IMEX America 2026 Recap: Business Got Done, and Vegas Was Fun
IMEX America 2026 Recap: Business Got Done, and Vegas Was Fun
IMEX America 2026 is in the books, and oh yes, Las Vegas surely delivered.
Congrats to the whole team at IMEX on a 10/10 event.
How we know it was a great show
The proof was on our calendar.
By the time the show wrapped, we already had follow-up meetings booked with people we met on the floor. That tells you business was being done in the booths, and that the conversations had somewhere to go.
We also got hands-on in the Build Lab, and we left with more ideas than we arrived with. Three themes kept coming up in our conversations with organizers planning their 2027 and 2028 events:
Global growth. More organizers are expanding into Brazil and Latin America.
Note-takers everywhere. Teams want capture on every desk and in every 1-1, which is exactly the problem that part of Markus Journey was built to solve.
Proof over recaps. Organizers and sponsors want outcomes they can point to, not just attendance counts. That is the idea behind Markus Wrapped.
Huge thank you to Carina Bauer, Rebecca Hignett, David Harrison and Liz Brand for putting together a show that delivered from start to finish. Bravo.
We came for meetings. We left with a full heart, a lot of new friends, and a long list of follow-ups.
IMEX America 2026 by the Numbers
The show floor felt busy, and the official numbers back it up. Every headline metric grew year on year.
The headline stats
Metric | 2026 | Vs. last year |
|---|---|---|
Total participants (including exhibitors) | 18,200 | Up 4% |
Total meetings (one-to-one, group appointments, booth presentations) | 96,000 | |
Exhibiting companies | 3,800 | Up 3% |
Total buyers | 6,292 from 82 countries | Up 2.5% |
Press | 96 from 9 countries |
The 6,292 buyers break down into 4,857 hosted buyers and 1,435 buyer attendees.
Who was buying
Buyers by type of business
Buyer type | Share |
|---|---|
Agency | 58% |
Corporate | 25% |
Association | 10% |
Independent planner | 6% |
Government / university | 1% |
Buyers by country (top 5)
Country | Share |
|---|---|
United States | 73% |
Canada | 5% |
Mexico | 4% |
United Kingdom | 4% |
Brazil | 3% |
The buying power in the room
Annual buying power | Share of buyers |
|---|---|
Over $10 million | 27% |
$5 million to $10 million | 17% |
$1 million to $5 million | 28% |
$500,001 to $1 million | 14% |
$100,001 to $500,000 | 10% |
Under $100,000 | 4% |
What the numbers tell us
This was a serious buying room. 72% of buyers control more than $1 million in buying power, and 44% control more than $5 million.
Agencies drive the show. Nearly 6 in 10 buyers are agency-side, so being easy to work with at scale matters.
96,000 meetings is a lot of conversations to follow up on. Capture and follow-up is where the value gets won or lost, which is why Markus Wrapped exists.
Latin America is on the rise. Mexico and Brazil together made up 7% of buyers, which lines up with the Brazil and Latam expansion talk we heard all week.
Source: IMEX America 2026 show statistics.
A big shoutout to the IMEX community
Thank you to the IMEX team for building a show where 96,000 meetings could happen in three days and still feel personal. Thank you to the 3,800 exhibitors who brought their best, the 6,292 buyers who showed up ready to do business, and the 96 members of the press who told the story. You made it a pleasure to be part of.
Our Week at IMEX America, Day by Day
Tuesday: Build Lab, Networking, and Prost
We kicked things off with incredible sessions in the Build Lab led by Dahlia El Gazzar and Vinodhini Deshetty.
Then the Women in Exhibitions Network: North America party at the House of Blues got the networking off to a great start.
The night ended with the Freeman Company dinner at KUMI. Sushi, bao buns, fun gifts (those tea bags!) and wonderful conversation. We stayed late with our friends from Düsseldorf and the German crew. Prost! 🍻
Wednesday: Back-to-Back Meetings and a Poolside Close
Wednesday was wall-to-wall. We met with ConferenceDirect, MCI USA, many of the leading associations, and some of the top event organizers in the business. If you run an association or a multi-event portfolio, our Conference and Expo & Tradeshow pages show how we work with teams like yours.
We also had a special dinner with an event organizer, talking about industry shifts and where events go next.
Then came the big Wednesday close: the Meeting Professionals International Foundation Rendezvous at Soleia. Poolside vibes, and a DJ who ran the full gamut of musical styles. We ran into so many great people that night we felt like celebs out on the town. 🤩
Thursday: Booth Meetings, Then Home
A slower day on the floor, but the meetings at our booth were very good. Then the flight home.
Beyond the Booth: Mandalay Bay, Great Food, and a Little Poker
IMEX America 2026 took over the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and the scale of the space is part of what makes the show work. Wide aisles, a steady flow of buyers, and enough room for real conversations instead of hallway sprints.
Vegas also did what Vegas does. We squeezed in dinners at Zaytinya and Chica, both worth the trip on their own. And after a long day of meetings, we ducked into the Venetian for a quick round of three card poker. Keeping it small, keeping it fun.
We also noticed something fun about the timing. Workday Rising was running in Vegas the same week, which meant the city was full of HR leaders. We ended up meeting plenty of them at dinners and around town. Events are a people business, and it was great to hear how that community thinks about gatherings, learning, and connection.
The Event Tech Community Showed Up
One of our favorite parts of IMEX is seeing the event tech leaders building products that move events forward and improve the experience for everyone. Great time with:
And the best booth award goes to surf legends Swoogo.There were many more conversations that have us feeling great about where the industry is headed.
Our take: integrated tech wins
We are firmly on the side of integrated tech that works together and creates real outcomes. That is why Markus adds an intelligence layer on top of the registration, agenda, and meeting tools organizers already use, with no rip and replace. See the full list on our integrations page that is launching soon.
What We Are Taking Home From IMEX America 2026
Meetings turn into momentum fast when both sides leave with a clear next step.
Organizers want proof of outcomes, not just activity counts.
Capture is the next frontier. Notes and follow-ups should not live in someone's head or a pile of business cards.
Integrated beats isolated. The strongest conversations were about tools working together.
Want to see how Markus turns event interactions into outcomes? Book a demo, or read more on the Markus AI blog. You can also see how we were covered in TSNN's look at new event tech tools.
See You at IMEX America 2027
IMEX is done: serendipitous connections, great conversations, and a happy exhibitor team that will see you back next year.
Mark your calendar: IMEX America 2027 is September 28-30, 2027 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.
IMEX America 2026 is in the books, and oh yes, Las Vegas surely delivered.
Congrats to the whole team at IMEX on a 10/10 event.
How we know it was a great show
The proof was on our calendar.
By the time the show wrapped, we already had follow-up meetings booked with people we met on the floor. That tells you business was being done in the booths, and that the conversations had somewhere to go.
We also got hands-on in the Build Lab, and we left with more ideas than we arrived with. Three themes kept coming up in our conversations with organizers planning their 2027 and 2028 events:
Global growth. More organizers are expanding into Brazil and Latin America.
Note-takers everywhere. Teams want capture on every desk and in every 1-1, which is exactly the problem that part of Markus Journey was built to solve.
Proof over recaps. Organizers and sponsors want outcomes they can point to, not just attendance counts. That is the idea behind Markus Wrapped.
Huge thank you to Carina Bauer, Rebecca Hignett, David Harrison and Liz Brand for putting together a show that delivered from start to finish. Bravo.
We came for meetings. We left with a full heart, a lot of new friends, and a long list of follow-ups.
IMEX America 2026 by the Numbers
The show floor felt busy, and the official numbers back it up. Every headline metric grew year on year.
The headline stats
Metric | 2026 | Vs. last year |
|---|---|---|
Total participants (including exhibitors) | 18,200 | Up 4% |
Total meetings (one-to-one, group appointments, booth presentations) | 96,000 | |
Exhibiting companies | 3,800 | Up 3% |
Total buyers | 6,292 from 82 countries | Up 2.5% |
Press | 96 from 9 countries |
The 6,292 buyers break down into 4,857 hosted buyers and 1,435 buyer attendees.
Who was buying
Buyers by type of business
Buyer type | Share |
|---|---|
Agency | 58% |
Corporate | 25% |
Association | 10% |
Independent planner | 6% |
Government / university | 1% |
Buyers by country (top 5)
Country | Share |
|---|---|
United States | 73% |
Canada | 5% |
Mexico | 4% |
United Kingdom | 4% |
Brazil | 3% |
The buying power in the room
Annual buying power | Share of buyers |
|---|---|
Over $10 million | 27% |
$5 million to $10 million | 17% |
$1 million to $5 million | 28% |
$500,001 to $1 million | 14% |
$100,001 to $500,000 | 10% |
Under $100,000 | 4% |
What the numbers tell us
This was a serious buying room. 72% of buyers control more than $1 million in buying power, and 44% control more than $5 million.
Agencies drive the show. Nearly 6 in 10 buyers are agency-side, so being easy to work with at scale matters.
96,000 meetings is a lot of conversations to follow up on. Capture and follow-up is where the value gets won or lost, which is why Markus Wrapped exists.
Latin America is on the rise. Mexico and Brazil together made up 7% of buyers, which lines up with the Brazil and Latam expansion talk we heard all week.
Source: IMEX America 2026 show statistics.
A big shoutout to the IMEX community
Thank you to the IMEX team for building a show where 96,000 meetings could happen in three days and still feel personal. Thank you to the 3,800 exhibitors who brought their best, the 6,292 buyers who showed up ready to do business, and the 96 members of the press who told the story. You made it a pleasure to be part of.
Our Week at IMEX America, Day by Day
Tuesday: Build Lab, Networking, and Prost
We kicked things off with incredible sessions in the Build Lab led by Dahlia El Gazzar and Vinodhini Deshetty.
Then the Women in Exhibitions Network: North America party at the House of Blues got the networking off to a great start.
The night ended with the Freeman Company dinner at KUMI. Sushi, bao buns, fun gifts (those tea bags!) and wonderful conversation. We stayed late with our friends from Düsseldorf and the German crew. Prost! 🍻
Wednesday: Back-to-Back Meetings and a Poolside Close
Wednesday was wall-to-wall. We met with ConferenceDirect, MCI USA, many of the leading associations, and some of the top event organizers in the business. If you run an association or a multi-event portfolio, our Conference and Expo & Tradeshow pages show how we work with teams like yours.
We also had a special dinner with an event organizer, talking about industry shifts and where events go next.
Then came the big Wednesday close: the Meeting Professionals International Foundation Rendezvous at Soleia. Poolside vibes, and a DJ who ran the full gamut of musical styles. We ran into so many great people that night we felt like celebs out on the town. 🤩
Thursday: Booth Meetings, Then Home
A slower day on the floor, but the meetings at our booth were very good. Then the flight home.
Beyond the Booth: Mandalay Bay, Great Food, and a Little Poker
IMEX America 2026 took over the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and the scale of the space is part of what makes the show work. Wide aisles, a steady flow of buyers, and enough room for real conversations instead of hallway sprints.
Vegas also did what Vegas does. We squeezed in dinners at Zaytinya and Chica, both worth the trip on their own. And after a long day of meetings, we ducked into the Venetian for a quick round of three card poker. Keeping it small, keeping it fun.
We also noticed something fun about the timing. Workday Rising was running in Vegas the same week, which meant the city was full of HR leaders. We ended up meeting plenty of them at dinners and around town. Events are a people business, and it was great to hear how that community thinks about gatherings, learning, and connection.
The Event Tech Community Showed Up
One of our favorite parts of IMEX is seeing the event tech leaders building products that move events forward and improve the experience for everyone. Great time with:
And the best booth award goes to surf legends Swoogo.There were many more conversations that have us feeling great about where the industry is headed.
Our take: integrated tech wins
We are firmly on the side of integrated tech that works together and creates real outcomes. That is why Markus adds an intelligence layer on top of the registration, agenda, and meeting tools organizers already use, with no rip and replace. See the full list on our integrations page that is launching soon.
What We Are Taking Home From IMEX America 2026
Meetings turn into momentum fast when both sides leave with a clear next step.
Organizers want proof of outcomes, not just activity counts.
Capture is the next frontier. Notes and follow-ups should not live in someone's head or a pile of business cards.
Integrated beats isolated. The strongest conversations were about tools working together.
Want to see how Markus turns event interactions into outcomes? Book a demo, or read more on the Markus AI blog. You can also see how we were covered in TSNN's look at new event tech tools.
See You at IMEX America 2027
IMEX is done: serendipitous connections, great conversations, and a happy exhibitor team that will see you back next year.
Mark your calendar: IMEX America 2027 is September 28-30, 2027 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.