Automation Resources Features
A list of major manufacturing events affected so far due to coronavirus [UPDATED]

As the COVID-19 pandemic rolls throughout the world, many manufacturing and automation events have been cancelled, postponed or modified in an effort to stem the spread.

Here’s a list of the affected major international and Canadian events [as of June 8, 7:00 p.m. EDT]:

CANADA

• FIRST Robotics Canada: The remainder of the season, as well as the two championship events, have been cancelled for 2020.
• Skills Canada: Cancellations include the national competition (May 27-30), which was to be held in Vancouver, and all associated events for Alberta (May 6-7), British Columbia (April 15); Manitoba (April 9); Newfoundland & Labrador (March 20); Northwest Territories (May 4-5); Nova Scotia (March 27-23); Nunavut (May 1-3); Ontario (qualifying competitions April 4; competition May 4-6); Prince Edward Island (various dates); Saskatchewan (April 3) and Yukon (April 4).
• ISA AEC Automation Expo and Conference 2020: The International Society of Automation’s Edmonton event, originally scheduled for April 29-30, has been postponed until October 27-28.
• Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show: The event, scheduled for May 11-13, 2020, has been postponed with no new date set.
• FABTECH Canada 2020: The biennial conference was set for June 16-18, 2020 and has now been cancelled until June 2022.
• Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium: The organization has postponed all its in-person events until further notice. Updated event schedules will be communicated soon.

INTERNATIONAL

• LogiMAT 2020: The International Trade Fair for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management in Stuttgart, Germany, was cancelled earlier this month before its scheduled dates of March 10-12.
• PTDA Leadership Development Conference: The Power Transmission Distributors Association has cancelled its Pittsburgh event, slated for March 25-27.
• ISA IIoT & Smart Manufacturing Conference: The International Society of Automation’s Texas event, slated for April 14, has been postponed with new dates to be announced.
• VEX Robotics World Championship: The annual build-a-robot competition was to take place in Louisville, Kentucky from April 22-25 and has been cancelled.
• Hannover Messe 2020: The world’s largest industrial technology fair, set to take place April 20-24 in Hannover, Germany, was first rescheduled to July before being cancelled altogether. It will now resume in April 2021.
• IMTS 2020: This year’s International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), scheduled to be held in Chicago, Illinois from September 14-19, 2020, was set to go ahead before being officially cancelled on June 8.

This is a working list and will be updated. If you know of a postponed or cancelled conference not listed, please reach out to let us know.