Registration for the ARM Institute’s 2025 Annual Member Meeting is now open! Taking place September 3-5 in Pittsburgh, this members-only event convenes our 450+ organization consortium for three days of networking, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing. Our 2024 event, which is recapped in the video above, saw record attendance with more than 400 individuals registering to attend. This event is free to attend and open only to ARM Members. 2025 marks the 9th Annual ARM Institute Member Meeting!

ARM Members can register by logging into the ARM Member Community. Email [email protected] for assistance using the Member Community.

Not a member? Join our member consortium before the event to be eligible to attend. Email [email protected] or explore membership here for more information.

What’s Different at a Glance

For our 2025 Annual Member Meeting, you can expect your favorite parts of past Member Meetings, including networking, five-minute member pitches, project updates, robotics demonstrations, our Champions Dinner, our Mill 19 networking reception, as well as:

An increased focus on AI in manufacturing
Tech Day and associated project-teaming activities associated with our NEW forthcoming Tech Project Call expected to be released to Members before our Member Meeting
Interactive networking and knowledge-sharing activities to provide input into ARM Institute’s programs and strategies and learn best practices
Opportunities to meet our new CEO, Jorgen Pedersen
More sessions to hear from DoD experts and end-users on areas of need and collaboration

Keynote Presenters

The ARM Institute is honored to welcome the following subject matter experts as keynote presenters at our 2025 Annual Meeting:

Stephanie M. Hoaglin, Director, Organic Industrial Base Modernization, Army Materiel Command
Keith DeVries, Director of DoD Manufacturing Technology (ManTech)
Alex Skikany, Executive Vice President of A3
Jeannine Kunz, CEO of SME

Event Days & Times

Our agenda is still subject to change, however, we will follow the structure below. You can expect the use of AI in manufacturing to be a significant recurring theme throughout the event and an increased focused on interactive activities to enable further networking, knowledge-sharing, and member input into the ARM Institute’s strategy.

Important note: Unlike prior years, we will begin with a full day on our first day to accommodate an earlier end time on the third day of our event.

Wednesday, September 3: 9:00 AM – 8:30 PM

Morning Sessions:

Networking Breakfast in the Member Showcase Room
Welcome Address by the ARM Institute’s Incoming CEO Jorgen Pedersen
Keynote Presentation by Stephanie Hoaglin
Our First Set of Member Five-Minute Pitches (list of presenters forthcoming)
Exploration of New & Improved Functionality in the Member Community
Networking Lunch in the Member Showcase Hall

Afternoon Sessions: Concurrent Technology Track & Education/Workforce Development (EWD) Track

Tech Concurrent Track:

AI in Manufacturing Panel Discussion
Updates on ARM Institute-Funded Projects from the Project Teams
Interactive Networking & Knowledge-Sharing Activity on Project Outputs

EWD Concurrent Track:

Interactive Networking & Knowledge-Sharing Activity on Evaluating AI and Robotics Competencies in Students & Workers
Outbrief on Strategic EWD Priorities & How to Get Involved

Evening Sessions:

Pre-Dinner Networking in the Member Showcase Room
ARM Champions Awards Seated Networking Dinner: Free and open to all Members celebrating our 2025 class of Champions.
Networking in the Member Showcase Room with dessert

Thursday, September 4: 8:00 AM – 7:30 PM

Morning Sessions:

Networking Breakfast in the Member Showcase Hall
CEO Address on Outputs from Prior Day’s Interactive Activities
Keynote Presentation by Keith DeVries
Keynote Presentation by Jeannine Kunz
Networking Break
Second Set of Five-Minute Member Pitches (list of presenters forthcoming)
Panel Discussion Exploring DoD Needs
Additional Sessions TBA
Networking Lunch in the Member Showcase Hall

Afternoon Sessions: Concurrent Technology Track & Education/Workforce Development (EWD) Track

Tech Concurrent Track:

Interactive Networking & Knowledge-Sharing Activity TBA
More Updates on ARM Institute-Funded Projects from Project Teams

EWD Concurrent Track:

Interactive Knowledge-Sharing & Networking Activity Centered on the ARM Institute’s Learning Capabilities at our HQ
Panel Discussion Centered on How Training Programs are Addressing Industry Needs, including AI

Late Afternoon/Evening Sessions:

Impact of the Robotics Manufacturing Hub for ARM Members & Opportunities to Collaborate
Board Shuttles/Travel to Networking Reception at the ARM Institute’s HQ
Evening Networking Reception with Robotics and AI Technology Demonstrations

Friday, September 5: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Networking Breakfast with the opportunity to Connect Directly with ARM Institute Council/Committee Members
CEO Address on Takeaways from Prior Day
Keynote Presentation by Alex Shikany
Panel Discussion Exploring AI Skills & Competencies Needed in Manufacturing
TBA Session
Wrap-Up with Next Steps to Continue the Momentum
Networking Lunch
- Invitation-only Council and Committee Meetings will take place after 12:00 PM on Sept. 5. If you are part of our SEC, TAC, or EWAC, your committee lead will be in touch regarding the exact times.

Plenary Sessions Complemented by Two Concurrent Focused Tracks

Bridging the divides between technology efforts and education/workforce development (EWD) efforts is foundational to the ARM Institute’s success. We will again feature plenary sessions in the mornings of September 3, 4, and 5 and complement the general sessions with concurrent Technology and Education & Workforce Development Tracks in the afternoons of September 3 and September 4 to allow for focused collaboration in these areas. If you are interested in both tracks, we suggest sending two representatives.

Dynamic & Dedicated Networking

Our event features extensive networking time with a dedicated and unique audience comprised of subject matter experts across industry, government, and academia. The Member Meeting will again feature extended networking breaks, dedicated networking time during our meals in the Member Showcase Hall, and two robust networking receptions: one during our first night ARM Champions celebration and one on our second night during our networking reception at our Pittsburgh robotics headquarters. Read on to learn more about our networking receptions!

Networking is one of the top reasons ARM Members attend our event. We convene a robust and engaged event audience that enables impactful collaboration in an unique pre-competitive space. Our 450 member organization consortium includes manufacturers of all sizes, government entities, start-ups, technology providers, research universities, community colleges, non-profit organizations, and more.

Champion Awards Dinner sponsored by Yaskawa

The ARM Institute Champion Awards recognize individual members who have gone above and beyond to advocate for and further the ARM Institute’s mission. ARM Champions are recognized with an award in-person during our Annual Member Meeting’s seated Champions Dinner taking place on the first night of our event. Champions are selected from our nomination process by the ARM Institute team. Nominations have now closed.

Thank you to ARM Member Yaskawa for sponsoring our 2025 ARM Champions Awards Dinner! Roger Christian and Clint Chapman from Yaskawa have both been celebrated as ARM Champions at previous ARM Member Meetings.

Five-Minute Pitches

The ARM Institute Five-Minute Pitch sessions at our Annual Member Meeting are immensely popular, filling within weeks of opening event registration. Due to the immense popularity of our Five Minute Pitch Sessions, we will be taking a different approach to selecting our presenters this year. For 2025, Members applied to be considered for a Five-Minute Pitch spot.

A good pitch is actionable, speaks to the impact for experts across industry, government, and academia, and, of course, can be conveyed in five minutes. Your pitch can be a broad overview of your organization or a targeted overview of a product, capability, service, etc. You may submit an application even if you have presented a pitch in the past; however, the pitch is expected to be different from what you previously presented. We will still prioritize organizations that have not presented a five-minute pitch during our Annual Meeting.

Five-Minute Applications closed on May 30. Pitches are limited to one per organization. Submitting your application does not guarantee that you will be selected.

The ARM Institute also hosts a virtual pitch series throughout the year! On a quarterly basis, we host a virtual event where organizations that have recently joined our consortium provide five-minute overviews of their organization.

Robotics Demonstrations & Indoor-Outdoor Networking Reception at Our Pittsburgh Facility

Explore our Robotics Manufacturing Hub and other technology demonstrations during our networking reception at our Pittsburgh facility! You’ll be able to get hands-on with our robotics demonstrations and understand how members and manufacturers alike can leverage our Robotics Manufacturing Hub.

We will provide a free shuttle from the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh (our primary meeting location) to our facility on September 4 and will host an indoor/outdoor reception with dinner being served on-site.

Member Showcase Hall & Sponsorship

Connect to hundreds of robotics, manufacturing, and workforce experts, innovators, and decision makers through ARM Member Meeting sponsorship opportunities! We’ve added new selections to this year’s program, including additional high visibility single sponsorship opportunities to help you even further connect with our targeted and engaged audience.

At a glance, our sponsorship program features:

Member Showcase Tables: Showcase your impact in our Member Showcase Area! Purchase by June 30 to secure a discounted early bird rate and lock in a priority table position.
- The Member Showcase Hall will be open on September 3 during breakfast, lunch, and our evening networking reception and on September 4 during our breakfast and lunch. Members may opt to keep their table open on September 5 during the breakfast as well.
General Conference Sponsorship: Highlight your brand through prominent logo placement on our screens, photo backdrop, registration page, social posts, and more. Explore discounted early bird rates and discounts for Gold, Silver, and Core members.
NEW Mill 19 Networking Reception Sponsorship: Be the sole sponsor of our popular networking reception on the second night of our event at our Pittsburgh headquarters! Receive prominent signage at the reception, get your logo printed on our cookies, and distribute your literature on our shuttle.
NEW Branded Giveaways: Place your logo on giveaways provided to each attendee. These included branded bags, water bottles, notebooks, and pens.
Lunch Sponsorships: Showcase your brand during our networking lunches. Bundle both days for a discounted rate.

Note that our Lanyard Sponsorship, ARM Champions Awards Dinner, and Refreshment Break Sponsorships have now sold out! Thank you to Amatrol for sponsoring our lanyards, Yaskawa for sponsoring our Champions Awards Dinner, Corsha for sponsoring our Mill 19 networking reception, and fivestar* for sponsoring our Refreshment Breaks!

Email [email protected] to secure your sponsorship!

Learn more about sponsorship here

Select Member Testimonials

“We have over 400 people here [at the 2024 Annual Member Meeting] – that shows you the strength of the ARM Institute and it’s all these opportunities, not only to learn about what is going on in the community but also what’s coming next. What’s the next big thing we’re all going to be working on together and then making that a reality.” – Aaron Prather, Director of Robotics and Autonomous Systems Programs at ASTM International
“At this meeting today, you have university professors and researchers, you have start-up technology companies, you have people like myself in the manufacturing industry, you have educators making curriculum, and they’re all here sitting at tables together talking so you get that whole picture and there’s really no other place to do that. – Curtis Richardson, Technical Fellow at Spirit Aerosystems
“The uniqueness of this event is born in the fact that our competitors are here and that we are all together in this.” – Clint Chapman, Director of Educational Workforce Development at Yaskawa
“These are some of the brightest minds in the industry that show up for this event and I get goosebumps to just be involved and the opportunity to meet and network. We also have the ability to learn a lot about what key suppliers in our industry are doing that we would have never known about.” – Laura Evans, Senior District Manager at FANUC
“One of my favorite things about this meeting is the Five Minute Pitches. I take copious notes on that and usually go home with a book full of notes about all these new members that are new to me that we should be working with and that will have the opportunity to collaborate with on project proposals and other projects.” – Curtis Richardson, Technical Fellow at Spirit AerosystemsAt the Member Meeting, CCAC has an opportunity to share collaboration tips and tricks with representatives from companies, and we always leave the event with at least five (5) new relationships. Some companies will come to CCAC for training, some individuals will sign up to be adjunct faculty members, some partners will extend job offers to current students or recent graduates. For those reasons, we never miss an ARM Institute Annual Member Meeting.” -Justin Starr, Endowed Professor of Advanced Technology at ARM Member Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC)
“The event provided an excellent platform for us to connect with other industry leaders, share our insights on cybersecurity solutions, and showcase our latest innovations. The networking opportunities were invaluable, allowing us to form new partnerships and strengthen existing relationships. Overall, the event helped us share and learn important industry insights and demonstrated the collaborative spirit of the ARM community.” – Anusha Iyer, CEO & Founder of Corsha
“At the 2022 ARM Institute Member Meeting, we met HII-NNS (the largest military shipbuilding company in the US). They were first intrigued by our platform to visualize their multiple R&D roadmaps. We continue to work across various areas within their organization to increase the speed of building naval assets.” – Lou Troilo, SharpCloud

Not a Member?

The ARM Institute Annual Member Meeting is open only to ARM Members and, thanks to our sponsors, free to attend. Not a member? Email us at [email protected] before the middle of August 2025 to join our member consortium in time to attend our meeting or with any questions. ARM Institute Members collaborate to lead the way to a future where people and robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to develop and produce the world’s most desired products.

Explore membership here

Thank You to Our Event Sponsors and Platinum Members

Thank you to our sponsors for supporting this important event and, by doing so, helping to strengthen U.S. manufacturing!

Platinum Members

Event Sponsors

ABOUT THE ARM INSTITUTE

The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a unique, robust, and diverse consortium of 450+ members and partners across industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience.  Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, with a satellite office in St. Petersburg, FL, the ARM Institute is leading the way to a future where people & robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to produce the world’s most desired products. For more information, visit www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).

Registration Open for 2025 Annual ARM Member Meeting