Top 5 Automation and Robotics Conferences for B2B Sellers (2026-27)

If you sell to automation buyers, these are the five events to plan around between November 2026 and June 2027: Automate for North America, automatica for European robotics, SPS for control and drive technology, HANNOVER MESSE for the widest industrial audience, and Robotics Summit & Expo if your buyers build robots instead of buying them.

Most lists of robotics conferences mix academic symposiums with trade fairs and give each one a paragraph. This list is for sellers. Each pick shows who you will meet, who you will not, what the organizer actually reports, whether you can see the exhibitor list before you go, and how to work the event.

How we picked

The EarlyHall directory tracks 49 events tagged automation and robotics: 27 in Europe, 21 in North America and one in the Middle East. Each record is checked against the organizer's own pages. We ranked them on four questions:

1. Is automation the core of the show? Only 5 of the 49 cover automation and robotics alone. The rest pair it with packaging, logistics, metalworking or general manufacturing, often as one hall inside a broader fair.
2. How many relevant buyers and partners come? We used the organizer's latest final figure and noted when a number is a registrant count, a visitor count or an undated claim.
3. Can you prospect before the event? 42 of the 49 records link to an exhibitor directory page, but some of those pages still show the previous edition.
4. Is the next edition inside the planning window? 43 of the 49 start between now and the end of October 2027.

We excluded events that are closed to most sellers or built around one vendor. Those are listed with the reasons further down.

The Reddit discussions below add individual accounts of earlier editions. They are useful for planning, but they do not establish the audience or sales results for 2026-27.

We also link to news and trade press coverage of earlier editions. Those reports show the companies and subjects on the floor; audience figures above remain attributed to the organizers.

The five at a glance

Registrants and visitors are different measures. A registrant count includes people who signed up and did not come, so do not compare Automate's 50,000 directly with SPS's 55,938.

1. Automate: the North American default

Las Vegas Convention Center, 10-13 May 2027. Run by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

Why it made the list. Automate is the largest North American show in our pool where robots, machine vision, motion control and industrial AI are the whole floor. A3 reported more than 50,000 registrants and 1,230 exhibitors on 425,000 sq ft at the 2026 edition in Chicago. The show-only pass is free, so your prospects face no ticket barrier.

Who you will meet. Manufacturing and logistics teams that are adopting robotics and automation, plus integrators and component makers. In its 2027 exhibitor prospectus, A3 puts engineering at 36% of attendees, corporate management at 19% and R&D at 5%. It also says 33% plan to buy from exhibitors within six months and 73% found vendors they had not heard of before. These are the organizer's own survey figures.

Who you will not meet. Buyers outside automation and manufacturing. If you need a small senior-only room, this is the wrong format.

The exhibitor list. The official 2027 Map Your Show directory was already rendering company names when we checked on 22 October 2026, more than six months before the doors open. Early entries include ABB, Advantech, ADVANCED Motion Controls and integrators such as Acieta. The directory also contains organizer areas, so it is not a final company count.

How to work it. The early directory is the main advantage here. If integrators and robot cell builders are your buyers, many of them exhibit, and their staff will be at a fixed booth for four days. Build the account list in January, book meetings in March and April, and keep floor time for the companies that reply. The floor is open 10:00 to 17:00 Monday to Wednesday and closes at 15:00 on Thursday, so do not put key meetings on the last afternoon.

What it costs. The show badge is free. The All Access conference pass is USD 1,095 until 29 March 2027, then USD 1,195. Booth space is USD 37 to 51 per sq ft, with discounts for A3 members. Automate now alternates: Las Vegas in odd years, Chicago in even years. Recheck travel budgets if your team is in the Midwest.

What people say. The r/PLC discussion gives a mixed view. One commenter recommended Automate for supplier conversations, products and demonstrations. Another, who had attended, thought it worthwhile for salespeople and equipment decision-makers but said it had not helped with their own technical work. A third attendee ranked it above ProMat and The Assembly Show after attending all three in the same year. For sellers, the useful distinction is between evaluating suppliers and getting practical technical training. Read the r/PLC discussion about Automate.

In the news. Automation World's Chris McNamara reported from the Chicago floor on 26 June 2026 after speaking with dozens of exhibitors. His report covered connectivity, software-defined automation, physical AI and smaller components. For sellers, those subjects offer useful starting points for account research and meeting agendas. Read Automation World's Automate 2026 report.

2. automatica: the European robotics specialist

Messe München, 22-25 June 2027. Runs alongside Laser World of Photonics and World of Quantum.

Why it made the list. automatica is the European show where robotics is the main subject: assembly and handling, industrial and service robotics, machine vision and robotics software. The organizer's final report for 2025 counted just under 49,300 visitors and about 800 exhibitors from 40 countries. The organizer names physical AI and humanoid robotics as key 2027 topics.

Who you will meet. Buyers and specifiers from German-speaking and wider European industry, including SMEs that are new to automation. The organizer reports 83% decision-makers for 2025, with 20% from top management. Research and development (26%) and production, design and planning (24%) were the largest departments. In the organizer's final report, KUKA described strong interest from customers who had not automated yet. In its exhibitor survey, 88% rated visitor quality positively.

Who you will not meet. Many North American buyers. 62% of 2025 visitors came from Germany, 26% from the rest of Europe, and only 6% each from Asia and the Americas. It is a weak choice if your pipeline is mainly in the US.

The exhibitor list. The organizer publishes a preliminary 2027 list of announced and registered companies. It already includes ABB Robotics, Agile Robots, ATI Industrial Automation, Balluff and Basler. The list is not a final count.

How to work it. Prepare German-language outreach for German, Austrian and Swiss accounts. The 2027 fair runs Tuesday to Friday. In 2025 the second and third days drew 30% and 29% of visits and the last day only 17%, so book key meetings for Wednesday and Thursday. Visitors stayed 1.8 days on average. The overlap with the photonics and quantum shows brings laser and optics buyers into the same halls, which helps if you sell vision or sensing. automatica comes three weeks after Robotics Summit, so a robotics component seller can meet developers in Boston and integrators in Munich in one month. The fair runs every two years (2023, 2025, 2027), so a missed edition costs you two years.

What it costs. 2027 visitor prices are not out. Stand space is EUR 279 per m² for a row stand up to EUR 359 for an island, net, plus a mandatory EUR 1,230 communication fee. Stand construction is extra.

In the news. SEISANZAI Japan editor Yuya Sone's 4 August 2025 report described busy halls despite weak European capital investment. It covered KUKA's programming assistant, Agile Robots' dual-arm demonstration, NEURA's humanoid launch and Beckhoff's modular robots. This gives component and software sellers specific exhibitors to research. Read SEISANZAI Japan's automatica 2025 report.

For either robotics fair, the exhibitor directory gets you to companies; the next step is finding people whose responsibilities fit your offer. EarlyHall's free sample of 10 qualified attendees for your chosen upcoming conference includes source URLs and event roles, so you can inspect that fit before planning outreach.

3. SPS: control, drives and industrial software

NürnbergMesse, 24-26 November 2026. Organized by Mesago Messe Frankfurt. This is the 35th edition.

Why it made the list. SPS is the automation-only fair for the layer under the robot: control technology, drives, sensors, industrial networking and software. The organizer counted 55,938 visitors and 1,175 exhibitors at the 2025 edition. The 2026 focus topic is industrial AI, with cyber resilience as a second theme. It is also the only pick on this list that you can still attend in 2026.

Who you will meet. Machine builders, plant operators and their suppliers, mostly from Germany and nearby countries. In the organizer's 2025 visitor survey, 69% of respondents were involved in procurement decisions. Engineering and consulting firms (22%) and mechanical and plant engineering (21%) were the largest visitor industries. 29% of visitors came from abroad, with Austria, Italy, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands sending the most.

Who you will not meet. Many buyers from North America or Asia. Also skip it if you sell outside industrial automation.

The exhibitor list. The 2026 exhibitor search is live and lists more than 1,000 companies. The 2025 edition included Siemens, Beckhoff, Bosch Rexroth and Schneider Electric. If you sell to those suppliers, or compete with them for partners, the whole ecosystem is in 15 halls.

How to work it. A month is short for cold outreach, so focus on accounts already in your pipeline and on exhibitors in your exact category. The floor is open 9:00 to 18:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday and closes at 17:00 on Thursday. Book meetings at fixed times instead of hoping to find people on the aisles.

What people say. In an r/PLC discussion of European automation fairs, one commenter first asked whether the target was automation solution providers or equipment manufacturers. They thought SPS was Germany's biggest fair for equipment manufacturers and described it as enjoyable but sometimes very crowded. When the original poster clarified that they wanted solution providers, the same commenter also suggested Hannover for its breadth. That distinction is more useful than treating either fair as the best choice for every automation seller. Read the r/PLC discussion of European automation fairs.

What it costs. The day pass is EUR 60.50 when you accept marketing contact from the organizer, or EUR 79 without it. The Expo-Pass for all three days is EUR 99 or EUR 129. Early-bird rates ended on 12 October 2026. For 2027 planning, 2026 stand space cost EUR 295 per sqm for a row stand up to EUR 385 for an island, plus fees and VAT. Start-ups can take a 9 sqm space on the young INNOVATORS joint stand for EUR 5,999 plus fees.

In the news. Automation World reported on 10 December 2025 that Siemens demonstrated its Engineering Copilot TIA at SPS 2025. The article describes Siemens' claims about automated engineering tasks and a pilot customer, machinery maker F. Zimmermann. It is a concrete example of the industrial software conversations at SPS, rather than an independent product test. Read Automation World's coverage of Siemens at SPS.

4. HANNOVER MESSE: the widest industrial audience

Exhibition Grounds Hannover, 5-8 April 2027. Organized by Deutsche Messe. Spain is the 2027 Partner Country, and the fair now runs Monday to Thursday.

Why it made the list. HANNOVER MESSE has the largest audience of the five picks: 108,898 visitors (rounded to 110,000 in the press release) and about 3,000 exhibitors in 2026. Automation and digitalization is one of its main areas, next to energy and research. The organizer counted 48% decision makers: 30% top management and 18% executives. In its visitor survey, 45% were interested in automation systems and components, and 38% in robotics and assembly automation.

Who you will meet. Management, production, R&D, IT and energy teams from 146 nations. The crowd is still mostly European: 77.7% came from EU countries, 9.5% from South, East and Central Asia and 3.2% from North America.

Who you will not meet. Many purchasing teams, and a focused room. Purchasing and procurement is only 2.1% of visitor job functions, and 8% of visitors are pupils, trainees or students. Automation buyers share the grounds with energy, research and IT audiences. Attendance also fell from 123,000 in 2025 to 110,000 in 2026; the organizer linked part of the fall to strikes that complicated travel.

The exhibitor list. The 2027 list is not public yet. The 2026 profiles include Siemens, SAP, Schneider Electric, Festo, Beckhoff Automation, Phoenix Contact, Rockwell Automation, Microsoft and AWS.

How to work it. Start from the 2026 profiles to build your account list now, then check it against the 2027 directory when it opens. Because the fair is broad, decide in advance which halls hold your buyers and keep your schedule inside them. In 2026 the middle days were busiest: 29,509 visitor days on day 3, against 9,642 on the final day. The 2027 fair drops to four days, Monday to Thursday, so Tuesday and Wednesday will probably be the peak.

If you are a smaller company, the Enterprise Europe Network runs pre-arranged B2B matchmaking during the fair. The 2026 Technology & Business Cooperation Days had 486 participants and 346 booked meetings, and participants got a free fair ticket.

What people say. In an r/PLC thread from a consultant asking about finding customers, one commenter preferred SPS because Hannover is so broad. Others focused on preparation: decide whom to meet, shortlist exhibitors and plan the route around the hall layout. Another said finding customers there was possible, but gave no results or examples. The thread supports arriving with a target list; it does not show how much business attendees won. Read the r/PLC discussion about networking at HANNOVER MESSE.

What it costs. Online ticket sales open in late November 2026: EUR 93 for the full event or EUR 35 for a day in advance. Stand prices are not published.

In the news. DW's Astrid Prange de Oliveira reported on 18 April 2026 on Brazil's presence as that edition's partner country. Her interviews with machinery association Abimaq and machine-tool maker ROMI show the fair's international industrial scope. For sellers, this illustrates why country delegations deserve attention alongside individual exhibitors. Read DW's HANNOVER MESSE coverage.

5. Robotics Summit & Expo: for selling to robot builders

Hynes Convention Center, Boston, 2-3 June 2027. Produced by The Robot Report. DeviceTalks Boston runs alongside it.

Why it made the list. The other four picks bring you the people who buy and run automation. This one brings you the people who design robots. It is a two-day technical event for engineers, founders and leaders at robot makers, OEMs and integrators in aerospace and defense, healthcare, logistics and manufacturing. The sponsorship page says more than 41% of attendees hold C-suite, executive or senior management titles.

Who you will meet. Robotics engineers, developers and technical leads. If you sell motion control, sensors, compute, simulation or design services, these are the people who choose your product for the next robot.

Who you will not meet. Factory teams that buy finished robots.

The numbers to treat with care. The organizer gives several attendance figures: 6,000+ developers on the home page, more than 4,800 total attendees on the sponsorship page, and more than 5,000 robotics experts and over 200 exhibitors in The Robot Report's 2026 pre-show guide. None is a final count. The 2026 Expo Only pass was USD 125 early or USD 175 regular; 2027 prices are not out.

A venue change. The 2026 edition was at the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center. 2027 moves to the Hynes Convention Center, so ignore 2026 floor plans and booth numbers.

The exhibitor list. The 2027 list is not live. The 2026 sponsors included Harmonic Drive, QNX, NXP Semiconductors, Analog Devices, Schaeffler and Symbotic, which shows the component and platform suppliers that sell to this audience.

How to work it. Two days is short, so book meetings before you travel. The 2026 program had more than 50 sessions in tracks on AI, design and development, enabling technologies, healthcare and logistics. The speaker page is the best early source, because speakers are engineering leaders at robot companies. Use the sponsor list to see which competitors already work this room.

In the news. Associated Press reporter Matt O'Brien covered the 2025 edition from Boston, including Boston Dynamics CTO Aaron Saunders' keynote and an interview with Agility Robotics CTO Pras Velagapudi. His report examined component supply and tariff concerns. For component sellers, it illustrates the technical leaders and sourcing questions present at the event. Read AP's Robotics Summit report.

Strong events we left out

• A3 Business Forum (Orlando, 18-20 January 2027): over 700 automation leaders, but only employees of A3 member companies can register. Go if you are a member.
• Automation Fair (Boston, 16-19 November 2026): more than 14,000 attendees each year, but the expo is Rockwell Automation and its PartnerNetwork members. It is excellent inside that ecosystem and closed to competitors.
• ProMat (Chicago, 19-21 April 2027) and LogiMAT (Stuttgart, 16 March 2027): ProMat counted 52,223 registrations and 1,160 exhibitors in 2025. If you sell warehouse automation, mobile robots or WMS software, choose these over Automate or SPS.
• XPONENTIAL (Miami, 17-20 May 2027): the uncrewed systems show, with a defense and public safety audience. Choose it for drones and autonomy only.
• control (Stuttgart, 11 May 2027): the best pick for metrology and quality assurance, and narrow for anything else.
• Regional shows: SPS Italia, Global Industrie, Advanced Factories and Smart Manufacturing Week are strong for Italy, France, southern Europe and the UK. SPS Italia reported only 3.8% international visitors in 2026, so it suits sellers with Italian accounts.

Plan the season as one calendar

The five picks fall in a useful order:

1. November 2026: SPS. Work existing pipeline in Nuremberg.
2. April 2027: HANNOVER MESSE. Meet global industrial accounts.
3. May 2027: Automate. Cover North America.
4. June 2027: Robotics Summit, then automatica three weeks later. Meet robot developers, then European integrators and plants.

Most teams cannot do all five. A practical rule: pick the one flagship for your main region (Automate or automatica), then add SPS if you sell control and drive technology, HANNOVER MESSE if your pipeline is global, or Robotics Summit if your buyers build robots.

Get the people before the doors open

An exhibitor directory shows you which companies will be on the floor. It does not show who from each company will attend, or which visitors are your buyers. That gap decides whether a trip produces meetings.

EarlyHall builds attendee lists for named conferences from exhibitor directories, speaker and sponsor pages, and public posts, then qualifies each person against your offer. Each record keeps its source URL and event role. Request a free sample of 10 qualified attendees for any event on this list, and we deliver it within three business days. For the full profile of each event, including sources and the check date, open its page in the conference directory.