Filling all three halls at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) for the first time in its 12-year history, MODEX, a biennial manufacturing and supply chain trade show for North and South America, pulled off its largest event ever in Atlanta.

Held March 11-14, this year’s event attracted 48,733 registered manufacturing and supply chain professionals and 1,164 exhibitors showcasing the latest supply chain technology and innovation across 580,000 net square feet of exhibit space. Boasting an uptick of 32% more registered visitors than MODEX 2022, which drew in 37,047 registered attendees, the 2024 show exceeded all expectations, according to officials from MHI, the international material handling, logistics and supply chain industry association that owns and produces the show. 

“From attendance to exhibition space and educational sessions, MODEX 2024 was our largest and most comprehensive supply chain event to date,” said John Paxton, CEO of MHI. “The success of this event is a testament to the industry’s ongoing vitality, dedication to innovation and delivering world-class solutions for supply chain operations. It was a massive win for the entire industry.”

As the sister show to ProMat, held biennially in odd years at Chicago’s McCormick Place, this year’s MODEX was bolstered by serious buyers representing Fortune 500, top 100 retailers and top 100 consumer goods firms, which brought sizable teams to the show looking to make large supply chain investments, said Daniel McKinnon, MHI executive vice president of exhibitions.

“The excitement on the show floor and the engagement in educational sessions is a sign of the overall power of the supply chain industry and the demand for the latest solutions and technologies in the space,” McKinnon said. “We’ve seen tremendous traffic on the show floor and heard really good feedback.”

He continued, “MODEX 2022 was way better than [previous editions] before the COVID-19 pandemic, and this show is way better than 2022 was – exponentially bigger in both square footage and attendees. Our attendance growth is something we’re very happy with and proud of and worked very hard for, not just for us, but for our members – our exhibitors. We worked hard to get the right buyers and that’s been a big part of our success.”

An Immersive, Business-Centric Show Floor

On three show floors packed with material handling, logistics and transportation industry exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations among 70 supply chain categories, attendees appeared focused and ready to do business.

Equipment, technology and solutions ranged from traditional, manual equipment to computerized, automated systems and smart, connected supply chain technologies and last mile logistics, with stand-out trends such as robots, AI, autonomous vehicles and augmented reality stealing the spotlight in many show floor areas.

“We’re seeing a big acceleration in the adoption of these technologies to build resilience, sustainability and real-time responsiveness into operations,” Paxton added. “The solutions on display and the education offered this year reflected this trend.” 

When asked about how they were faring at the show this year, exhibitors were overwhelmingly positive about the strong, steady traffic and constructive interactions with buyers. Many had been exhibiting for years at MODEX and ProMat, two flagship shows they said were indispensable for their businesses.

“It’s been a great show for us this year, a really busy event,” said Brad Long, brand marketing manager for Yale Lift Truck Technologies. “This show is phenomenal for us because we get to not only connect with some of our existing customers but also start conversations with new folks who we normally wouldn’t get a chance to talk to, so it’s a great way to get in front of a captive audience. We’ll be back in two years – we’re already planning it.”

First-time attendee Laura Erchul, senior director of pricing and transportation with King Solutions Inc., said that while she was a little overwhelmed with everything there was to see and experience at the massive event, she was excited to be at the show.

“I’ve got my senior director of warehousing here, and he’s like a kid in a candy store – there’s so much for him to see and he’s super-excited,” she said. “We just made a business acquisition, and our new president is very focused on e-comm and on growing that, so this is an important event for our business. We’ll definitely come back.”

An Engaging Supply Chain Conference

Covering trends, best practices and state-of-the-art equipment and technology solutions, MODEX’s comprehensive educational conference focused on best-in-class solutions for manufacturing and supply chain operations across more than 200 show floor educational sessions.

The program’s nine seminar tracks ran the gamut of industry topics — including automation and robotics, distribution and warehousing; ecommerce fulfillment and last mile logistics; emerging supply chain trends and technology; manufacturing planning and sourcing; risk mitigation and resilience planning; sustainability and alternative energy; transportation and logistics; and workforce and labor.

The show’s five keynotes featured industry leaders and innovators, including UPS Supply Chain Solutions President Bill Seward, AI expert and futurist Gerd Leonhard, sportscaster and former professional and college football coach Nick Saban and Academy Award-nominated actor Jeremy Renner.

During the March 13 afternoon keynote, Paxton and Deloitte Supply Chain Technology Fellow Wanda Johnson released the findings of the 2024 MHI Annual Industry Report: “The Collaborative Supply Chain – Tech-Driven and Human-Centric” during a panel discussion with four industry thought leaders.

Special Events, Networking Opportunities and Activations Galore

MODEX offered plentiful opportunities for supply chain professionals to connect and celebrate their peers — from the Women in Supply Chain Industry Forum and the MHI Young Professionals Networking Event, to the MHI Industry Night with Comedian Colin Jost and special award ceremonies.

To inspire the industry’s next generation, MODEX’s Student Day, which combined an interactive educational session with a guided tour of the show floors, introduced 367 high school and university students and educators to career opportunities in material handling, supply chain and logistics through hands-on learning and networking with industry professionals.

Meanwhile, the show’s experiential networking areas – MODEX Backyard and MODEX Front Porch in Hall C and A, respectively – provided participants with opportunities to connect with one another, unwind and recharge while enjoying comfortable seating as well as take advantage of Atlanta-area food trucks, games such as foosball and golf simulators, happy hours from 4-5 p.m. and a puppy petting area featuring adoptable puppies from a local rescue.

ProMat is set for March 17-20, 2025, at McCormick Place, while MODEX will return April 13-16, 2026 to the GWCC.

Photo credit: Chris Savas Photography