More than 17,000 global attendees and 3,700 exhibitors gathered in Las Vegas Oct. 7-9 for a record-breaking IMEX America, marking the show’s largest attendance in its 14-year history.
“There are many uncertainties, many challenges, in the world at the moment, but our industry is incredibly resilient and I think this week shows how resilient,” said IMEX CEO Carina Bauer. “The strength in numbers across the board is a sign of a sector that’s both purposeful and powerful right now.”
Las Vegas has faced a downturn in leisure travel, with visitor volume declining steadily through 2025. Yet conventions and trade shows have been a bright spot, and this year’s record-breaking IMEX was no exception, said Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
“This week demonstrates that the meetings and events industry in the U.S. is still alive and well,” said Hill at a closing press conference. “At no time has the impact of meetings in Las Vegas been more important.”
Resilience in the Face of Uncertainty
Outside the show floor, geopolitical events continued to evolve. National Guard deployments and a U.S. federal government shutdown caused some attendees to leave early.
Kristen Reynolds, president and CEO of Choose Chicago, the city’s official destination marketing organization, left after the first day to return to Chicago, where National Guard troops were being deployed by order of President Donald Trump.
“It’s ironic that I am here to celebrate the fact that Chicago was just named the best big city in the United States by the Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards as the National Guard has been deployed,” said Reynolds. “This narrative is a misinterpretation of what is happening in Chicago as the city has never been busier or more vibrant. Our meetings are breaking records. Attendance has been incredible.”
To push back on the imagery of armed National Guard troops, Chicago launched a grassroots social media campaign, “All for the Love of Chicago.” that encourages visitors and residents to post photos, videos, and personal stories on social media.
Love Letter to DC
Washington, D.C. is taking similar steps. Melissa Riley, SVP of convention sales and services for Destination DC (DDC), the city’s destination marketing organization, was at IMEX emphasizing that the city remains open for meetings and events despite some federal museums, theaters, and other venues being closed due to the shutdown. Real-time information about the closures can be found here.
“IMEX America is an important opportunity to show the difference between perception and reality,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of DDC.“Washington, DC is not defined by federal headlines.”
As part of its IMEX booth, DDC had a “Love Letter to DC” activation where attendees could write notes of affection for the city.
Other destinations facing threats of troop deployments were also working to manage optics. National Guard troops began patrolling Memphis, Tennessee, during IMEX. From the show floor, Kevin Kane, president and CEO of Memphis Tourism, said the deployment was “a non-event” for visitors.
“Some in the city are happy about it,” said Kane. “There are some places in our community where billboards say, ‘Memphis Welcomes the National Guard,’” he said. “Our community is taking it in stride.”
Not everyone agreed. “There are negative challenges we already face. My concern is the troops will make it even harder to convince larger groups that the city is safe,” said Sara Beth Raab, a fractional chief events officer at SB Events, based in Memphis.
Adam Burke, president and CEO of Discover Los Angeles, said his organization has been in contact with DMOs affected by troop deployments, as Los Angeles experienced something similar earlier this year.
In June 2025, Trump deployed about 4,700 troops to the greater Los Angeles area in response to protests over federal immigration raids. Most of those troops have since left the city.
“Things are back to normal,” said Burke. “Although we never saw or felt the impact, the media coverage gave a different impression.”
Burke’s primary communication at IMEX though was to update about Los Angeles’ $2.6 billion convention center expansion.
Future Predictions
As usual, several industry organizations released news and resources to coincide with IMEX America.
The 2025 Incentive Travel Index, released by the Incentive Research Foundation and the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, found that rising costs and geopolitical instability are having a significant effect on incentive travel.
According to Amex GBT’s 2026 Global Meetings & Events Forecast, rising costs will remain a challenge in the year ahead.
Freeman’s eXperience Trends Report 2025 highlights a growing disconnect between what planners design and what audiences value most.
Maritz also released an industry trends report for IMEX focused on hotel trends, registration analytics, corporate event benchmarks, and payment technology.
Education and Engagement on the Show Floor
Education and engagement remain a cornerstone of IMEX. This year featured more than 250 sessions, including Smart Monday, held the day before the show opened, which offered 64 sessions.
In addition, Skift Meetings held its first AI Innovation Lab, attracting more than 170 planners. Led by Miguel Neves, Skift Meetings’ editor-in-chief, it featured real-world AI use cases and shared lessons learned.
MPI keynote speaker Rob Lawless, headlined Smart Monday with a talk on human connection that drew more than 800 attendees.
Experiential activations abounded at IMEX America. Encore’s exhibit featured a theme-park-style train ride that took planners on a journey through the event design process. Toronto’s globe installation, symbolizing the city’s global reach in business events, became a popular spot for photos and selfies. In addition, Peru’s booth transported visitors into a three-dimensional, multisensory experience of the destination. Live harp performances in the Ireland booth, an FI simulator in Maui Jim, and aura readings with crystals at Caesars Entertainment booth.
Also, a new tech education stage, curated by DAHLIA+Agency, featured live event tech demos, game shows, and panel discussions.
Many attendees capped the week with a visit to The Wizard of Oz at Sphere. The 1939 classic has been reimagined with AI enhancements and immersive effects. For planners seeking inspiration on how to make events more interactive, it offered plenty of ideas.
Las Vegas Mourns Loss of Tourism Leader
The week ended on a somber note with news that Rossi Ralenkotter, who spent 45 years working for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Authority, had died Oct. 10.
Ralenkotter was known for transforming Las Vegas into one of the world’s leading convention and travel destinations and for securing CES for the city.
“Rossi Ralenkotter is a giant of the meetings and conventions world,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO and vice chair of CTA. “Under his leadership as president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Rossi transformed Las Vegas as the world’s leading travel and convention destination.”
IMEX America 2026 will take place Oct. 13-15 at Mandalay Bay, where it will remain through 2030.
Future IMEX America dates are:
- Oct. 13-15, 2026
- Sept. 28-30, 2027
- Sept. 26-28, 2028
- Oct. 23-25, 2029
- Oct. 22-24, 2030
