Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH, the event organizer behind the Formnext 3D printing trade shows, and The Association for Manufacturing Technology have postponed Formnext Chicago 2025.
Expected to be North America’s first full Formnext trade show, the event was billed to run from April 8-10 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center. However, the event will no longer take place next year, with Mesago Messe Frankfur citing an “unfavorable scheduling constellation.” Notably, RAPID + TCT, North America’s largest 3D printing show, will take place on the same dates in Detroit, while the 2025 AMUG conference will run from March 20 to April 3 in Chicago.
The Formnext organizers stated in a press release that the clash with RAPID has made it “difficult for exhibitors and visitors to commit to one of two important dates.” They reportedly tried to resolve the scheduling situation “with all parties involved,” but failed to reach a successful outcome.
Additionally, Mesago Messe Frankfurt pointed to ongoing “economic challenges and geopolitical uncertainties” as contributing to the decision to postpone Formnext Chicago. Fellow show planner AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which also hosts the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), identified “current market conditions” and the “structural dynamics of additive manufacturing” as key reasons behind the decision.
In an official statement, Sascha Wenzler, Vice President at Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH, commented, “After careful consideration and intensive discussions with our key partners, we have jointly decided to postpone the start of Formnext Chicago, which was originally scheduled for 8-10 April 2025.” He added that the decision “was not taken lightly,” and “is in the best interests of the industry and the companies involved.”
While Formnext Chicago will not take place in 2025, the organisers have not cancelled the show outright, and future iterations are potentially still on the cards from 2026 onwards.
Formnext Chicago 2025 postponed
The new 3D printing trade show is being planned by Mesago Messe Frankfurt and AMT in collaboration with Gardner Business Media. Formnext’s US debut edition reportedly sought to develop a new strategic approach for the United States additive manufacturing market.
Its goal is to introduce the value of 3D printing technology to companies in America who are yet to adopt the technology. The organizers are reportedly set to continue their pursuit of this objective, with ‘strategic considerations’ already underway to ‘drive forward the growing industrialization of AM in the USA.’
“We feel that it is not the right timing or the appropriate signal to the market to proceed with the launch in 2025,” noted Wenzler. He added that the postponement will allow the partners to “better align with the evolving needs of companies and the market landscape.”
Petra Haarburger, President at Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH, expressed her thanks to its “partners and the entire community for their support and understanding” and looks “forward to working together to shape the next steps for Formnext in the US.”
“Our goal as an organization is to bring communities together and move them forward,” stated Douglas K. Woods, AMT’s President. “We will continue to build bridges between buyers and sellers of AM technology, the manufacturing and AM communities, and the organizations supporting the technology.” These objectives will reportedly be pursued through IMTS 2026, which Woods claims will “deliver new and bigger benefits to everyone in the AM value chain.”
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Featured image shows the leading Formnext Chicago organizers on the Formnext Stage at IMTS 2024. Image via Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH.
