Players in the materials handling industry have an unusually wide array of choices among major relevant US events during the week of 20 March.

Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) sponsors its biennial ProMat 2011materials handling and logistics industry trade show on 21-24 March in Chicago's McCormick Place. In a collaborative collocation, the Automation Technology Council of Ann Arbor, Michigan organises the Automate 2011 show and the international symposium on robotics.
ProMat will have more than 700 exhibiting companies, two keynote addresses, two educational tracks and 80 educational sessions. Collectively, ProMat aims to deliver insights into the latest trends, technologies and innovations and help attendees streamline their operations, improve market visibility, maximise operational efficiency and flexibility, cut costs, improve speed time to market and maximise supply chain security.
Automate 2011 was formerly known as the international robots, vision and motion control show. The robotics symposium is being held in the US for the first time since 2007.

The Industrial Truck Association (ITA) holds its spring meeting on 21-23 March in the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC.
ITA President Jeff Rufener will deliver a state-of-the-association address as part of the meeting. Rufener is vice president of marketing for Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc in Houston, Texas.
The gathering begins with the suppliers committee meeting and then various subcommittee meetings involving electric power and systems; attachments, forks, masts and hydraulic systems; air quality; accessories and components; and energy storage systems. Regular member representatives on the general engineering committee are encouraged to attend the suppliers committee meeting as well as the subcommittee meetings. ITA will hold a special reception to honour associate members.
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) will sponsor the 22 March reception. "This will mark the 10th year of PERC's support for ITA activities at both the spring and fall meetings in recognition of our commonality of interests in serving a substantial portion of the lift truck market," says Brian Feehan, vice president of the Washington-based council. "Everyone at PERC is grateful to ITA for its continuing efforts to help solve our common problems affecting our industries and especially working with CARB and EPA to protect the workplace and the environment."
Washington-based ITA represents makers of forklift trucks and their suppliers doing business in the US, Canada or Mexico.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers, (AEM) produces its triennial ConExpo/ConAgg trade show on 22-26 March in the convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. AEM is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The exposition with more than 2,000 exhibitors showcases equipment, products, services and technologies primarily geared to the construction industry.
An education program has a total of 126 sessions emphasising industry issues and trends, management and applied technology.
AEM's annual conference for professionals will take place within the ConExpo/ConAgg footprint.
In addition, a Green Roads Summit will cover topics such as climate change, sustainable transportation and economic competitiveness.
The overlap has posed some difficult choices. A forklift industry sales manager, for example, quoted an executive in his company as saying, "We have invested USD400,000 in ConExpo, and you will be there."