMat can give you an incredible opportunity to meet face-to-face with clients, colleagues, or vendors.

But people’s schedules tend to fill up fast. If you’re attending ProMat with a goal of meeting a particular person or company, you’d be wise to reach out to them ahead of time to book time on their calendar. If you don’t, and simply try to catch them during the event, you might be disappointed to learn that their schedules are too packed to accommodate you.

C. Make Time in Your Schedule to Attend a Few Educational Sessions and Product Show Cases.

While networking typically takes priority at these kinds of trade shows, don’t forget that there are many educational opportunities at ProMat that you should make time to attend.

With more than 150 different educational seminars presented by industry experts, ProMat offers a lot of opportunity for your team to take away some real value from the show. The lessons you learn in these seminars and lectures could have serious implications for your operation, helping you to solve a problem or anticipate a challenge on the horizon.

As just one example, Conveyco’s Ed Romaine will be presenting a seminar about AMR Battle Bots Fight For Warehouse Supremacy on Tuesday, March 21 from 2:15pm .

Likewise, another session sponsored by MHI’s Solutions Community is “Latest & Greatest Technologies at Promat 2025 in 45 minutes.” This session will take place Monday, March 20, 2025 @ 2:00 to 2:45 in theater G. Don’t waste your time randomly walking the show, you will leave with the new technologies names and booth numbers to visit.

Additionally, keynote lectures by visionaries such as John Paxton of MHI, José Andrés of World Central Kitchen , and others will offer inspiration to keep you and your team dreaming big.

D. ProMat Survival Guide Helps You Download and Use the Promat App.

Promat provides a Free App for Apple IOS download and Android phone downloads which is sponsored by Conveyco Technologies. This app provides exhibitor and booth listings, handy map of the show floor, messaging on social media, education session listings and much more.

Have a Plan for ProMat 2025… The ProMat Survival Guide Helps You Survive and Thrive!

If you want to get the most out of your ProMat 2025 visit, it’s important to go in with a plan of attack. Following the tips above will help ensure that the conference is a valuable one for your team—one with the potential to impact your operations and your bottom line.