IPW 2026, the international travel trade show held May 17-21 this year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is projected to bring in more than $1 billion to Greater Fort Lauderdale over the next three years in travel-related revenue, according to the event’s organizer, the U.S. Travel Association, based in Washington, D.C.
While the immediate impact of an event the size of IPW is significant, Stacy Ritter, CEO of Visit Lauderdale, says the real impact will be over the years following the event. Most IPW attendees are, in one way or another, involved in the travel and tourism market, whether they are media, tour operators, or travel planners. Millions—if not billions—of dollars worth of future travel decisions could be impacted by these industry professionals’ IPW attendance, as they might be more likely to return or direct others to Fort Lauderdale. Ritter also notes, having now hosted an event the size of IPW, Fort Lauderdale has strengthened its reputation as a premier destination for large-scale meetings.
IPW 2026 brought in more than 4,000 travel industry professionals to the Broward County Convention Center. Visit Lauderdale put a bid in for this year’s event in late 2022, and Fort Lauderdale was selected as the host city in 2023. Once the bid was awarded, Ritter says planning started immediately.
“The goal [was] not only to host a successful conference but to create meaningful opportunities for international travel buyers and media to experience firsthand what makes Greater Fort Lauderdale a premier global destination,” Ritter says.
With so many compounding factors impacting the outcome of the event, Ritter says one of the biggest wins was completely out of anyone’s control: the weather. South Florida is often associated with a warm, sunny climate, and the weather did not disappoint for this year’s conference.
“It was the combination of favorable weather, outdoor accessibility, and intentionally designed destination experiences that allowed attendees to feel Greater Fort Lauderdale rather than simply attend an event in it,” Ritter says.
When assessing the success of an event like IPW, Ritter says you measure it over the course of years, not weeks. She says the connections and impressions created at IPW 2026 will drive visitation to Greater Fort Lauderdale for years to come.
IPW 2027 will be held in New Orleans May 2-6 next year.
