If you sell precision-machined parts, a Minneapolis manufacturing show can look promising without making its medical-device audience clear. MD&M Midwest brings those markets together. Here is how to judge the event, understand the former ADM name, and choose what deserves space in your booth.
The event behind the old Minneapolis name
Directories may still label this event Advanced Design & Manufacturing Minneapolis. Directory listing. For current planning, MD&M Midwest is the name of Informa's event previously known as Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis, or ADM Minneapolis. The organizer announced the brand change in 2024. Use the current name when discussing your booking. Organizer's announcement.
MedTech and Design & Manufacturing sit alongside automation on the same show floor. Plastics and packaging complete the five-sector event. Event overview.
That combination matters when your machined component could serve a device manufacturer directly or become part of another supplier's assembly. Both conversations can be useful, but they involve different routes to a sale. Decide which route you want your sample display to explain first.
When and where to meet that audience
The 2026 expo is scheduled for October 28–29 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Wednesday's expo hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thursday's are 10 a.m.–4 p.m. These are exhibition opening hours, not permission to deliver freight or start dismantling. Venue and expo schedule.
This is a manufacturing trade event with education alongside the exhibition. The organizer describes an audience that includes engineers, purchasing staff and production professionals. You should therefore be ready for a discussion about a part's use before you expect a request for a production quote. Who attends.
For your first appearance, bring someone who can explain the sample as well as someone who can continue the commercial conversation. A visitor asking how a difficult feature was made needs more than a machine list. If that knowledge stays at the factory, arrange a reliable way to involve the relevant colleague after the show.
Where precision machining fits on this floor
The Design & Manufacturing sector, formerly D&M Minneapolis, explicitly includes precision machining and contract manufacturing. Its listed markets include medical device manufacturing. The MedTech sector, formerly MD&M Minneapolis, focuses on components and technology used to make medical devices. Your proposed offer sits at that intersection. Design & Manufacturing sector, MedTech sector.
Use the official 2026 exhibitor directory and floor plan to investigate the companies around your proposed space. Separate potential assembly partners from machining competitors as you review them. An exhibitor listing identifies a company showing its offer; it does not establish that the company is attending to buy your parts.
This gives you a reason to consider the show; it does not mean everyone walking past will buy your type of part. Someone developing a new device may want to discuss an early drawing. Someone managing an existing product may be investigating another source. Your team needs to distinguish those conversations before promising a quotation date.
Keep your positioning narrow enough for the right visitor to recognize it. For example, if your verified work is small machined housings, show a housing and explain its difficult feature. Do not broaden the headline to imply you manufacture complete medical devices unless that is actually your business.
Medical imagery alone will not establish suitability. Bring accurate information about the work your company performs and the records it can provide. Avoid displaying certification marks or customer names that you are not entitled to use. Keep a current capability sheet beside the samples so your colleague can explain exactly which work you would take on.
Give visitors a part they can discuss
On this multidisciplinary floor, a tray of unrelated shiny parts leaves visitors to guess what you offer. Choose a small group around one problem your company knows how to solve.
For example, place a finished housing beside a clearly labeled demonstration section. Your colleague can explain how a difficult feature is made and checked. Use an example you can discuss publicly, and do not present a demonstration piece as a released medical product.
Let visitors see the detail from the counter, with space nearby for a drawing discussion. Add a measuring instrument only if seeing it operate answers a useful question. Otherwise, the sample may explain your work without the extra equipment shipment.
Confirm the display before committing to the build
The public exhibitor FAQ directs booth compliance review and move-in information to the Exhibitor Portal. Obtain the current instructions for your booked space before approving fabrication or freight. Exhibitor rules.
The 2026 portal is live. The official Exhibitor Center identifies Freeman as the show contractor and Smart City for internet services. Follow those official routes to check the services your display needs. Exhibitor Center.
For a sample-led exhibit, send the proposed layout and display dimensions for review. If you add powered equipment, include its actual operating needs and ask which orders or approvals apply. Confirm your booth's height limit, electrical service and demonstration conditions with show operations. Do not send the display to fabrication while those answers are missing.
FAQ
Can I show a customer's part without identifying the customer?
Removing the logo does not establish that you have permission to display the part. Check your agreement and obtain the customer's approval where needed. If you cannot clear it, use a demonstration part that you are entitled to show. You can still explain a manufacturing challenge without revealing somebody else's design.
What does a booth cost?
The organizer directs exhibitors to sales for pricing; cancellation terms sit in the booth contract. Request a quotation for a specific space and a separate explanation of what is included. Booking FAQ. Treat furniture, sample transport and any demonstration services as items to check rather than assumed inclusions.
Should I buy a conference pass for every member of the booth team?
The event distinguishes expo access from its paid conference offering. Attendance options. Buy access around a relevant session and a staffing plan, after confirming your exhibitor package's entitlements. If your only technical colleague is away while prospects arrive, the educational benefit may come at the wrong time.
Can I visit first using a free expo pass?
Do not assume you qualify. The published pricing excludes sales and business-development roles from complimentary admission and lists a separate non-exhibiting manufacturer category. Pass eligibility. Ask registration which category applies to you before booking a scouting visit; the ordinary attendee offer may not be your rate.
Make the next conversation specific
Before asking for a larger booth, select the part you want a medical-device engineer to discuss with you. Then use it to ask show sales about sector placement and to brief your display team. If you cannot yet show a relevant example or explain your manufacturing scope clearly, visit first and investigate the audience before committing to an exhibit.
