National Manufacturing Week is moving to Chicagoland's newly renovated Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, in 2006. This move promises to significantly reduce the total cost of exhibiting while greatly increasing value of the event for U.S. manufacturers focused on succeeding in the face of intense competitive pressure.

In 2006, the four-day educational conference begins on March 20, and the exhibition dates are March 21-23. The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center offers 840,000 square feet of exhibition space with 50 state-of-the-art meeting rooms. The convenient suburban Rosemont location is just a five-minute free shuttle bus ride from Chicago O'Hare International airport and easy access from several interstate highways from surrounding States.

During the 2005 edition of National Manufacturing Week at Chicago's McCormick Place, an unprecedented level of educational seminars and training sessions will be offered, with attendees having the option to choose among more than 300 sessions, 50% more than last year. Plus for the first time, continuing education credits (CEUs) will be offered. That effort is foundational for an entirely new National Manufacturing Week experience planned in Rosemont.

In addition, National Manufacturing Week has assembled a lineup of corporate and government VIPs to deliver keynote addresses at the 2005 show, running March 7-10 in Chicago. Alain Belda, CEO of Alcoa, will talk about "Aluminum: Turning Today's Dreams into Tomorrow's Solutions"