The U.S. Travel Association announced Thursday that it will coordinate with the trade show company Connect Travel to co-locate several events around IPW 2021 [September 18-22 in Las Vegas] in order to maximize value to attendees and provide travel marketers with cutting-edge tools and intelligence to promote their destinations and products in a post-COVID environment.

As travel businesses evolve their promotion strategies to emerge from the global pandemic, the adjusted IPW format for 2021 will enable exhibitors to grow domestic visitation in addition to regaining their share of rebounding inbound travel—all from one booth.

While IPW will continue to focus on its core global audience [international leisure and MICE buyers, receptive/inbound operators, OTAs and global e-commerce, and media], Connect Travel will bring its robust and targeted domestic event, Connect Tour, to the show floor at IPW. Exhibitors will have the option to purchase an appointment book allowing meetings with domestic operators, bus companies, domestic consortia, and more, in addition to appointments with international buyers.

“IPW has always placed a heavy emphasis on evolving along with the needs of our delegates, and 2021 will be perhaps the most important year in our history to help jump-start the critical rebuild of the U.S. travel economy,” said IPW General Manager Malcolm Smith. “This collaboration is reflective of our strong desire to maximize the value of IPW for our exhibitors in the current unique marketing landscape.”

For travel and destination marketers, Connect Travel will also locate its Connect THRIVE LGBTQ Summit, September 18-19, and eTourism Summit, September 20-22, at a property adjacent to IPW’s main location at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

eTourism Summit, an intimate, annual conference, is the epicenter of digital destination marketing. Peer-to-peer sharing is integral to the aims, benefits, and actionable takeaways for those who attend the summit. In 2021, IPW and eTourism Summit will combine their marketing and technology sponsors at the Las Vegas Convention Center, creating the Global Marketing and Technology Pavilion. Delegates of both IPW and eTourism Summit will have access to trailblazing technology, strategy, and marketing companies to accelerate the travel industry’s recovery and growth.

Connect THRIVE LGBTQ Summit is focused on community development through LGBTQ travel, sports, and entertainment, making it a critically important event for diversity marketers. As an added value, THRIVE delegates will be invited to visit IPW/eTourism Summit’s Global Marketing and Technology Pavilion, and LGBTQ travel packagers and media will be invited to participate in business appointments on the IPW/Connect Tour show floor following the Summit.

“By co-locating our Connect Travel events alongside the most important travel event in the United States, we are creating exciting synergies for our partners to efficiently make connections across multiple industry sectors,” said Connect Travel President Will Seccombe. “Las Vegas will be the epicenter of the U.S. travel industry in September 2021, and together these events will be the catalyst for travel recovery in 2021 and beyond.”

Finally, IPW will undergo evolutionary updates to meet the post-pandemic needs of delegates. Most notably, the U.S. Travel Association and premier sponsor Brand USA will bring forward-looking education to IPW, catering to specific verticals within the travel industry.

While keeping appointments as the core of the show, IPW will add nearly eight hours of networking and education during the three days the show floor is open. Delegates will be able to tailor the added time to their specific efforts to increase visitors to their destinations and products.

By Harry S. Johson