More than 17,800 participants gathered at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas last week for the 15th edition of IMEX America 2026. Organisers said over 6,000 buyers, 4,800 of whom were hosted, had attended the biggest-ever edition of the show. They also reported 96,000 scheduled meetings took place, including 82,000 one-to-one meetings and 14,000 group and booth presentations.
Many converations, organisers reported, concerned business that extends well beyond the short-term sales cycle. Marie Catherine Lacoste from Tourisme Montréal reported receiving two association RFPs: one for a medical congress for 1,500 attendees in July 2030, and another for a credit management congress and expo for up to 1,700 attendees in May 2030.
For Discover Puerto Rico, IMEX America helped turn an initial connection into significant long-term business. Joann Carlos Díaz from Discover Puerto Rico said: “We first met Vibee, a music-led destination experience company, at IMEX America 2024 to discuss hotel room blocks for a major artist. The result was Bad Bunny’s 2025 residency: 31 concerts generating a total of 48,255 room nights.”
Designing the industry’s future
The industry’s focus on nurturing the next generation also translated into action during the show, where the Brian D. Stevens Hospitality Education Fund launched to support student scholarships and industry research. Meanwhile, a redeveloped Future Leaders Lab by IMEX and MPI is intended to broaden the industry’s global talent pool by attracting students from fields including economics and finance as well as events, hospitality and tourism, and expanding the programme globally.
For Bailie Utley, from Utah Valley University, the current Future Leaders Forum offers a practical step toward a future career: “My class is about to graduate and this opportunity helps us take that next step. Before studying events, I’d walk into a conference and think, ‘Wow, this is cool.’ Now I ask: ‘How do we make people excited to be here? How do we create an experience that makes them want to come back?’”
Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX, said at the show’s closing press conference: “A flourishing sector needs strong commercial opportunities, fresh thinking and a pipeline of talent ready to shape and design what comes next. All three have been evident at IMEX America this week.
“Despite some uncertainty in the wider world, there’s been a spirit of optimism across the show floor. Time and again clients have told us that what makes this show work for them is that it feels personal. Buyers turn up well-organised, exhibitors are informed and well prepared. They also understand that a walk-up meeting here can be a highly valuable prospect thanks to the quality and seniority of people we attract.”
IMEX America 2027 takes place 28–30 September at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.
