If you missed Automate 2024, you missed a cobot playing ping pong. And a 40% jump in attendance. And about 42,000 people rethinking their strategies for scaling automation. In 2025, it’s going even harder — in a new city (from Automate Chicago to Detroit), with even more tech that’s already on the floor in real factories.

This article gives you the no-fluff game plan — what’s coming, why it matters, and how to not waste your trip.

We’ll cover:

• What is the Automate Show?
• Where and when? Event details
• Why attend Automate and what you’ll see at the show
• Industries represented at Automate
• How to prepare for the Automate 2025 conference
• Virtual options + recaps

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What is the Automate show?

It’s the Super Bowl of robotics conferences — minus the halftime show, plus about 800 cobots that don’t blink. Automate 2024 pulled in over 42,000 attendees to Chicago, making it the biggest year yet for this machine-driven monster of a meetup.

Here’s what makes this show way more than a robot convention:

• It’s run by automation’s biggest hype squad: A3 (aka the Association for Advancing Automation) organizes the show — and they don’t mess around. It’s packed with decision-makers, engineers, integrators, and startups, not just curiosity tourists.
  
  
• It’s a hands-on flex, not a PowerPoint parade: The floor is lined with real machines doing real work — cobots stacking, AI vision systems scanning, and CNC arms slinging metal like it’s nothing. Bring gloves.
  
  
• 2024 hit hard — and 2025’s going bigger: Last year’s event was record-breaking, with over 800 exhibitors (a 13% increase from 2023) and 320,000 square feet of automation madness. (Our guide to robotics trade shows has more info about these types of events.)
  
  
• It’s where factories find their glow-up gear: Automate is where manufacturers go when they’re ready to stop window-shopping and start automating — especially those looking to skip the setups that require you to be smarter than average.
  
  
• It’s not a future-of-automation pitch — it’s the now: Most booths aren’t demoing ideas. They’re demoing stuff that’s already on a factory floor somewhere. If your competition was at Automate 2024, they probably left with a PO and a production upgrade.

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Where & when: From Automate Chicago to Detroit in 2025

2025 is taking it to Motor City: Automate’s next stop is Huntington Place in Detroit, running May 12–15. It’s a smart fit — Detroit’s got deep roots in robotics, and the venue’s massive. 

Automate 2024 took over McCormick Place in Chicago last May — and it wasn’t subtle. Picture 320,000 square feet of robots doing robot things, with thousands of people trying to figure out if they could afford one. In 2025, the show packs up and heads to Detroit, giving a new city the automation takeover treatment.

Here’s what you need to know if you're making the trip:

• 2024 was a Chicago-sized flex: From May 6–9, the show filled McCormick Place with cobots, CNC demos, and an army of badged-up execs. (Check out our guide for more info on automation conferences.)
  
  
• Spring 2025 = prime automation time: Automate always lands in Q2, making it perfect for mid-year strategy pivots, budget refreshes, or “we need a robot by July” energy.
  
  
• The vibe is serious business, not cosplay: There’s no dress code, but this isn’t Comic-Con. You’ll see engineers, C-suite folks, VCs, and startup founders all walking the same floor — usually toward the booth giving out cold brew. It’s going to be more cardigans than khakis.
  
  
• Dates can shift — so don’t wing it: Always double-check the official site before booking flights, especially if you're trying to time your visit around specific sessions or speakers.

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Why attend the Automate conference?

If you're building anything that moves, sorts, grabs, or assembles — and you haven’t been to Automate 2024 or booked for Automate 2025 — you're missing the VIP pass. The Automate trade show is one of the most notable places for automation to get put into action. 

Here’s who should definitely be showing up:

1. Manufacturers tired of nursing bottlenecks: You’ll see machines that can load, weld, package, and palletize — and make you wonder why you still have Steve, Mark, and Tom doing all of that. Think of their carpal tunnel, man.
   
   
2. Engineers who want answers, not sales decks: It’s full of real tech, real demos, and hands-on time with automation gear you’d normally only see on YouTube.
   
   
3. Startups looking for co-founders or funding: There’s serious VC energy here — and startup showcases that are actually watched. You won’t be pitching into the void.
   
   
4. Integrators trying to stay ahead of the next spec request: Want to know which cobots your clients will be asking for next quarter? They’re probably at booth #4219 already talking about how to introduce robotic assembly.
   
   
5. Students who don’t want to end up “AI-adjacent”: If you’re in robotics, controls, or manufacturing tech, this show will probably influence what you build five years from now.

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What you’ll see at the show

Automate 2024 pulled in record numbers — and Automate 2025 is bringing even more machines that move, scan, weld, and stare you down like they’ve already read your resume. 

Here’s what’s guaranteed to hijack your attention span:

• Cobots doing CrossFit-level work: These collaborative arms aren’t posing for brochures — they’re stacking pallets, welding joints, and solving labor shortages in real time, with full-on demos built to show off actual production readiness.
  
  
• CNC workflows now run smoother than your ops team: Automate is where CNC cells and robotic arms tag-team live manufacturing flows, proving that robotic tending isn’t a concept — it’s baked into how the industry scales now.
  
  
• Vision systems with main-character energy: The latest AI-powered inspection tools spot defects, misalignments, or packaging errors before your human QA even blinks — and they do it while logging every micro-adjustment.
  
  
• Real lived-in demos — you’re actually there: You’ll get hands-on with bin picking, guided motion systems, and robotic lines running at full speed, all part of the Automate LIVE show floor experience.
  
  
• Conference tracks that don’t waste your badge: 2025’s speaker lineup covers real deployment playbooks — not vague strategy slides. Think manufacturing leaders, engineers, and yes, probably another surprise like 2024’s Billy Beane keynote.

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Industries represented at Automate 2024

If you walked the floor at Automate 2024, you saw a weirdly beautiful mix of sectors — aerospace engineers geeking out next to food packaging execs, all huddled around the same CNC cell. That’s what makes this more than a robot convention — it’s a cross-industry automation reality check.

Here’s who shows up (and shows off):

1. Automotive crews upgrading from “robot arms” to robot squads: From Ford to Rivian, big-name manufacturers don’t just attend — they demo. Expect multistep automation, real-time AI inspections, and the gear already being tested on major OEM lines.
   
   
2. Aerospace teams testing for launch conditions: With tolerances tighter than your schedule, aerospace reps show up to stress test AI vision, multi-axis motion, and precision robotics they can’t afford to guess on. Their booths aren’t your run-of-the-mill exhibit stands — they’re mini clean rooms. Expect motion control, vision calibration, and robots that work like they’re afraid of gravity.
   
   
3. Food & beverage ops looking to ditch manual sorting: You’ll find conveyor vision systems spotting bad barcodes, robotic bagging systems, and automated palletizers doing what a team of humans did last year — only faster and with fewer lunch breaks. The food game at Automate is a lot less sticky than it used to be.
   
   
4. Electronics manufacturers keeping it micro: Expect a lot of high-speed, precision pick-and-place bots, tiny part handling, and inspection systems that can detect a scratch on a circuit board you can’t even see. We’re talking real automation, not wishful soldering.
   
   
5. Packaging firms tired of cardboard chaos and tape guns: Automate’s got robotic tapers, box builders, and pallet wrappers spinning like Beyblades — and yes, some of them do edge case testing in real time.

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How to prepare for the 2025 Automate conference

Automate 2024 was already a sensory overload — and if you’re planning to survive Detroit in 2025, you’ll want a strategy. This is four days of high-stakes demos, info-dense sessions, and a lot of walking between halls full of flashing machines.

Here’s how to show up like you’ve done this before:

• Register early or get stuck with 3 p.m. hotel check-ins: Attendance is free, but conference sessions aren’t — and rooms near Huntington Place disappear fast. 
  
  Pro tip: Skip the “I’ll book later” mindset (see our automation conferences guide for more tips).

• Plan your booth routes like it’s a heist: The floor is massive, and wandering without a schedule means you’ll miss the good stuff and end up at a plastic conveyor booth by accident.
  
  
• Schedule your demos, don’t just “swing by”: The best exhibitors book up their live sessions fast. If you want a real walkthrough, request a slot early or risk watching from behind four other nerds.
  
  
• Detroit travel tip — don’t overthink it: Huntington Place is downtown, and the show partners with hotels across the city (via onPeak). Book early and you’ll avoid the Uber surge apocalypse. Also, yes, safety is a thing you’ll want to look out for. Don’t stray off the beaten path.
  
  
• Pack for business, dress for movement: There’s no dress code, but you’ll be on your feet all day. Leave the stiff shoes and blazers — bring layers, a backpack, and maybe a power bank or two.

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Virtual options + recaps

Can’t make it to the Automate trade show in Detroit? Don’t stress — Automate’s digital game has leveled up since Automate 2024, and you can still catch the robots without being crushed in a hallway crowd.

Here’s how to tune in without flying out:

• Watch the bots from your couch with Automate LIVE: It’s a full-on broadcast experience — interviews, product demos, tech drops — all streamed from the floor like it's ESPN for CNC.
  
  
• Miss a session? It’s probably on-demand: A lot of keynotes, panels, and breakout talks are recorded and posted after the show. You’ll get insights without the foot cramps.
  
  
• Follow the updates on social: The #Automate2025 tag is usually flooded with live reactions, demo clips, booth shoutouts, and a few “I found the best coffee” posts from conference diehards.
  
  
• Use recaps to skip the fluff: Automate posts official summaries, speaker highlights, and trend breakdowns — so if you can’t be there, you can at least sound like you were.

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FAQs

1. Who runs Automate?

That’s A3 — the Association for Advancing Automation. They’ve been doing this longer than most startups have existed, and yes, they’re legit.

2. Who should attend Automate?

Anyone building, buying, or obsessing over automation. That includes manufacturers, integrators, engineers, students, VCs, and curious nerds with a badge.

3. What types of companies exhibit at Automate?

You’ll see giants like FANUC and ABB, but also cobot startups like Standard Bots, AI vision labs, and everyone in between. If their tech moves, scans, sorts, or inspects — they’re probably on the floor.

4. Can I attend Automate virtually?

Yep. Automate LIVE streams sessions, demos, and interviews all show long. You can stay home in your hoodie and still catch every keynote.

5. How much does it cost to attend?

The expo floor = free. The deep-dive sessions = not free. But the ROI from one solid connection? Probably worth it.

6. What are some other shows like Automate?

MODEX, PACK EXPO, Hannover Messe — all solid. But Automate Chicago still feels like the one where the real builders go.

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Summing up

Automate 2024 was a clear message — real automation isn’t coming, it’s already running the show, and it’s only getting started. Automate 2025 is where the next wave gets tested, funded, and sold. If you're not there, odds are your competitors are — and they’re leaving with a cobot and a contract.

If you’re in the industry and don’t want to get left behind, you’d better be there. 

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Next steps with Standard Bots

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