Travel & Adventure Show

What Travel & Adventure Show does

Travel & Adventure Show is a U.S. consumer and trade travel-show circuit operating across 10 major metropolitan markets (Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, Bay Area, and South Florida). Founded in 2003 by John Golicz (also the founder of the predecessor Adventures in Travel Expo) and operated as a division of Marketplace Events, the circuit connects roughly 150,000 pre-qualified travel enthusiasts annually with more than 2,500 exhibitor brands — including tourism boards, tour operators, cruise lines, airlines, hotels, and other suppliers. Programming is anchored by appearances from celebrity travel personalities (Rick Steves, Phil Rosenthal, Phil Keoghan, Samantha Brown), who appear as stage talent included with ticket purchase.

The core product is a series of two-day in-person trade shows; supporting products include dedicated Travel Advisor programming, FAM (familiarization) tours, exhibitor success tools and floor plans, and a press/media track. Revenue is generated from two streams: (1) exhibitor booth fees, sponsorships, and promotional placements paid by travel providers (the dominant stream, quote-based and not publicly disclosed), and (2) consumer ticket sales at up to $20 per person (general admission including seminars and show-floor access). Marketing reach the company through a mix of broadcast/streaming TV, radio, outdoor/digital, online, and PR channels managed in-market.

The company's operating base is in Milford, Connecticut (203 area code), with a slim in-house team of 11–50 employees — sales directors handle exhibitor relationships across each city, and shared back-office services are provided by parent Marketplace Events. Distribution is exclusively U.S. domestic and exclusively physical/in-person, with no digital or international event footprint disclosed.

Name

Travel & Adventure Show

Legal name

Travel & Adventure Show Series (operated by Marketplace Events)

Website

https://travelshows.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Travel & Adventure Show is a U.S. consumer and trade travel-show circuit operating in 10 major DMAs, connecting 150,000+ annual attendees with 2,500+ travel exhibitors (tourism boards, tour operators, cruise lines, airlines) via paid booth and ticket revenue streams under parent Marketplace Events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Trade Shows and Exhibitions

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Travel & Adventure Shows (MPAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transportation, Logistics & Mobility Shows Organizers (THAHABAL)

Keywords

• Travel trade shows
• Consumer travel events
• Exhibitor booth sales
• Travel advisor programs
• Destination marketing events

Headquarters

HQ city

Milford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor booth/sponsorship fees: Travel destinations, tour operators, cruise lines, airlines, and travel suppliers pay to exhibit at the shows. This includes booth fees, sponsorship opportunities, and promotional placements.
2. Consumer ticket sales: Attendees pay up to $20 per ticket per person to access the shows, with general admission providing entry to seminars and show floor access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Travel & Adventure Show produces and operates a nationwide series of consumer-and-trade travel exhibitions held in 10 major U.S. cities, connecting travel destinations, tour operators, cruise lines, airlines, hotels, and other travel suppliers (exhibitors) face-to-face with travel enthusiasts and travel advisors. Attendees pay an admission ticket for show floor access, celebrity-led travel seminars, and exclusive show-only deals, while exhibitors purchase booth space and sponsorship packages to reach a pre-qualified, in-market audience.

Product overview

The Travel & Adventure Show Series is America's only series of consumer and trade travel shows, operating in 10 major U.S. gateway cities (Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Seattle, South Florida, Bay Area, and Washington, D.C.). The series connects over 150,000 travel enthusiasts annually with 2,500+ exhibitors including destinations, tour operators, cruise lines, and travel providers, all under one roof. The show series serves four distinct audiences: general attendees seeking vacation planning, exhibitors promoting destinations and travel services, Travel Advisors seeking education and supplier connections, and press/media covering the travel industry. Supporting products include exhibitor success tools, show reports, exhibitor contracts, and FAM (Familiarization Tours) programs. The series is a division of Marketplace Events, North America's leading consumer and trade show organizer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Adventures in Travel Expo: Original travel show brand founded by John Golicz that evolved into the Travel & Adventure Show Series

Products and services

• Travel & Adventure Show Series
• Travel Advisor Programs
• FAM-TAS (Familiarization) Tours

Quantifiable outcome

• Attendees spend over 4 hours on average at each event, indicating high engagement

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2026American Airlines confirmed its existing nonstop service from Miami to Martinique is performing well with strong demand and high load factors. American Airlines representatives participated alongside Martinique Tourism Authority at the South Florida Travel & Adventure Show, indicating ongoing co-marketing activities and strategic partnership for airlift promotion.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IMEX Group (IMEX America / IMEX Frankfurt): Operates IMEX America (Las Vegas) and IMEX Frankfurt, both major B2B travel industry trade exhibitions serving destinations, hotels, airlines, and tour operators. Closest direct competitor in the multi-market travel trade show category.
• World Travel Market (RX Global / RELX): Runs the flagship WTM London exhibition plus WTM Africa and other regional shows, aggregating the global travel industry. Direct competitor for exhibitor booth spend and industry mind share.
• ITB Berlin: World's largest travel trade show hosted annually in Berlin by Messe Berlin, with ITB Asia and ITB China spin-offs. Competes for international exhibitor budgets and global tourism board participation.
• The New York Times Travel Show: Annual consumer-facing travel show held in New York City with a similar B2B2C model and destination exhibitor base. Direct geographic overlap in the critical New York DMA.
• NTA (National Tour Association): Trade association for the packaged travel industry running its own annual tour operator trade events. Overlaps in exhibitor base and travel advisor/agent audience.
• USTOA (United States Tour Operators Association): Industry association hosting an annual Marketplace and operator events connecting tour operators with travel advisors. Comparable buyer/seller matchmaking function in the tour operator segment.

Broad incumbents

• Informa Markets: Global exhibition organizer running numerous travel and MICE events (e.g., IBTM). Wider portfolio provides scale advantages but no direct single consumer travel expo series equivalent to Travel & Adventure Show.
• RX Global (Reed Exhibitions, RELX): Operates WTM and other major travel exhibitions as part of a much broader events portfolio. Much larger scale than Travel & Adventure Show but with overlapping exhibitor base and similar buyer/seller matchmaking model.
• Emerald Holding: U.S.-focused publicly-traded trade show organizer operating multiple consumer and B2B events. Peer in scale and structure, though focused outside the travel vertical.

Emerging players

• CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association): Industry association running consumer cruise-focused events and trade shows intersecting cruise lines with travel advisors. Partial overlap with Travel & Adventure Show's cruise exhibitor segment and travel advisor audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TravAdventure
• Facebookfacebook.com/TravelandAdventureShow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Travel & Adventure Show