The holidays are the time of year when you reconnect with family, and you can’t help but notice how much your cousin’s kids have grown since you’ve last seen them. If only your event planning business could experience the kind of growth spurt that will make it unrecognizable a year from now.
Luckily, there’s one surefire strategy for business growth that will have your grandmother pitching your cheeks, wondering how you grew into such a business genius. Exhibiting at conferences will elevate your event planning business and put you in contact with decision-makers from top corporate brands.
In this article, we lay out the top event planning conferences for 2025. We’re counting down and saving THE BEST FOR LAST because we figured that’s how Santa would do it.
6. IAEE Expo! Expo!
When: December 9-11
Where: George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston
What: IAEE Expo! Expo! is chock full of learning opportunities for event professionals. Classroom instruction, hands-on learning, and the opportunity to earn CE credits makes Expo! Expo! a must-attend conference for anyone in the events industry.
IAEE Expo! Expo! is also your chance to step into the spotlight as an exhibitor. Nearly 90% of IAEE members are high-level decision-makers in their organization. Connect with nationally based vendors whose services will put a fresh spin on your NYC events.
5. Experiential Marketing Summit 2025
When: April 14-16
Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas
What: The Experiential Marketing Summit is the place where immersive entertainment and corporate events collide to create an event conference that showcases “what’s next” in experiential marketing. Here, you’ll find decision-makers from top brands interested in creating memorable and engaging experiential events.
Brands are increasingly turning to experiential entertainment to get noticed. Experiential entertainment encourages attendees to get in on the action and includes everything from VR entertainment to 3D projections to bounce houses. High demand and new-fangled tech make experiential events the most exciting new event trend since Beyoncé started doing private gigs.
Cement your brand reputation as NYC’s top experiential event planner by exhibiting at the Experiential Marketing Summit 2025.
4. IPEC 2025
When: January 26-27
Where: Hard Rock Hotel, Atlantic City, NJ
What: IPEC stands for Independent Planner Education Community, and it’s the place where independent event planners make connections, hear from industry leaders, and connect face-to-face with qualified leads.
It’s this last reason — face-to-face time with qualified leads — that sets IPEC apart from other event planning conferences. Northstar Meetings Group, the founding sponsor for IPEC, lures qualified buyers to IPEC by hosting them with included airfare, accommodations, and meals.
IPEC 2025 offers event planners the best opportunity to increase their roster of events clients.
3. IMEX America 2025
When: October 7-9
Where: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
What: IMEX America bills itself as the “largest trade show for the business events industry.” Judging from the numbers, we’re inclined to believe them. According to their website, more than 5,700 buyers attend IMEX America. More than 27% of these buyers have an event budget in excess of $10 million.
Attendees don’t pay anywhere near that amount, since IMEX America is free for event professionals. That means exhibitors will have unprecedented access to thousands of potential leads. And IMEX America makes it easy with an event platform, complete with messaging, that makes it easy for leads to find and connect with you.
Exhibiting at IMEX America will give you unprecedented exposure that will help you reach your event planning business goals.
2. International Confex
When: February 26-27
Where: London, UK
What: When you’re looking for an events industry conference and a trip of a lifetime that doubles as a tax write-off, look no further than International Confex in London. Sure, London’s iconic architecture, happening arts scene, and world-class entertainment options are alluring. But it’s Confex that makes London the go-to destination for event planners.
Here, top international brands converge to find event planning solutions. Confex boasts more than 5,000 attendees and over 16,000 connections on their app. Exhibiting at Confex will put your event planning business in the middle of the action. Then, in between hobnobbing with decision- makers from the likes of Financial Times and Red Bull, you can visit the palace and try to make a Royal Guard laugh.
1. The Event Planner Expo 2025
When: October 14-16
Where: New York City
What: The Capital of the World is also the center of the events planning industry. And it’s here, in New York City, that The Event Planner Expo brings the world’s event planning professionals together for three days of networking, presentations, and, of course, exhibitions.
More than 50 speakers representing the best and brightest in the business will share their experience and knowledge. The Event Planner Expo features development sessions to sharpen your business skills. Attendees will acquire knowledge, gain industry insights, and be inspired at The Event Planner Expo. And you can be there, with an exhibitor’s booth, ready to make connections, seal deals, and grow your event planning business by leaps and bounds. Sign up to exhibit at The Event Planner Expo 2025, and reserve your booth spot today.
