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MHIA likely hopes a new name and venue change can re-energize its “off year” show, and perhaps eliminate the notion that it is an off-year event at all, an image the NA shows had clearly acquired. What Do You Say? Click Here to Send Us Your Comments Click Here to See Reader Feedback

The Material Handling Institute of America (MHIA), a trade association in support of materials handling systemand solution providers, announced this week a major change in its event strategy.

2010 will turn out to have been the last year for the “North American Material Handling & Logistics Show,” a bi-annual event that had seen dropping attendance in recent years.

In its place will be MODEX, the first event of which will be held Feb. 6-9, 2012 in Atlanta.

MHIA had for years sponsored two major events: ProMat in Chicago in odd numbered years, and the North American Material Handling & Logistics Show events in even years. The NA events were for many years held in Detroit, then moved to Cleveland’s IX Center for more than a decade.

Attendee and exhibitor support for NA shows was always weaker than the showcase ProMat events, but seemed to falter even more in recent years. The traffic at this year’s event appeared weak, though the still lingering recession was certainly a factor.

Still, MHIA likely hopes a new name and venue change can re-energize its “off year” show, and perhaps eliminate the notion that it is an off-year event at all, an image the NA shows had clearly acquired.

“We are pleased to announce that MHIA will produce this exciting new exposition which at its core will include a similar material handling and logistics profile as our very successful ProMat event,” said John Nofsinger, Chief Executive Officer for MHIA. "However, the MODEX event will additionally incorporate a broader array of technology, services and educational offerings that serve the overall supply chain.”

(Supply Chain Trends and Issues Article - Continued Below)

That implies MODEX will focus on a broader supply chain context, in a period where there really very few broad supply chain themed trade show events left.

One challenge for the industry is that it is very expensive for materials handling vendors to bring large equipment and system displays to a trade show, and many prefer to do so only every other year.

In Cleveland this year, for example, even most of the industry’s largest players had scaled back booths with very modest working equipment displays if any, versus the major equipment demos generally found at the ProMat events.

Whether that trend will change at the MODEX events remains to be seen, but clearly MHIA hopes to attract a broader group of solution provider and attendees with the newly themed show and location.

What do you think of MHIA’s event move to Atlanta? Do we need a new, more broad supply chain focused trade event? What will be the keys to its success? Let us know your thoughts at the Feedback button below.

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