Drop your bags with us, enjoy welcome experiences, and then choose your speed for opening afternoon at the 2027 Experiential Marketing Summit. Three speeds allow you to curate the afternoon, from field trips across Las Vegas, to an all-new “How-To” practitioner track you can hop into at any time, to peer-to-peer executive salons. Whether you lean B2C or B2B or manage corporate trade show exhibitor programs, agency side or brand side—if you’re all-in on experiential, you’ve come to the right place.

The “official” EMS kickoff, we’re throwing open the doors to the expansive Hall of Ideas. Discover cutting-edge solutions through 1:1 conversations and activations, and what industry experts are dreaming up this year. Jump into interactive networking experiences and challenges, enjoy snacks and drinks, and stay tuned for a few special surprises.

We’re throwing a party, and you’re all invited. It’s the 25th anniversary of the Ex Awards, the most prestigious recognition program for the experiential marketing industry, and the only awards program where impact counts. Join us as we hand out trophies and celebrate the best event campaigns of the year at this extra-special community gathering.

Grab a seat, fuel up with a hearty breakfast and get ready to be inspired as we power-up the first full day of EMS 2027 with talks from Fortune 500 brands and luminaries that will spotlight the unique position experiential marketers are in to own the conversation.

We don’t do “coffee breaks.” We multitask, like you do. Head on over to the Hall of Ideas for coffee or tea (hot or iced!), tour our partner’s exhibits and activations, and chat 1:1 with solutions experts. Crawl every corner of the hall—you never know what you’ll find.

Choose your learning style, from high-speed on down to cruising-speed session tracks. Our signature “Ask Me Anything” sessions will have you hashing out shared challenges with peers and thought leaders, while our “How-To” track continues with rapid-fire, tactical best practices. Brand-only salons and power panels will offer topical deep-dives. Sample focus areas: How AI is influencing and transforming event tech stacks, the content strategies delivering full-circle campaigns for exhibitors, and the congruence of comms and experiential for the highest “earned” returns.

Our lunch experience allows you to enjoy a hearty meal while jumping into several networking activities designed to spark connection and inspiration. Stop by The Event Marketer Clubhouse for bite-sized sessions, or explore the latest products, partners and solutions at your own pace. Whether you're catching up or discovering something new, it's your time to recharge.

Choose your learning style, from high-speed on down to cruising-speed session tracks. Among our signature sessions: Event Marketer’s famous Creative Brief Challenge, where napkin sketches and damn-the-torpedoes budgeting are fair game. Whether you’re a listener and note-taker or a hand-raiser and group-work kind of learner, our agenda is inclusive and all-encompassing. Sample focus areas: Developing a “CMO-buy-in” measurement strategy, from the KPIs to the digital report; event budget optimization in the “integrated” era; and community strategies designed to build long-term relationships.

A mid-afternoon “reset” in the Hall of Ideas. Trade notes with someone new, get hands-on with what's turned heads across the exhibit experiences so far, or squeeze in a Clubhouse session before the next round of programming.

Choose your learning style, from high-speed on down to cruising-speed session tracks. Be sure to drop into our Spotlight Stage featuring power panels mornings and afternoons (Think: The Golden Era of Sports Sponsorships, B-to-B Dream Team Perspectives, and Behind the Scenes of Award-Winning Event Campaigns). Sample focus areas: How AI is changing workflows for brands and agencies, how experiential thinking is changing the way exhibit programs are designed and executed, and what’s happening across the industry’s hottest properties.

On the final day of EMS, we don’t let up on the gas. Enjoy our breakfast spread, fuel up on coffee (hot or iced, of course!) and settle in as we introduce you to our final slate of industry luminaries on our main stage at EMS 2027.

The final day of the show kicks into gear with a slate of cruising-speed session tracks all designed to bring your learning experience full-circle by focusing on the so-what-now, and what’s next. From 2028 trends to big-picture strategies, to agency leader salons, to career advice—we’re serving content designed to stimulate conversations (and power those recap presentations) once you’re back in the office.

More surprises await in the Hall of Ideas. Fuel up, take a meeting, jump in on table topics or bite-sized sessions in the Clubhouse, and circle back to that last product demo on the list.

A closing worthy of a 25th anniversary, we’re raising a glass to business connections, trailblazing ideas, and the people that power the experiential marketing industry. Our signature closing sessions brings the community back together one last time. Same-day flights. Real bedtimes.