Bring Back the Trades (BBTT) has sold out tickets to its 2026 Massachusetts Skills Expo presented by F.W. Webb Company, with more than 3,000 students and job seekers set to attend on Thursday, Oct. 29 at the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough. It's the second year BBTT has brought the Skills Expo to Massachusetts, and the first time the event has sold out at this venue.
"The response has been incredible," said Steve Turner, founder and chief executive officer of Bring Back the Trades. "Moving the event to a weekday was something teachers asked us for last year, and it opened the door for so many to access the event via field trips this year."
Exhibitors are bringing a wide mix of hands-on activities this year, including the following:
- Virtual reality welding simulations
- Hands-on electrical work — stripping wire, making a splice, and wiring a receptacle or
- switch
- Pipe work with roll grooving, press fittings, and drilling with real drill bits and holesaws
- A mini wall-building station where students construct a small wall themselves
- A physical skills challenge area with a pull-up bar, cornhole, and strength testing
Other exhibits include a submarine-building video game and VR activity, a valve assembly matching challenge, tire repair demos, tool and safety gear try-on stations, a career simulator, hands-on portable lab equipment, and giveaways throughout the day.
Exhibitors confirmed for this year's event include F.W. Webb Company. Casella Waste, Eastern Propane & Oil, W. L. French Excavating Corporation, Timberland PRO, Milwaukee Tool, Kinross Nevada, MA Army National Guard, New England Institute of Technology, ARMI BioFab USA, Cranes101, Fraser Engineering Company, IBEW Local 93, MEI Industrial Solutions, Utility Contractors' Association of New England, and more. See the full list of exhibitors on the BBTT MA Expo event page.
Returning as title sponsor is F.W. Webb Company, who has supported Bring Back the Trades’ Skills Expos for multiple years as well as their research efforts.
"Supporting an event like this lines up directly with what we care about as a company — building the next generation of skilled tradespeople," said Sean Davis, vice president of marketing at F.W. Webb Company. "If even a handful of these kids leave here thinking about the trades differently, we've done our job."
Tickets are gone, but exhibitor spots are still open through the end of September. Businesses interested in exhibiting can reach out to [email protected].
