Automate 2023
- Date
- 2023-05-22
- Location
- Detroit, United States
- Host
- Association for Advancing Automation (A3)
About this event
Automate 2023 is where the robotics and automation world shows up in force. Taking place in Detroit, this event brings together the scale of a major trade show with the energy of a community gathering, making it a strong fit for anyone who wants to see what is actually happening across industrial robotics right now. With more than 750 exhibits and 25,000 registrants, this is not a niche meetup or a lightly attended expo floor. It is a concentrated look at the technologies, companies, and conversations shaping manufacturing, automation, and robotics across North America. About the Event Automate 2023 is billed as North America's largest robotics and automation trade show, hosted by A3 in Detroit. At its core, the event is built to connect the people building automation systems, buying them, integrating them, researching them, and working alongside them in real operating environments. This is an in-person event, which matters for a field like robotics. You can evaluate systems more clearly when you are standing in front of them, watching demos, asking technical questions, and comparing approaches across a large number of exhibitors in one place. The format combines the breadth of a major industry exhibition with the relationship-building of a networking event. If you work in industrial robotics or adjacent automation spaces, you can expect a mix of product discovery, market scanning, and practical conversations with peers from across the ecosystem. It is also a useful event for people who are still mapping the landscape. Because the show is so large, attendees can get a grounded sense of where the industry is today, which categories are crowded, where innovation is moving fastest, and how different players position their solutions. What to Expect The centerpiece of the event is the exhibit experience. With 750+ exhibits, you should expect a large and varied show floor featuring robotics and automation technologies across industrial use cases, deployment models, and supporting services. Across the event, attendees can typically expect opportunities to: Explore a wide range of robotics and automation exhibitors See equipment, systems, and solutions up close in an in-person setting Compare vendors, capabilities, and approaches more efficiently than through separate meetings Talk directly with industry professionals about implementation, operations, and trends Build new relationships with people working across robotics, manufacturing, and automation Because this is both a trade show and a networking-focused gathering, the value is not limited to what is on display. A major part of the experience will be the conversations happening around the floor: quick introductions, technical discussions, business development meetings, and the kind of peer exchange that helps turn general interest into practical next steps. You should also go in expecting a full-scale industry atmosphere rather than a small curated session-based meetup. The sheer number of registrants means there will be a lot to take in, so it is worth arriving with a plan: the technologies you want to investigate, the people you want to meet, and the questions you want answered. Why Attend If you are evaluating the robotics market, this event offers density. Instead of piecing together your understanding over months of research, sales calls, and scattered online demos, you can get a direct view of a large portion of the industry in one place. For professionals in industrial robotics, the benefits are especially practical. You can assess how vendors present their systems, spot patterns across competing solutions, and come away with a stronger sense of what feels mature, what feels emerging, and what deserves follow-up after the event. This is also a strong event for networking. With such a large attendance base, you are likely to meet a broad cross-section of the community, including operators, engineers, decision-makers, partners, and others working close to the real adoption of automation technologies. Attending can help you: Stay current on robotics and automation developments Discover new tools, platforms, and providers Make informed comparisons across a large field of exhibitors Build relationships that support partnerships, hiring, sales, or collaboration Get a clearer sense of where your organization fits in the broader automation landscape For anyone serious about robotics as a business, engineering, or operational discipline, the event offers more than visibility. It gives you context. You leave with a sharper picture of the market and a stronger understanding of the conversations driving it. Practical Details Location: In person in Detroit, United States Date and time: Monday, May 22 at 12:00 AM UTC Because this is an in-person trade show, plan around the realities of a large live event: time on your feet, a busy exhibition environment, and the need to prioritize how you spend your day. If there are specific exhibitors, categories, or contacts you want to see, it is smart to identify those before arriving. Detroit is a fitting setting for an event centered on robotics and industrial automation, and the in-person format makes this especially useful for attendees who want direct exposure to the people and technologies shaping the sector. If your goals include market research, vendor discovery, partnership development, or simply understanding where automation is heading, Automate 2023 is built to deliver that at scale. This event will be most valuable for people who want real industry contact rather than passive observation. Come prepared to walk the floor, ask informed questions, and make room for unexpected conversations. At this size, some of the best takeaways will come from what you planned to see and what you discover once you are there.
Who should attend
If you work anywhere near robotics, automation, or modern production, this is the kind of event that helps you quickly see what matters now and what is actually ready to use. - **You build, buy, or deploy automation** and want to compare a huge range of solutions in one place, from industrial robotics to broader factory automation and manufacturing technology. - **You run manufacturing operations, engineering, or plant teams** and need practical ideas to improve throughput, quality, safety, and labor efficiency without relying on theory alone. - **You’re evaluating vendors or planning investments** and want to talk directly with exhibitors, ask hard questions, and get a clearer sense of what fits your facility, budget, and timeline. - **You’re a technical professional** in robotics, controls, systems integration, or advanced manufacturing who wants to stay current on tools, trends, and where the industry is heading. - **You lead innovation or transformation efforts** and need a fast way to scan the market, spot promising technologies, and bring back useful insights for your team. - **You’re growing your network in the automation world** and want to be in the room with the people shaping North America’s robotics and manufacturing ecosystem.