2021 SMI eXpo Postponed

2021 SMI eXpo Postponed Plans Underway for a Bigger and Better Event in 2023

SEPTEMBER 12–14, 2023 • LAS VEGAS

Due to challenges surrounding the evolving delta variant of the coronavirus, SMI president Bert Goering announced in a news release and email to members on August 17 that the 2021 SMI Metal Engineering eXpo™ would be postponed until 2023.

The 2023 eXpo event has been rescheduled for Sept. 12 - 14, and will held at the South Point Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

“This decision was made out of an abundance of concern for the health and safety of our members and associate members, and especially to those from our international community who are challenged by travel restrictions and quarantine requirements,” said Goering, who is the president of Precision Coil Spring in El Monte, California. “We are grateful to our exhibitors for their partnership in making our past shows a great success, and for their input and support as we made this difficult decision to postpone.”

Goering pointed out that a majority of exhibitors were challenged to bring many of their technicians from multiple international and domestic locations. In addition, many anchor exhibitors were experiencing global shipping and material shortages, making it difficult to source specific pieces and parts that are required to have operating machines on the show floor.

One of the key reasons for postponing the show was to support the ability of SMI’s associate members to maximize the exposure of their services and offerings across the U.S.

“Our associate members partnered with us from the start on the concept of the eXpo being held across the country, and they invested heavily to make these shows successful,” explained Goering. “As we listened to the concerns of our partners and digested the reality of the negative ROI for all of us, their feedback was clear to us that it was most prudent to pause the 2021 event and not blindly forge forward to hold a show where all signals were as red as a stop sign.”

Goering added, “While disappointed to postpone the 2021 event, we are excited for the opportunity to have more of the worldwide spring industry join us in 2023 for what we hope will be an even bigger and better event.”

eXpo Webinars

One of the outstanding benefits of attending the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo over the past six years has been the opportunity to take in a host of educational sessions. A total of 24 sessions were scheduled for the 2021 eXpo and divided into three tracks: 1) Business Trends and Best Practices 2) Manufacturing, Technology and Innovation 3) Materials and Testing SMI plans to present a series of webinars for members and non-members to access some of the great content that was planned for the 2021 eXpo.

The complete details on webinar topics and dates will be announced in the near future, along with complete registration information.

SMI plans to invite the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) TC 227 group to the U.S. in 2023 to host their meeting in conjunction with the eXpo. In the past, attendees from nine producing-member countries (China, Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand) have attended the ISO TC 227 meetings.

Giving Thanks

Planning for the 2021 eXpo was led by trade show committee co-chairs Daniel Pierre III, president of JN Machinery in East Dundee, Illinois, and Joe Devany of Betts Company in Fresno, California.

“I want to thank Daniel and Joe for helping us organize the 2021 eXpo, which was no easy task during a global pandemic,” said Goering. “It’s unfortunate that we had to postpone the event. Rest assured that the hard work they put forth, along with the members of the trade show and technical committees, will not go to waste. They helped us identify many great speakers and topics that will help us as we plan for the 2023 educational symposium.”

When the eXpo reconvenes in 2023 in Las Vegas, it will mark the fourth time the event will be held, after successful gatherings in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2015, Hartford, Connecticut in 2017 and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2019.

The SMI Metal Engineering eXpo is a three-day event and features an educational symposium for individuals and companies to share their knowledge and expertise on a variety of topics surrounding the design, engineering and production of springs, wireforms and stampings. The trade show portion of the event includes vendors displaying a vast array of machinery to produce these items, along with wire suppliers and exhibitors representing all facets of manufacturing.

Be sure to check the eXpo website for the latest updates on the 2023 show in Las Vegas at www.MetalEngineeringeXpo.org. n

Thanks to Our Sponsors

SMI thanks the following sponsors who provided generous support for the 2021 eXpo.

Visionary Sponsor:

Industrial Steel and Wire (ISW)

Platinum Sponsors:

Gibbs, Elgiloy

Gold Sponsor:

RK Trading Company