Who exhibits and buys at IMEX America
IMEX America calls itself the largest trade show for the global meetings, events, and incentive travel industry. Its exhibitors are national and regional tourist offices and convention bureaus, hotels, conference and exhibition venues, cruise lines, airlines, transportation companies, technology providers, and event management specialists: more than 3,700 of them from over 80 countries, according to the organizer.
On the other side are more than 6,100 buyers, the corporate, association, and agency planners who place meetings and incentive trips. IMEX says more than 65 percent of its buyers have buying power over $1 million, and its hosted buyer program brings many in with travel and hotel covered. Education runs alongside the floor, with more than 300 sessions over four days.
IMEX America 2027 at Mandalay Bay, two weeks earlier
IMEX America 2027 runs Tuesday, September 28 to Thursday, September 30 at Mandalay Bay, with Smart Monday, powered by MPI, on September 27. That's earlier than the 2026 show, which ran October 13 to 15 with move-in from October 9 and the floor open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closing at 4 p.m. on the last day.
IMEX describes Mandalay Bay as the fifth-largest convention center in the U.S., with 2.1 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space, and its 2026 manual put the show's service center at the back of Bayside D. The 2027 exhibitor manual wasn't posted when this guide was checked, so the rules and deadlines below come from the 2026 edition. With the show about two weeks earlier, expect its deadlines to move up as well.
IMEX booth construction rules: height, open sides, and walls
IMEX's construction rules, published in its 2026 GES manual, read differently from most U.S. shows. The ones that change a design:
- Nothing in a booth may exceed 20 feet, strictly enforced, and any element over 16 feet 6 inches must sit at least 4 feet in from the booth's edge; taller elements on the edge are allowed only as part of a two-story structure
- Inline space-only booths need 8-foot side walls as well as an 8-foot back wall, running full height out to the aisle, and that includes collapsible frame and tabletop displays
- Walls shared with a neighbor must be at least 8 feet high, pipe and drape isn't allowed, and the back of any wall above that height is finished plain white with no branding
- Every side facing an aisle stays at least 70 percent open, and solid wall runs longer than 6 feet aren't allowed along open sides
- Raised floors are discouraged; if one is needed it can be no more than 3 inches high, with beveled edges and a ramp
- Hanging banners can reach 20 feet and must sit at least 4 feet from a neighbor; signs of 200 pounds or more, or with power, are hung by the venue, and lighter ones by GES
- Illuminated fascias can't spill light onto neighbors, flashing lights aren't allowed, and speakers face into the booth
Two-story booths and design approval at IMEX
A two-story booth needs written permission. For 2026, the application with full structural drawings was due August 19, the upper level could be used for entertaining only, not product display, and the structure topped out at 20 feet including any sign. An upper deck over 300 square feet needs a second stairway, and IMEX or the Clark County Fire Department can refuse a two-story build outright.
Every space-only booth goes through approval. The exhibitor registers its exhibitor-appointed contractor in the IMEX booth coordinator account (by August 7 in 2026), and the builder uploads the floor plan, elevations, ceiling areas, a utilities plan, and insurance confirmation by August 26, or August 19 for two-story booths. IMEX lists a booth assessor among its official suppliers, and it can stop work on any booth whose design drawings weren't submitted.
Designing a destination booth for buyer appointments
IMEX runs on appointments. Buyers find exhibitors in the online directory and book meetings through a buyer-led system, and IMEX doesn't guarantee any exhibitor a minimum number. Once the calendar fills, the booth's job is to seat those meetings: rows of tables, sightlines from the aisle so a buyer can spot the right host, and enough separation that neighboring conversations don't blur together.
Destination booths often bring partners. IMEX lets exhibitors add partner companies to a booth at no extra cost, though it recommends no more than three partners per 100 square feet, so a convention bureau may need a meeting pod or counter for each hotel or venue it brings. Let the shared elements, such as the destination's name, imagery, and a welcome desk, read first, and give each partner a consistent panel that can be swapped from year to year.
IMEX sells two kinds of space. A shell scheme booth comes with hard walls, carpet, and a basic furniture package, while space only leaves the whole structure to the exhibitor; its exhibiting page lists them at $163 and $140 per square foot, with a 100-square-foot minimum. Shell scheme panels measure 37 1/4 by 91 1/2 inches if you're producing graphics for them.
Sustainability expectations for IMEX exhibitors
IMEX's exhibit-sustainably page reads like a design brief: FSC-certified lumber, low-VOC paint and glue, reusable and modular structures, and recyclable alternatives to polystyrene. It suggests printing locally on recycled paper with vegetable-based inks, keeping graphics free of dates so they can be reused, skipping Styrofoam packing peanuts, and offering digital alternatives to giveaways. Its official supplier list names MeetGreen as sustainability consultant.
A booth built for reuse fits that brief and the budget. Frames, counters, and meeting furniture designed to come back year after year, with graphics that swap out, cut waste and repeat costs; the guide to modular and sustainable exhibits covers the tradeoffs, and exhibit storage between shows is worth pricing in from the start.
IMEX move-in, freight, and Mandalay Bay services
For 2026, move-in ran from 2 p.m. on Friday, October 9 through 8 p.m. on Monday, October 12, with crews able to work until midnight over the weekend and a target time for each booth on GES's map. Freight went through the GES advance warehouse at 7000 Lindell Road from September 9, with October 2 the last day to arrive without a surcharge. Direct deliveries were accepted only on Monday, October 12, and every truck checked in first at the marshaling yard at 2982 West Post Road.
A clean floor policy began at 8 p.m. that Sunday, when wooden crates had to be emptied and labeled for removal, and booths not finished by 8 p.m. Monday drew a $500-an-hour penalty. Move-out ran from 5:30 p.m. on closing day to noon the next day. Mandalay Bay supplied electricity, internet, plumbing, and rigging and was the exclusive caterer and cleaner; Show Gear Productions held the exclusive on AV and wireless headsets; and builders' crews picked up a daily wristband to enter the hall.
An IMEX America 2027 planning timeline
As general guidance, using the 2026 deadlines moved up for a show that opens September 28, 2027. The guide to what a custom booth costs helps set the budget, the Las Vegas trade show calendar tracks the dates, and our trade show checklist and RFP template cover the rest:
- Late 2026 and early 2027: book space, choose shell scheme or space only, and line up partner companies
- Spring 2027: concept and 3D design around the meeting plan, with the 20-foot and open-side rules drawn in
- Early summer: register your exhibitor-appointed contractor, and start engineering and permission requests for any two-story build
- Midsummer: approval drawings and insurance through IMEX's booth design portal, then service orders ahead of the discount deadlines
- Late summer: fabrication and graphics, freight to the GES warehouse, and a target move-in in the days before September 28