Gov. Pritzker Visits Manufacturing Exhibitors at FABTECH Chicago 2025

CHICAGO - Today, Governor JB Pritzker visited Illinois-based manufacturing companies on the show floor at the FABTECH exposition — which is the largest metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing exposition in North America. FABTECH 2025 attracted 50,000 attendees and over 1,700 exhibitors at Chicago’s McCormick Place — the largest convention center in North America.

“As a manufacturing powerhouse, Illinois is a natural choice to host 50,000 visitors for FABTECH 2025 — the nation’s premier metal fabrication conference,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Despite escalating federal deployment by the Trump administration, Chicago’s role as a premier global destination is on full display, not just for manufacturing and business, but also for large-scale conventions and tourism.”

Illinois remains greatly concerned about the effects of escalating federal deployments on our people and businesses — especially combined with Trump’s tariffs that amount to tax on working families. Federal deployments have led to significant impacts on local businesses in Washington, DC and Los Angeles. Restaurants and small businesses there reported significantly less foot traffic and a sharp decline in reservations. In Los Angeles during the ICE raids, private-sector work attendance fell 3.1% — a decline comparable to levels seen during the pandemic.

Governor Pritzker was joined by top members of the Fabricator & Manufacturers Association (FMA), the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the American Welding Society (AWS), the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC), and the Illinois Manufacturers Association (IMA), visiting representatives from Illinois-based manufacturing companies at FABTECH.

As the largest conference of its kind in North America, FABTECH chose to hold this year’s event at Chicago’s McCormick Place. From conventions to expositions, the iconic venue hosts millions of visitors annually. In the first half of 2025 alone, McCormick Place welcomed nearly 1 million people, generating $1.1 billion in economic impact, $123 million in taxes, and over 702,000 hotel room nights. 

For all of 2025, McCormick Place estimates 1.5 million visitors, nearly $2 billion in economic impact, $212 million in tax revenues, and 1.2 million hotel room nights. These estimates come on the heels of a record-breaking tourism year for Illinois, with domestic and international visitors spending $48.5 billion in 2024 and hotel tax revenue figures reaching an all-time high of $367 million in Fy25.

The Pritzker Administration has made critical investments in Illinois’ manufacturing sector, including expanded tax credits for job creators, the “Made in Illinois” grant program, which supports small manufacturers, workforce programs, and more. Illinois manufacturers exported nearly $69 billion in goods to nations around the world last year, and the industry generates an annual statewide economic impact of between $580 billion and $611 billion, according to the IMA.

Despite Donald Trump’s crippling tariffs that threaten to bring the nation’s manufacturing industry to a standstill, Governor Pritzker remains committed to expanding opportunities for manufacturers, businesses, and working families across the State of Illinois.

In July, Governor Pritzker signed Executive Order 2025-03, directing state agencies to evaluate the impact of Trump’s tariffs on the Illinois economy, and the Governor continues to champion competitive incentives that ensure Illinois remains the best state in the nation to set up manufacturing operations.

FABTECH’s four-day event takes place as Choose Chicago launched its “All For The Love of Chicago” campaign. In the wake of federal deployments that attempt to paint a skewed picture of Chicagoans and the vibrant communities they call home, “All For The Love of Chicago” encourages people share their stories about what makes Chicago the greatest city in the world.

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