IMEX America is three days, thousands of conversations, and roughly a marathon’s worth of carpet. The real question is what you walk out with.
The best IMEX weeks we’ve seen aren’t the busiest ones. They’re the ones that were designed - built around a clear outcome, paced like a good program, and loose enough to leave room for the conversation nobody scheduled. Which is fitting, because that’s exactly how we think about the events we build for clients.
This October 13-15, the Imprint team heads to Mandalay Bay for IMEX America 2026 - and for the first time, we’re showing up alongside MC&A Hawaii and Kuoni Tumlare at booth F125. Before we pack, we asked the people who’ll be on the floor how they make the week count. Here’s what they told us.
IMEX America 2026 runs October 13-15 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Find Imprint at booth F125, plus D3221 (Meet Hawaii), D3405 (Visit Phoenix), C3717 (Visit Orlando), and C4631 (Meet Boston). Our team’s top tips: name one outcome for the week, book meetings around it, leave white space for unplanned conversations, and wear comfortable shoes.
We’d never design a client event by filling every hour and hoping something meaningful happens. IMEX deserves the same intention. Start with the outcome, then build the agenda that gets you there.
Our team’s go-to framework for the week:
“Not every great IMEX connection happens in a scheduled meeting. Most of mine have not,” says Andy McVay, Director of Business Development. “Sometimes it happens over coffee, walking down the convention hall, showing interest in someone’s booth, or even at a lunch spot or bar - or in the five minutes you thought you didn’t have. Don’t schedule every second. Leave a little room for the unexpected, because you never know who you’ll meet.”
Imprint has a home base in Las Vegas, which means some of our team spends IMEX week watching visitors learn the city’s favorite optical illusion in real time: that casino you can see from your hotel window is, in fact, a 20-minute walk. Through three more casinos. At least one of which has indoor canals and a gondolier.
A few things our Las Vegas team wants every attendee to know:
“One of my favorite Las Vegas tips? Get off the Strip for a little while,” says Andy. “Some of the best moments happen when you take clients somewhere they weren’t expecting. A great local restaurant, a hidden spot, or simply seeing a different side of the city can turn a Las Vegas trip into an experience they actually remember. Sometimes it’s not the big production, glitz, glamour, or the fancy lights that makes someone fall for a city. It’s the unexpected moments.”
If you stop by, here’s what you’ll find: a team that’s had exactly enough coffee, a calendar that runs from first appointment to last call, and a conversation that starts with your goals rather than our services.
We designed this year’s booth around one idea: good things come in pairs. Imprint and our partners showing up together. Your goals paired with the right team. And yes, an actual pair of socks when you book time with us - because after a day on the IMEX floor, a fresh pair is the most practical gift in Las Vegas. Book a program, and we’ll upgrade you to custom shoes. (We told you we’d come back to shoes.)
“People can usually expect a booth to hand them a brochure, if anything at all,” says Andy. “We wanted to give them something they’d actually remember. The socks are a fun icebreaker and a way to start the conversation, but what really matters is what comes next: how we can listen, hear about you and your company, and more importantly, help make your next event better - and what a great partnership together would look like.”
Earlier this year, Imprint joined forces with MC&A Mainland. That puts us in the same JTB family alongside MC&A Hawaii and Kuoni Tumlare, JTB’s global destination management network. For clients, the practical upshot is simple: the strategic, creative approach you know from Imprint, with on-the-ground expertise that now stretches from Denver and Las Vegas to Honolulu and well beyond.
“Our clients have always asked us to think bigger,” says Nicole Marsh, Founder & COO. “Now we can say yes in more places, with a larger mainland US footprint and with expanded partners who share the same values and approach. IMEX is the first time we get to show that side by side - and the first time a lot of people get to meet the whole team at once.”
IMEX is where a lot of partnerships begin, and it’s a great place to separate the vendors from the partners. Our account management team, who see what happens long after the contract is signed, suggested a few questions worth asking anyone you meet - including us.
IMEX rewards people who show up with intention, curiosity, and good shoes. We’ll be bringing all three - plus the socks.
Find the Imprint team, alongside MC&A Hawaii and Kuoni Tumlare, at booth F125, October 13-15 at Mandalay Bay. Book time with our team, or reach out to start planning your next program - whether that conversation happens in Las Vegas or long after.
You can also find members of our team at these destination booths:
Headed to C3717? Ask Andrea about Orlando beyond the theme parks!
Five booths, one team. (Yes, that’s a lot of show floor. See: shoes.)
IMEX America 2026 runs October 13-15 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, with Smart Monday education on October 12. Full details are on the IMEX America website.
Imprint Events Group will be at booth F125 alongside MC&A Hawaii and Kuoni Tumlare. You can also find our team at D3221 (Meet Hawaii), D3405 (Visit Phoenix), C3717 (Visit Orlando), and C4631 (Meet Boston).
Book directly through any Imprint team member’s personal scheduling link, or contact Imprint and we’ll connect you with the right person. Everyone who books a meeting gets a pair of socks.
Start with one clear outcome for the week, book appointments that serve it, leave white space for unscheduled conversations, and take quick notes after each meeting. Comfortable shoes and plenty of water help, too.
Imprint is a strategic event company that designs and produces corporate events, incentive programs, and brand experiences built around business outcomes, with teams in Denver, Orlando, and Las Vegas and a global partner network through MC&A and JTB.
Headed to Las Vegas? Book time with the Imprint team at IMEX. Can’t make the show? Get in touch with Imprint - good things come in pairs, and so do good conversations.